# Regional funding from Sustainability Victoria 16/4/25

**URL:** <https://community-energy.discourse.group/t/regional-funding-from-sustainability-victoria-16-4-25/84>\
**Category:** CEN - NE Vic\
**Created:** [5 April 2025 00:06 UTC](https://community-energy.discourse.group/t/regional-funding-from-sustainability-victoria-16-4-25/84 "2025-04-05T00:06:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![HeatherSmith](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/community-energy.discourse.group/heathersmith/32/4_2.png) [@HeatherSmith](https://community-energy.discourse.group/u/HeatherSmith)\
**Post date:** [5 April 2025 00:06 UTC](https://community-energy.discourse.group/t/regional-funding-from-sustainability-victoria-16-4-25/84/1 "2025-04-05T00:06:57Z")

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Applications to the [Community Electrification Engagement Program Fund](https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/grants-funding-and-investment/grants-and-funding/community-electrification-engagement-program-fund) by Sustainability Victoria close on 16th April

UPDATE - Everyone got their applications in (we hope) and this is a general sense of what is proposed in each region.

**Hume** - Goulburn Valley Community Energy, Geoff Lodge

- Support community energy groups across the region to run public events; inviting the general public and/or targeted audiences such as CALD, religious, community organisations, neighbourhood houses
- Guest speakers at regular events/meetings such as service club weekly/fortnightly meetings, sporting club dinner functions, Probis, U3A.
- Provide training to support energy advisory services;
- Produce resources to make publicity and engagement easier;
- Work with local installers to create better implementation options and access to subsidies in places where communities remain poorly served under the existing subsidy schemes.
- Target community owned aged care providers that own “independent Living Units” (ILUs) by presenting to their Board/Committees of Governance the benefits of electrifying their ILUs.

**Gippsland** - GCCN, Darren McCubbin

- Localised delivery through neighbourhood houses and community energy hubs;
- Inclusive engagement with diverse communities including First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, and older residents;
- Collaboration with accredited local installers to ensure quality outcomes;
- Education and awareness-building via roadshows, the Renewable Education Trailer, and the Gippsland New Energy Conference;
- Real-life case studies and storytelling to demystify the electrification process and inspire action.

**Loddon Mallee** - Mount Alexander Sustainability Group, Neil Webster

- Provide extensive community engagement across the Loddon Mallee region
- Leverage the SNLM network and provide funding in the form of small grants to groups that will stimulate them to engage their local communities
- Train people to be ‘Bright Sparks’ in their local communities, giving value beyond the life of the project
- Plan and implement a campaign to reach as many households as possible using digital comms channels and social media
- Use the Bendigo Sustainability Festival as a major event that will focus on electrification in 2026, providing a great focus and platform for the project
- Develop localised video content to be used in the Loddon Mallee region, and potentially elsewhere

**Barwon South West** - Geelong Sustainability, Emilie Flynn

- Provide extensive community engagement across the Barwon South West region
- Engage with existing networks (i.e. Councils and community energy groups) and establish new networks such as schools, RSLs, rotary and sports clubs
- Provide a dedicated officer to establish these relationships, refresh and create resources, and travel to these areas to deliver community engagement in collaboration with these networks, in the form of forums, Q&A sessions, workshops, presentations, pop-ups, webinars, stalls, and more.
- This electrification education will be tailored to the demographics of the region including covering what electrification is, its benefits from a cost of living perspective, with more technical and specific product advice when needed.

**Metro** - Yarra Energy Foundation, Tim Shue

- Deliver engagement activities that increase community awareness of the benefits of electrification
- Deliver accessible and tailored support to reduce electrification upgrades
- Deliver activities in partnership with Local Event Partners (LEPs)
- Gather audience data to inform engagement approaches and evaluate impact

**Grampians** - BREAZE, Peta Guy

- A three step training program to provide the skills for advising the general public including all required safety checks.
- Develop energy champions throughout the region and train them to work in neighbourhood houses and other public spaces to provide energy advisory services.