South Australian regions – including the Limestone Coast – will have the opportunity to apply for funding to support key community initiatives under a program launched as part of the new Thriving Regions Fund.

The Thriving Regions Fund, previously known as the Regional Growth Fund, will inject $15m a year into regional communities under several new programs.

These programs include the Thriving Communities Program, which is the first sub-program and opened for applications last Thursday.

The $600,000 program is open to incorporated associations and registered charities, which could include community or interest groups, show societies, chambers of commerce or local charity groups.

Grants range from $20,000 to $50,000 and can be used in conjunction with other funding channels.

The Thriving Comm-unities Program will deliver new opportunities for community-based groups to advance plans around their infrastructure and services in a targeted manner that ensures funding truly benefits the state’s important regional communities.

Minister for Regional Development Clare Scriven (pictured) said the funding was aimed at small projects that build social resilience through facilitating greater community participation, a sense of belonging and ease of access through initiatives such as new or improved infrastructure and equipment, access to services and programs, or events with wellbeing outcomes.

“Our regions contribute $29b to the state’s economy, and we look forward to rolling out this program and several others as we work together with communities to build even stronger regions,” Minister Scriven said.

“Our regional areas are great places to live and work and this grant program will enable community focussed projects that further enhance liveability.

“It is really focused on making sure that community-based groups have access to small grants, which can make a big difference to what they are trying to achieve.

“It is really about anything that can strengthen regional communities, it could be physical things like equipment or upgrading buildings or it could be running particular programs which are really about strengthening communities or supporting regional communities.

“Some of the feedback that I had was there needs to be a lot of flexibility, so it can really meet individual needs for particular groups and so that is what has been built in as far as possible.

“Obviously there still needs to be guidelines so that taxpayer money is being spent appropriately, but I have tried to make it as flexible as possible.”

Minister Scriven said funding could also go towards larger programs or projects and could put groups a step closer to what they wanted to achieve when used together with additional funds they could access or fundraise themselves.

Minister Scriven said a matching dollar-for-dollar contribution from the applicant was not required.

“We certainly want to encourage people to leverage funds as well, but it is not a requirement,” she said.

“I thought that was very important because with most programs, certainly for bigger grants, there is a requirement to have matching funds, but that can sometimes exclude those groups that do not have a strong revenue stream, but they have very important and vital roles in our regional communities.”

Minister Scriven said the program was very inclusive and looked forward to seeing what eventuated from the program.

“We do really encourage all groups to think about the programs or the projects they have got in mind and see whether they could have that fit in here,” she said.

“We have got $600,000 for this current financial year, which has only got six months left of it and depending on the uptake then I will look at potentially having a further program in the next financial year.

“I think there is real opportunities for community groups to be able to progress with the kinds of things they have been wanting to do for a while.

“I am really looking forward to seeing how they utilise these grants.”

Applications can be made via pir.sa.gov.au/thriving-regions-fund and applications will close when the full funding amount has been allocated, or by June 30.

Other programs aimed at various regional sectors will soon be announced.