Four Huon Valley community projects have been awarded funding through Council’s 2026 Community Liveability Fund, supporting initiatives that range from youth engagement and women’s health to environmental monitoring and transport access.
Selected from 15 applications, this year’s recipients share in a total of $24,000. The selected projects demonstrate the kind of community-led thinking the fund was designed to back: locally grounded, collaborative, and built to keep delivering well beyond the funding period.
“This is community leadership in action,” said Mayor Sally Doyle. “These are local people who know their valley, have spotted a real need, and are rolling up their sleeves to do something about it. We’ve made a deliberate choice to move away from one-off grants and towards seed funding, backing ideas that can stand on their own and keep growing long after our contribution ends. That energy and commitment is exactly what the Community Liveability Fund was designed to support — and Council is proud to play a role in making them happen.”
The Friends of Garden Island Creek will establish a community Waterwatch group, bringing people of all ages together to monitor the health of Garden Island Creek and contribute to the national Waterwatch network. The Huon Women’s Health Collective will deliver a six-part workshop series connecting women across the valley with evidence-informed education on mental health, menopause, and pelvic health. Circular Economy Huon will conduct a valley-wide transport gaps study, training local volunteers to gather the first detailed, behaviour-based evidence on transport disadvantage across the region. And the Huon Valley PCYC will run a weekly Friday night program giving young people a safe, creative space to connect, express themselves, and belong.
The Community Liveability Fund brings together Council’s previous Community, Creative, and NRM Grant programs into a single streamlined program — and introduces a new Climate Research Grant stream supporting climate adaptation and resilience research. It backs innovative projects that strengthen the social, cultural, environmental, or economic wellbeing of the Huon Valley, in line with the Community Vision and Liveability Framework.
A new round of Community Liveability funding is anticipated to open towards the end of 2026. If you have an idea that could make the Huon Valley a better place to live, we’d love to hear from you. Keep an eye on council website for updates: www.huonvalley.tas.gov.au/community/grants-funding-support/community-liveability-fund/
