The grants supporting local community groups in achieving their goals with a diverse range of organisation receiving grants this year.

CVGT board chairman Graham Fountain said he was pleased to give away a total of $20,000 to 20 different groups.

“Groups range from schools, to the fashion festival, dragon boats, Islamic and Hispanic communities and sporting clubs,” he said.

“(These grants) help give the groups a kick start to achieving objectives.”

Mr Fountain said it was important to recoginse the efforts of each group.  

“We all use the word community but it is important to recognise in each community there are smaller, discreet communities, whether they are cultural, religious, sporting  or whatever,” he said.

“In Bendigo we are diverse and across (CVGT’s) national footprint we deal with diverse communities.

“The representation of groups here today show we are diverse communities and that's what this is about.”

Grant recipients are from communities in Victoria and New South Wales.

In central Victoria, recipients include Bendigo Dragons Abreast, the Bushfire Foundation, Hispanos Unidos de Vic, Heathcote Primary School, Bendigo Fashion Festival, Harry Little Memorial Pre-school, Echuca Football Netball Club, Maldon Pony Club and the Sandhurst Marist Dockers junior football club.

Bushfire Foundation’s director of operations Liz Wells said the organisation’s grant would help them assist vulnerable people in preparing for bushfires.

“This money goes towards helping people who have been identified to us as needing help,” she said.

“It's the difference in being able to do the works and knocking people back.

“We help people identified as vulnerable or unable to physically do the work or who just don’t have the equipment to get it done.

“It's things like mowing and cleaning up properties, so that when fire season comes, they're safe.”

Michele Chng from Kangaroo Flat Primary School said their grant would assist refugee families who attend the school.

The school’s new homework tub system encourages students to learn by doing and gives them things to write about in class.

“It's about trying to find something to engage them,” she said. “They’re reading and writing skills are quite low and this is about giving them a base to enhance that and giving them something to write about. We trialled it with one child last year. 

“Our first (refugee) family came in 2013 and there has been a steady increase from there.”

The full list of this year’s recipients are: