The John Villiers Trust

17/07/2025

It's time to get artistic! Entries for The John Villiers Outback Art Prize open next month. Don't miss this opportunity to tell your story of the outback through your art. There are great prizes on offer and the chance to have your work exhibited at Outback Regional Gallery in the Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton.

🎨CALLING ALL ARTISTS🎨

THE 2026 JOHN VILLIERS OUTBACK ART PRIZE will open the Call For Entries next month on 8th August

⭐️$16,000 Prize pool
⭐️$10,000 Major Prize Winner (acquisitive)
⭐️Adult Category
⭐️Emerging Youth Category
⭐️People's Choice Award

For all enquiries contact: [email protected]

The John Villiers Outback Art Prize is generously sponsored by The John Villiers Trust and supported by Winton Shire Council and Ros Kavanagh Elders Insurance Central Queensland.

Image: 'Beautiful Scrubland' 2024, Nat Ward Major Award Winner of the 2025 John Villiers Outback Art Prize.

17/07/2025

Join the Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership (TQKP) Intergenerational Stewardship Table!

TQKP welcomes expressions of interest from leaders across Queensland to help strengthen outcomes for children and young people.

They especially encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally diverse leaders, emerging leaders (24–44), caregivers, and those in regional or remote areas.

They're keen to connect with people working in government, business, universities and not-for-profits, especially those focused on The Nest areas of Material Basics, Identity and Culture, and Participating.

Find out more and apply on the TQKP website: https://hubs.la/Q03xBBQ_0

07/07/2025

Soon, JVT will be leaving Facebook. We’ve loved sharing learning and funding opportunities, and celebrating grantee and partner successes, with you. But we’ve noticed that many of you prefer other ways to hear from us.

We’re not disappearing though! Instead, we’ll be dedicating more time to other ways to stay in touch:

Our website: Find all our news, announcements, and resources directly on our site. https://jvtrust.org.au/

Email newsletter: Sign up for updates, special offers, and event details delivered straight to your inbox. https://mailchi.mp/be2a9e95e2ba/jvt-mailing-list

Other social platforms: Follow us on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-john-villiers-trust

Direct support: You can always reach us by email, phone, or through our website’s contact form for any questions or support. https://jvtrust.org.au/contact/

We’re grateful for every message, like, and post you’ve shared. Thank you for your support!

If you would like to keep up to date with what we are doing, you can follow us on LinkedIn, and sign up to our newsletter here.

06/07/2025

Build STEM learning in your school in 2026 with DeadlyScience!

Bookings are now open for the Deadly STEM in Schools program, which brings Indigenous STEM knowledge to life in classrooms for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

This is a great chance to build curiosity and interest in learning and inspire young people to consider exciting STEM careers.

JVT is proud to support the deliver of the Deadly STEM in Schools program to more students in Queensland.

Want a Visit From Our Deadly STEM in Schools Team in 2026?
📣 Bookings are now open!

Our Deadly STEM in Schools program delivers engaging, hands-on STEM adventures!
Dive into learning experiences that uniquely blend First Nations STEM knowledge with modern science through a dynamic two-way approach.

Through hands-on activities and some engaging yarning, learners will discover how Indigenous Science knowledge is sophisticated, unique and important today.

Imagine your students exploring:
- Engineering of ancient fish traps.
- Chemistry of ochre.
- Geology and physics in petroglyphs.
- Biology of marine invaders.
- Chemistry and botany of bush soaps.

Our experienced team of DeadlyScience Educators will guide learners through STEM concepts, making learning both engaging and culturally rich.

Spots will fill fast – book now!

🔗Register here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/239377f7e0f14a7ebe85dd8423d285a2
📧 Or email us at: [email protected]

📌 Please note: To be eligible for DeadlyScience programs, schools are selected based on specific criteria designed to make the greatest impact in advancing STEM equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners. This includes factors like Indigenous student population, geographic location, student attendance, science resources, and socio-educational advantage.

