The commonwealth Department of Social Services plans a national shake up of its community grants program from 1 January 2018, leaving the Bendigo Volunteer Resource Centre in limbo.

BVRC receives $60,000 annually in federal funds under the current program and a further $25,000 from the City of Greater Bendigo, according to its chairman, Paul Kirkpatrick. 

Council funding was cut by $10,000 in 2016 after a similar redesign of community funding grants, and Mr Kirkpatrick feared history was repeating. 

“This small team, supported by five other volunteer administration and coordination workers contribute immense value to the Bendigo and surrounding communities,” he said. 

BVRC last year provided almost 3000 volunteers to local community organisations, supporting more than 200 groups, Mr Kirkpatrick said.

His organisation’s “shoe string” operation, which has an equivalent of 1.3 paid staff, contributed an estimated $6.2 million to the local community, he said.

In the interim, BVRC, which sources and organises volunteers for hundreds of community organisations, was exploring fundraising options to bolster its financial reserves. 

The commonwealth DSS is still designing the application guidelines for its Strong and Resilient Communities grants program.

According to the department’s website, organisations will be able to apply for between $20,000 to $150,000 year, on a per-project basis, with funding available for up to three and a half years.

The federal government has allocated $18 million toward its Strong and Resilient Communities grants program.