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 | Benalla Rural City Council | Corangamite 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 | Brimbank City Council | Casey City 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:
- Communities Free from Violence: local government leading change – double page spread (PDF - 17.8MB)
- Communities Free from Violence: local government leading change – single page spread (PDF - 19.3MB)
- Communities Free From Violence (Video)
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:
- Ballarat City Council: Strengthening Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities by Preventing Violence Against Women
- Darebin City Council: Creating Gender Equity in the Early Years
- Frankston City Council: Baby Makes 3 Ante-Natal Pilot
- Horsham Rural City Council: Act@Work
- Latrobe City Council: Local Government Gender Analysis Toolkit
- Macedon Ranges Shire Council: Rural Challenge: embedding gender equality in community groups
- Maroondah City Council: Our Codes, Our Clubs: Changing the Story to Promote Gender Equality Together
- Nillumbik Shire Council: Gender Equity in HR Tool
- Port Phillip City Council: Local Government E-Learning Project
- Whittlesea City Council: Gender Equitable Design of Community Facilities.
You can access project details and resources via the promising practice portal.