01/07/2025

Attention not-for-profit and community groups in remote, rural and regional Queensland: applications are now open for the 2025 ANZ Seeds of Renewal program. Grants are available to support your projects that focus on:

- environmental sustainability
- financial wellbeing
- housing access
- assisting local communities to thrive

For more information register to attend the Grantseeker Webinar on Tuesday, 8 July 2025 or visit the website: https://frrr.org.au/funding/place/anz-seeds-of-renewal/

We are delighted to announce that the 2025 round of the ANZ Seeds of Renewal grant program is NOW OPEN!📣🎉

In its 23rd year, the program is a long-standing partnership between ANZ Australia and FRRR, designed to ensure the ongoing prosperity of smaller remote, rural and regional Australia and help build vibrant, sustainable communities. There is a total funding pool of $250,000, with up to $15,000 grants available to individual projects.

ANZ Head of Agribusiness, Mark Bennett, said: “ANZ is proud to back initiatives that are practical, locally driven and deeply impactful.”

Read more: https://frrr.org.au/blog/2025/07/01/anz-sor-2025-open/

Applications close at 5pm AEST, Thursday 31 July.

📸 The Growing Abundance Project received a $15,000 ANZ Seeds of Renewal grant to help distribute excess produce to community.

01/07/2025

At JVT, we're passionate about amplifying the voices of young people in rural, regional and remote Queensland. So we love the ABC Heywire competition, which is a chance for 16-22 year olds to share their stories and experiences of country communities through writing, audio, video or photos.

Winners will get their voices heard, have their story featured on the ABC, and attend the ABC Heywire Regional Youth Innovation Summit in Canberra next year.

Entries close Monday, 1 September 2025. For more information visit: www.abc.net.au/heywire

29/06/2025

DeadlyScience is doing fabulous work bringing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to young people in rural, regional and remote communities. So we're proud to support them over the next three years to deliver their Deadly STEM in Schools program to more students in Queensland.

We want to see all Queensland kids get the opportunity to thrive, no matter where they live. We can't wait to see the program build capability and partnerships, and engage country kids in high-quality STEM learning.

🚨 Exciting news! 🚨
DeadlyScience is proud to announce a new three-year partnership with the The John Villiers Trust to deliver our Deadly STEM in Schools program across remote Queensland!
This incredible support will help us reach more students than ever before, providing hands-on STEM learning, inspiring resources, and empowering opportunities for young people in some of the most remote parts of the state.
A huge thank you to the John Villers Trust for believing in our mission and investing in the future of our kids. Together, we’re building brighter futures through science, culture, and education. 🌟🖤💛❤️

26/06/2025

Meaningful, positive change happens when we amplify, listen, and respond to the voices of the local communities we are supporting.

Partnerships for Local Action and Community Empowerment (PLACE) is all about getting communities and decision-makers working together on the things that matter most in people’s lives.

The PLACE Community Roadshow and Listening Tour has visited 50 communities across Australia to hear their stories and ideas. On Wednesday 2 July you can tune in to their webinar to learn what they shared.

For more info and to register to attend visit: https://events.humanitix.com/online-place-listening-tour-capstone-2025

Register on Humanitix - Online - PLACE Listening Tour Capstone 2025 hosted by PLACE. Online. Tuesday 1st July 2025. Find event information.

24/06/2025

Long after the waters recede, communities are left coping with the impact of floods on their mental health and wellbeing. Despite best efforts, infants, children and young people are often overlooked in the recovery efforts, and their specific support and needs not understood or catered for.

Outback Futures, in partnership with QRA and Thriving Kids in Disasters, are creating a child-focused disaster preparedness and recovery plan to help parents, carers, educators and local governments in the lead up to, during, and aftermath of disasters.

For communities in western Queensland, recovery from the recent floods is underway now. A range of resources and tools are already available to help you help your child cope in the days, weeks, and months to come.

Please visit:

The Outback Futures, “Helping your child cope after a disaster” webpage: https://outbackfutures.org.au/helping-your-child-cope-after-a-disaster

The Thriving Kids in Disasters project library: https://tqkp.org.au/tkid-project-library/