FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR SMALL-TOWN ECONOMIC INITIATIVES
Collie is a small town in Western Australia’s picturesque South West, 213km south of Perth. It is best known for coal mining and electricity generation, but the State Government is making available $20 million over five years to drive economic diversification and create jobs in the region.
Applications for the second round of the Collie Futures Small Grants Program are now open, offering up to $100,000 to businesses and not-for-profit organisations with initiatives that will have a positive effect on the local economy.
These grants are on top of the $2 million per industry-led project accessible through the $18 million Collie Futures Industry Development Fund.
The Small Grants Program and the Industry Development Fund are part of the wider Collie Futures Fund, which is administered by an advisory committee of industry and community representatives that works to identify, consider and recommend worthwhile projects to the Government.
“The first round of the Collie Futures Small Grants Program provided a financial helping hand towards a number of initiatives which are progressing, including a demonstration marron (crayfish) farm, hay processing plant and energy-intensive data centre,” says WA Minister for Regional Development Alannah MacTiernan.
Local MP Mick Murray adds, “I look forward to seeing more enterprises choosing Collie as a base. The Collie River Valley and wider region have a lot to offer in terms of comparative advantages. These include heavy and light industrial parks, as well as attractive lifestyle opportunities for workers.”
More information can be found on the South West Development Commission’s website, and applications are open until the end of 2019.