Qantas, the national carrier of Australia, has launched a multi-million dollar grants program for regional community groups across the country.
The Qantas Regional Grants program will give out $2 million in grants this year and $10 million has been set aside for five years to support Australian not-for-profit community groups and projects that benefit regional areas. Last year, there was record interest with 1600 applications received from around Australia. Out of these, thirty-two community groups were chosen to receive a grant which included a combination of cash, flights and marketing support. Rachael Yangoyan, the Chief Operating Officer of QantasLink, said that the grants program is a great opportunity for hard-working community organisations across the country to receive a boost to their efforts.
“Qantas has been connecting regional Australia for over 100 years and our regional grants program enables us to give back to grassroots community organisations that are the heart of many towns across the country,” Ms Yangoyan said.
“It’s been incredible to provide grants to more than 50 organisations across Australia who are doing important work for their regions.“
This work is crucial as it supports children experiencing food insecurity, provides free health services to vulnerable communities, and protects native species for future generations.
“Being able to reinvest in the regions we serve is very rewarding for everyone at Qantas, and we encourage groups who are doing extraordinary work to enhance the lives of their communities to apply for a grant.”
Interested organizations can now apply for the Qantas Regional Grants program at qantas.com/regionalgrants. The recipients will be selected by a panel comprising community groups and Qantas representatives. Applications will close on May 10, 2024, and the successful recipients will be announced in July 2024.
Qantas, as Australia's largest regional airline, connects more than 57 regional communities with capital cities. In the 2023 financial year, the Qantas Group contributed 5,920 full-time equivalent jobs and added $1.9 billion to regional Australia's economy. During the same period, the Group contributed to 45,600 full-time equivalent jobs and $5.4 billion to regional Australia's tourism industry.{1}
The Qantas Regional Grants program is an addition to the range of initiatives provided by the national carrier to regional Australia. This program complements year-round discounts for residents in 16 regional and remote towns, making air travel more accessible.
PREVIOUS GRANT RECIPIENTS
The Qantas Regional Grants program was launched in 2019, with the first year of funding distributed among 20 community groups. The program was paused during the pandemic and relaunched and doubled in size in 2023.
Some of the 2023 recipients included:
Aussie Ark (New South Wales) – to expand their eco-tourism accommodation offering and support the conservation of threatened native animals.
Ability Enterprises (Queensland) – to complete a plastics recycling facility that employs 45 vulnerable people.
Eat Up Australia (Victoria) – to purchase ingredients and train more volunteers to provide free lunches to disadvantaged school children in eight more regional areas.
FABalice Festival (Northern Territory) – to encourage more interstate and international tourists to visit Central Australia and build the festival’s inclusive profile.
John’s Vision (Western Australia) – to buy a portable eye camera and transform the business into a mobile optometry, providing high-quality eye care to aged care and community centres in West Australia’s regions.
Royal Flying Doctors Service SA / NT (South Australia) – to develop a telehealth unit at the newly established William Creek Clinic and provide healthcare access to remote communities.
Navigate Family Services Inc. (Tasmania) – to provide free therapy for school-aged children, their parents and siblings who present mental health and neurodevelopmental challenges.
The Indigenous Marathon Foundation Limited (Australian Capital Territory) – to work with remote and regional schools to increase school attendance and improve health outcomes of First Nations primary school children.
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