The Tasmanian Community Fund (TCF) has provided nearly $2 million of funding for eight projects in its latest grant round announced earlier in December.

Included in the funding is a program that helps vulnerable Tasmanians access quality clothing, an initiative to boost employment prospects for migrant women, a social enterprise cafe bringing food education to Bridgewater, an indoor climbing wall and multi-purpose community wellbeing space in Queenstown and a commercial grade kitchen for the Glenorchy Multi Cultural Hub,

TCF Chair Sally Darke said the TCF Board was pleased to be able to support so many worthwhile projects and programs in Tasmania through these grants.

“It is important that we are able to meet the needs of our communities, and this round continues to show how the fund has adapted to meet these needs, especially when it comes to removing barriers to education and employment,” Ms Darke said.

Thread Together, a program run by The Hobart City Church of Christ, has been awarded funding for project staff to better provide new clothing to vulnerable people in southern Tasmania.

The free service has been operating for 12-months and the injection of funds will see them help more people, across a greater geographical area, to overcome barriers to accessing education and employment.  The TCF will support program delivery for five years.

Program Manager Carol Kingshott said they were excited to be partnering with the TCF to dramatically increase the impact of Thread Together Hobart.

“This funding will allow us to practically provide hope, compassion and dignity to Southern Tasmania's most vulnerable,” Ms Kingshott said.

Be Hers’ ‘Dream Again Program’ promotes equal opportunity, financial independence, social networks and reasserts a sense of confidence in their future for refugees, migrants, vulnerable, disadvantaged and at-risk women in the Greater Hobart area.

Dream Again pairs participants with a mentor for 12 months. During that time, they undertake weekly planned activities and monthly group sessions to strengthen skills, communication, knowledge and relationships and improve the participant’s confidence.

The first 12 months of the three-year funded program will focus on refugee and migrant woman and in the second year will expand their focus to enable the support of a broader range of vulnerable Tasmanian women.

The Botanical Community Kitchen is the renovation of an existing under-used building, into a commercial kitchen, food education classroom and social enterprise café in Bridgewater.

The renovation and subsequent operation has been developed by the Material Institute, an organisation that empowers children, young people and their families in low-income communities to be healthy, resilient and achieve their full potential.

The West Coast Council has been funded to develop an indoor climbing facility for locals to safely practice the advanced technical skills needed for nearby premier climbing destinations and can help grow the sport locally, statewide and internationally.

The Glenorchy City Council’s Multicultural Hub has been funded to upgrade its kitchen to a commercial grade to service catering requirements for cultural functions and activities within the Hub, in addition to being available for the broader community. Currently there is no capacity to prepare, cook and heat meals

The Fund’s next round will open on 4 February 2023 and seek to specifically help Tasmanian communities to remove barriers to employment, education and learning.

Caption: (L-R) Thread Together volunteers Annette Broughton and Julie James with Threads Together Program Manager Carol Kingshott and Hobart City Church Senior Pastor Simon Clemow.