All sponsorship recipients

Volunteers at the Community Bike Hub rescue bikes from landfill and refurbish them to be reused, fostering a circular economy and encouraging cycling in Melbourne’s west. The program provides an inclusive space for volunteers to learn practical skills and connect with others while contributing to a sustainable future.

Creating healthy waterways for our platypus Platypus thrive in healthy rivers, and in turn, a healthy platypus population is essential for the delicate river ecosystem. The Bacchus Marsh Platypus Alliance plan on restoring the local river system with the support of a community grant, which they received as part of this year’s Thriving Communities program. A strong platypus population is essential for maintaining healthy river ecosystems. The Clean Site for Platypus project focuses on habitat restoration and water quality improvement, creating better conditions for platypus and other native wildlife that depend on clean, healthy waterways. The Bacchus March platypus population contributes to the genetic diversity of platypus populations upstream and downstream, so supporting this population will help the entire platypus population to thrive.

Held during NAIDOC Week, the Footscray Hockey Club’s Family Day celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. A local Elder will share his knowledge of the local area’s history and perform a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony.

The Youth Tournament is a community-focused, youth-led event that brings together people from all cultural backgrounds. The shape of the event, including competitions and activities, will be decided in consultation with the community, to make sure it reflects the diversity and interests of the potential participants.

This program runs educational and community engagement programs that combine habitat care, Indigenous culture and knowledge with freshwater and marine science. The program will increase the level of community care and improve the health of the Kororoit Creek catchment across the Brimbank and Hobsons Bay areas.

Removing invasive weeds from the Pinkerton Link Wildlife Corridor will make room for the growth of indigenous plants, creating a habitat for native animals to live in the area. Many of the area’s native plants and animals are endangered due to increased urbanisation and decreasing habitat. The project helps to sustain and enhance the area’s existing biodiversity.