Who can apply?

Applicants must be an incorporated, not-for-profit organisation or volunteer group, for example:

• a school, scout, guide or church group
• a sports or surf club
• an SES or volunteer fire group
• a charitable organisation

Groups can also apply if they are sponsored by an incorporated not-for-profit organisation which will accept legal and financial responsibility for the project. Examples of sponsoring organisations include the Tasmanian Landcare Association, Southern Coastcare Association of Tasmania and local government.

Individuals are not eligible.

Applicants must be insured for the works they intend to undertake.

What kind of project receives funding?

A wide variety of projects have received funding in the past, such as:

• weed mapping, removal and management
• collecting and propagating of native seed; native plant revegetation
• fencing
• vegetation or bird surveys
• clean-up days including rubbish or marine debris removal
• erosion prevention and degraded site remediation
• rehabilitating important bird habitat
• wetlands, riverbank and estuarine rehabilitation including weed and pest animal control and bank stabilisation
• improving storm water management
• establishing native and/or interpretative gardens
• developing and installing interpretative signage
• producing communication materials such as brochures and posters
• producing awareness- raising multi-media tools including videos
• community engagement and education, including delivery of training sessions
• developing best practice guidelines or information packages
• capacity building including development of strategic plans for organisations
• purchase of tools and equipment

How are the applications assessed?

Applications will be assessed by an independent panel and prioritised based on common assessment criteria. As demand may exceed resources, not every application that meets the assessment criteria will necessarily receive a grant.

Applications showing income from multiple sources, including other grants or in-kind contributions, are highly regarded. Other income sources or in-kind contributions may be in the form of cash, materials or voluntary labour.

Successful applicants may not receive the full funding requested, but rather a portion of the total sought. All applicants will be required to complete a section indicating if their project can proceed without full funding, and if so, how they would prefer any funding received to be allocated.

For further information about NRM South’s Naturally Inspired Grants Program please contact Ruth Osborne on 6221 6161 or rosborne@nrmsouth.org.au  

Case studies

Friends of Maatsuyker Island, 2010 recipient

For the vast majority of us the rugged landscape of Maatsuyker Island will only ever be seen on the pages of a book or on a computer screen. Yet despite its isolated and at times treacherous location a group of dedicated and passionate volunteers have been working hard to maintain the island’s natural and cultural heritage.

The Friends of Maatsuyker Island have been visiting the island since 2004 to carry out weed management to control the highly invasive weeds Hebe elliptica, Blackberry and Montbretia that threaten the burrowing seabird habitats. 

“It is rewarding to see the positive impact of the annual follow-up to areas that were completely invested with Hebe elliptica and Blackberry,” said Friends of Maatsuyker Island Secretary, Marina Campbell. “Now we are seeing the return of native vegetation and are excited to witness the short-tailed shearwater burrows being occupied again.”

One of the real challenges faced by the group has been the significant costs of transporting the eager volunteers to and from the island by helicopter, a cost partially met in 2010 by the Naturally Inspired grant.

Salvation Army, 2010 recipient

The Salvation Army and Communities for Children have turned an area of the Riverside Community Nursery in Bridgewater into a beautiful garden space now known as the ‘Growing Respect Aboriginal Garden’.

The garden aims to engage local Aboriginal children through designing, planting and using the area as an outdoor cultural classroom. Aboriginal speakers will use the garden for sensory and interactive learning sessions focusing on aspects of Tasmanian Aboriginal culture, including weaving of flax plants and using edible plants.

The Salvation Army received the grant to pay for the design and production of interpretative panels to explain Tasmania’s living Aboriginal culture to visitors to the garden. Both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children took part in learning and planting sessions run by Aboriginal elders, and directly contributed to the design and content of the explanatory panels.

Moneka Knight from The Salvation Army said that the Growing Respect project has been inspiring for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children, as well as for educators who work with children to share stories and information about Tasmanian Aboriginal culture. 

“Learning about Aboriginal culture through plants and their uses has been a wonderful and positive experience,” she said. “Children are engaged in the learning process, doing practical hands-on activities including planting, tasting and experiencing the plants. The panels are a wonderful resource – they allow visitors to the garden the opportunity to learn about Aboriginal culture and the native plants. The children involved feel a sense of pride that their drawings and comments are included on the panels; it creates a sense of ownership of the project and defines the Growing Respect Garden space.”

The first Growing Respect Garden has been so successful that The Salvation Army is now developing similar gardens in three other rural and disadvantaged areas where Communities for Children operates.