Thank you for your interest and application in the 2010 Optus Connecting Communities Grants Program. Applications for this round closed on Friday 30th July, 2010.
All applications will now be carefully considered against the selection criteria outlined in the grant guidelines. Applicants will be notified of their success by 15th September 2010.
Should you have any queries in the interim please email connectingcommunities@optus.com.au
At Optus, we're all about connecting people. It's what we do best.
The Connecting Communities Grants Program is part of our commitment to building better Australian communities.
Optus people are given the opportunity to submit an application on behalf of a not-for-profit organisation, and not-for-profit organisations are able to submit an application directly, for a grant of up to $5,000 that will be used to address the Optus cpmmunity investment focus areas.
To define our community investment focus areas of building social inclusion and supporting disengaged youth, we have highlighted three priority areas where we believe as a leading telecommunications company we can make the most difference in the community.
Building Social Inclusion:
- By providing access to communications
providing access to communication for individuals or groups that are currently excluded is one way that Optus can make a significant contribution to society and help overcome the barriers of distance and disadvantage. - By connecting disengaged communities
supporting local community organisations and groups' initiatives that help build and strengthen their capacity to deliver services that have a positive social impact for Australians in need.
Supporting disengaged youth:
- By improving their education, life skills and knowledge
helping disadvantaged young people improve their eduction, life skills and knowledge is key to changing their future and helping them to reach their full potential in life. Improving disadvantaged youth with their education will also help in providing more employment opportunities which benefits the local economy.
The 2009 Program
From March to July, Optus people were given the opportunity to submit an application on behalf of a not-for-profit organisation, and not-for-profit organisations were able to submit an application directly.
31 not-for-profit organisations were awarded grants for programs which complimented our community investment focus areas of reducing social isolation and provided solutions to help build a better future for disengaged youth.
The not-for-profit organisations are based in rural and regional areas across Australia, and through our support, they will continue to deliver positive social outcomes in their community by providing youth with new opportunities, skills and confidence, access to education and new and strong support networks, as well as reconnect disengaged young people to community life.
To find out more about the organisations, and to read a description of each project, who were awarded a grant in the 2009 Program, click here.
For further information
Email: connectingcommunities@optus.com.au
Mail:
Connecting Communities Grants Program
PO Box 888,
Macquarie Park NSW 2113