In 2018, the Foundation convened the Northern Funders Network, a group individuals and organisations who give money to eligible community groups in Melbourne’s inner north.
Representatives of Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, Freemason Lodges, Private Ancillary Funds, councils, and community banks have participated in the network, all recognising that greater community impact happens through local collaboration.
At one of our meetings late in 2019, it became clear that while each group member understood their own areas of interest and engaged with the community very well, there was not a common collaborative understanding of what could be done to make the Inner North a better place.
To help fix this situation we formed a local volunteer steering committee to help us reach a clear understanding of our communities needs and priorities.
With the leadership and strong backing of Jump Start, a MyFund of the Inner North Community Foundation, we secured funding for the following reports:
The Inner North Report: Who We Are
This was released in May 2021 as a profile of the Inner North to create a snapshot of the Inner North which captures the character, strengths, and some of the weaknesses, of the local community.
The Inner North Report: Who We Want To Be
This report was released in March 2022 and details how people want their community to develop and improve. It was based on a unique approach to capture the normal chatter that occurs in a community every day and to put priorities around the things people believe will make their community a better place for all.
Inner North Action Grants
With the two reports sparking conversations, we designed a small grant round to encourage businesses, not for profits and community organisations to form partnerships to respond to identified areas for improvement. A volunteer Community Advisory Group recommended two organisations for funding, with a view to hold another funding round in 2022/2023.