$10,000 grants available for ECEC services to help them get children moving

The Heart Foundation will offer ten grants of up to $10,000 each to early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers, as well as other select groups, to help fund new, innovative projects that get more people moving. 

 

Falling under the Active Australia Innovation Challenge banner, the grant program is part of the Healthy Heart Initiative, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. 

 

The Active Australia Innovation Challenge strongly encourages innovative projects that support people who do not meet Australia’s Physical Activity Guidelines, people at risk of chronic disease, and people living in communities with high levels of physical inactivity (including rural and remote regions). This includes people identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.  

 

Kaurna Plains Children’s Centre were grant winners in 2020 for their Kids on Country initiative, which used grant funding to bring families on weekly group outings to national and conservation parks outside the urban area. 

 

Each visit featured outdoor activities with a cultural focus, along with a child-friendly bushwalk with an Aboriginal guide. The grant was used to fund bus transport to the parks; however, trips were also planned to locations accessible by public transport, to show how they can be reached independently once the program was completed. 

 

An application guide offers more advice on how to apply, what information is needed for a successful application, and what judging criteria will be used. 

 

Services who plan to make an application should consider the following key points: 

 

• Your target audience
• Why your project idea is innovative 
• What you hope to achieve with this project 
• What outcomes you will measure and how you plan on measuring these 
• Estimated project plan including timeline, budget breakdown and future goals
• The name and Australian Business Number (ABN) of the organisation supporting you. 

 

Community groups, councils, schools (preschools, primary and secondary), tertiary institutions (universities, TAFEs, colleges), and other organisations are strongly encouraged to come up with an innovative idea to encourage physical activity in a chosen group or community. 

 

For more information view the flyer