Free From Violence Grants Program

Free from Violence local government grants program 2024-2027

Councils continue to be at the forefront in the prevention of family violence, undertaking important work alongside their communities.

On February 13, 2024, Minister Vicki Ward announced the next round of successful grant recipients for the Free from Violence local government program 2024-27. Congratulations to the following 12 councils:

Ballarat City Council
Darebin City Council
Knox City Council
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council

Benalla Rural City Council
Hindmarsh Shire Council
Latrobe City Council
Greater Shepparton City Council

Corangamite Shire Council
Horsham Rural City Council
Macedon Ranges Shire Council
Wellington Shire Council

This funding is driving real, sustainable change and the MAV continues to support this critical work.

Read the Minister's media release or visit the Local Government Victoria website.


Previous Free From Violence grants program information

Information about our previous Free from Violence local government grants programs is available below.

On Thursday 28 April 2022, Minister Gabrielle Williams announced the successful recipients of the Free from Violence local government grants program 2022-2025. The MAV would like to congratulate the following councils:

Bass Coast Shire Council
Greater Bendigo City Council
Melbourne City Council
Mitchell Shire Council
Northern Grampians Shire Council

Brimbank City Council
Hume City Council
Melton City Council
Monash City Council
Wangaratta Rural City Council

Casey City Council
Maroondah City Council
Mildura Rural City Council
Murrindindi Shire Council
Yarra Ranges Shire Council

You can read the Minister’s media release or visit the Local Government Victoria website to find out more about the program.

The Free from violence local government grants program 2022-2025 is the most significant funding investment since the 2018 funding round. You can find out more about the reach and range of activities undertaken by councils to prevent family and gendered violence in the Communities Free from Violence: local government leading change booklet and video which showcases the 35 projects funded in 2018:

You can access project details and resources via the promising practice portal (PDF - 449KB).

Local government plays a critical leadership role in shaping the culture and attitudes of their communities through service provision, planning and procurement, as large employers and via initiatives they run at a local level.

The State Government partnered with councils to promote gender equality and prevent family violence and all forms of violence against women with this $2.7 million Free from violence grants round for local government. Grants were available for councils to build capacity and capability across their organisation and embed primary prevention principles and activity, as well as scale up or develop innovative prevention programs that were tailored to the needs of their respective communities.

Out of 51 applications, 35 projects received funding through this program.

The funded councils were required to evaluate their projects using the Evaluation reporting template (Part B)from the Local Government Free From Violence Grants program – Evaluation reporting guidance and template (PDF - 624KB), developed by the Office for Women, Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) has completed an Evaluation of the Local Government Free from Violence Program. Please contact the MAV if you wish to access a copy of the report.

The council projects that were funded are listed below:

Council Project name and description

Alpine Shire Council

Promote gender equity and respectful relationships at Alpine Shire Council - workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Ballarat City Council

Ballarat. Step Up. Speak Out - workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Brimbank City Council

Brimbank Dads - parenting focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Cardinia Shire Council

Together We Can Business Solutions - workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Casey City Council

Embedding Change; Creating a Safe and Inclusive Casey - workplace and Council facility focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Central Goldfields Shire Council

Changing our Story - communications and empowering young people focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Darebin City Council

Creating Gender Equity in the Early Years: Whole-of-Service Pilot - children's care setting focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

East Gippsland Shire Council

Factors of change, becoming free from violence - workplace and community focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Glenelg Shire Council

Project Respect Heywood - Supporting Change - whole of community focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Greater Bendigo City Council

Growing Gender Equity in Greater Bendigo - whole of community focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Greater Dandenong City Council

Increasing Gender Equity Across Greater Dandenong City Council And Community - workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Hepburn Shire Council

Integrating Gender Equality within Hepburn Shire Council and the Community - workplace and community focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Hobsons Bay City Council

Hobsons Bay City Council: Embedding Gender Equity - workplace and community focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Horsham Rural City Council

Gender Equity in Community Engagement - workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project in partnership with Hindmarsh Shire Council, West Wimmera Shire Council and Yarriambiack Shire Council.

Kingston City Council

Courage to Change: Embedding Family Violence Prevention in Kingston - community and workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Latrobe City Council

Safe and Strong Latrobe - workplace and community focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Loddon Shire Council

Leading gender equity in our workplace and community- workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council

Local Government Workforce Challenge: Macedon Ranges Pilot - workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Mansfield Shire Council

Leading the change in Mansfield - workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Melton City Council

Baby Makes 3 in the City of Melton - parenting and equal relationship focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Mildura Rural City Council

Community Leadership for Primary Prevention - parenting and equal relationship focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Mitchell Shire Council

Free Mitchell from Violence: Organisational Primary Prevention Pilot Program - workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Moira Shire Council

Moira Shire Council - Equity Ready - workplace and community focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Monash City Council

Playing Fair - children's playgroup setting focused gender equity project.

Moonee Valley City Council

Ready, Set, Equity! Addressing gender equity in the local sport setting - sport and recreation focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Moorabool Shire Council

Moorabool @ Home, Work and Play - Free From Violence - parenting and equal relationships, workplace and sport and recreation focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Moreland City Council

Count Me In Too - sport and recreation and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Nillumbik Shire Council

Gender Equity Advocates - workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Strathbogie Shire Council

Conversations Create Change - workplace and community focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Surf Coast Shire Council

Parenting and equal relationships, and workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Towong Shire Council

Community Systems Mapping for Violence Free Living - community and communications focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Whittlesea City Council

Improving Gender Equity through Employment for Women - action research, equal employment focused community primary prevention of violence against women project.

Whitehorse City Council

Whitehorse Strengthening Local Action for Family Violence Prevention Project - workplace and community focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Wodonga City Council

Striving for Gender Equality in Wodonga: A whole of Community approach - community and workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

Yarra Ranges Shire Council

Gender Equity and Inclusion - Our Commitment, Our Responsibility, Our Future - workplace focused primary prevention of violence against women project.

The Local Government Preventing Violence Against Women Grants Program (2016-2017) aimed to increase leadership capacity and capability of Victorian councils to engage and lead community action for the prevention of violence against women and embed principles of gender equality.

State funding was provided to councils as one-off grants for short-term projects, with the projects undertaken form October 2016 – May 2017. Applications were assessed by a panel consisting of representatives from the Victorian Government, Women’s Health Victoria and the MAV.

Out of 31 applications, 10 projects shared the $345,000 available through this program, as listed below:

  1. Ballarat City Council: Strengthening Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities by Preventing Violence Against Women
  2. Darebin City Council: Creating Gender Equity in the Early Years
  3. Frankston City Council: Baby Makes 3 Ante-Natal Pilot
  4. Horsham Rural City Council: Act@Work
  5. Latrobe City Council: Local Government Gender Analysis Toolkit
  6. Macedon Ranges Shire Council: Rural Challenge: embedding gender equality in community groups
  7. Maroondah City Council: Our Codes, Our Clubs: Changing the Story to Promote Gender Equality Together
  8. Nillumbik Shire Council: Gender Equity in HR Tool
  9. Port Phillip City Council: Local Government E-Learning Project
  10. Whittlesea City Council: Gender Equitable Design of Community Facilities.

You can access project details and resources via the promising practice portal.