Successful grants

Bonegilla Stories (2REM)’

Bonegilla Stories is an eight-part, 30-minute radio series and podcast that tells the stories of the many migrants, mostly from Europe, who came to Australia to start a new life between 1950 and 1960. An old army camp near Albury/Wodonga, which was transformed into the Bonegilla Migrant Camp, became the largest and longest operating camp processing over 300,000 people during its operation.

Moorditj Mag (6RTRFM)

Moorditj Mag provides weekly look at Indigenous Affairs both nationally and locally with Jim Morrison, Nick Abraham and Jodi Hoffman. All are Noongar people dedicated to the preservation of their culture and the healing of their people through positive and consistent empowerment of Aboriginal people.

Radyo Palaro (4EB)

This short radio play for children is based on Filipino folktales. Brought to life by young people in both English and Filipino, the radio drama allows second generation Filipino children to connect with their heritage and celebrate their and culture. At the same time it will give the participants invaluable training in audio recording and editing.

See Me – Stories of Ability and Inspiration (7LTN)

A five-part podcast series, created by Launceston’s City Park Radio, where people with a disability share their remarkable personal stories, highlighting their abilities and many achievements. The aim of the series is to promote understanding, acceptance and support for people with disability by amplifying their voices and encouraging greater community inclusion.

Do Go On: Arty-Facts (auspiced by Auspicious Arts Projects)

Melbourne is world famous for its art, but with the world locked down, sadly the paintings, prints, sculptures and installations sit unappreciated. This cross-medium series of six episodes is produced by Do Go On and Stupid Old Studios. The project will give behind-the-scenes access to an array of Melbourne’s most renowned artworks and the colourful stories behind them.

The Eco Show, Season 2 (C31 Melbourne and Geelong)

The Eco Show, hosted by Bridie Shepherd, features organisations and groups working toward environmental sustainability and animal conservation. In this eight episode series, they visit all corners of Australia to shine a light on amazing people who are creating a positive impact for our local flora and fauna, and share their stories.

Accessible studio project phase 2 (5YYY)

Triple Y is a regional broadcaster embedded into the South Australian community of Whyalla (Barngarla Country). The station’s disability access project has already made the station wheelchair/mobility friendly. The  next phase will help build disability friendly toilet facilities. This project has already attracted three members with disabilities, who host their own shows.

New generator for supply interruptions (2MTM)

The communities of Coonamble and surrounding districts, in the northwest of New South Wales (Kamilaroi/Kawambarai/Weilwan Country), have experienced more volatile and longer lasting climatic events including the 2016-2019 drought, the 2020 bushfires, and flooding in March 2021. The power supply to Coonamble is not consistent or reliable during extreme heat and storms. CBF funding will support the purchase and installation of a generator to supply an alternative power source during supply interruptions so the station can continue to broadcast to their listening area and keep their community informed particularly during periods of natural disasters.

Transmission costs at Mt Herringback (7RGY)

Huon and Kingston FM, ‘The Southernmost Station in the Nation’, services the mountainous terrains of the Huon Valley and Kingborough council areas (Palawa Country) in Tasmania. The station relies on a number of transmission sites in the hills and the valleys to reach communities in the region. A CBF multi-year grant will maintain the vital transmission site on Mt Herringback so the station can continue to provide music, local news, interviews and up-to-date information for their communities.

Content and IT Coordinator salary subsidy (Radio MAMA)

Radio MAMA in Geraldton, Western Australia (Yamatji Country) promotes many community events including community health days, employment expos, NAIDOC community and school events, and local sports events. It also broadcasts the local football and the local state basketball league games. The Content and IT Coordinator is a valuable position helping to maintain a high level of quality programming services at the main station in Geraldton and in remote broadcasting stations located in Carnarvon, Meekatharra/Wiluna, Mt Magnet and Mullewa.

GWCRA transmission expenses (Gosford Wyong Community Radio Association Incorporated)

Gosford Wyong Community Radio Association Incorporated (GWCRA) was formed to share transmission facilities (antennae, combiner, cabling) and floor space for their four member stations on the NSW Central Coast (Darkinjung Country) : 2CCC Coast FM, 2CCM Todays Country 94one, 2SNR Radio Five-0-Plus and 2GCB Rhema Central Coast. Recent changes in ownership have resulted in the site owner only wanting to deal with GWCRA as a whole, rather than with four individual stations. Collaborative projects, like these, save costs and reduce the administrative burden for the partners involved.

Purchase back up power supply (3MDR)

3MDR located in Upway, Victoria (Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country) has a proud history of providing localised, accurate and up-to-date emergency information to their communities. Recent storm events, which caused widespread and lengthy power outages throughout the Dandenong Ranges, severely impacted 3MDR’s ability to engage with affected communities, provide essential information about community-based emergency response initiatives and other assistance. A CBF grant will help 3MDR be prepared for any future storm events with the purchase of an appropriate backup power supply.

Live recording studio (2WKT Highland FM)

Highland FM in Bowral NSW (Tharawal Country) is known for supporting musicians through interviews, promotion of emerging artists, live acts, listing events online and live music broadcasting.  A CBF grant to create a live recording studio will mean the station can record and broadcast professional-quality live performances, including podcasts and on-demand services such as the production of original Australian music, Indigenous content, radio drama, comedy and human-interest podcasts. The studio provide a hub for local musicians to connect and collaborate, as well as create an additional income stream.

Radio and media training costs (4TCB Live FM)

Consultation with local schools revealed to Live FM in Townsville, QLD (Bindal/Wulgurukaba Country) that young people were interested in doing radio and media training.  A CBF grant will support five new volunteer announcers from diverse backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth, to undertake Certificate III in Screen and Media training.

Outside broadcast caravan maintenance/upgrade (103.9 Hope FM)

Hope FM, based in Esperance, Western Australia (Noongar Country) has successfully increased engagement with their local communities through outside broadcasting (OB) in their 1970s caravan. The station want to update the interior of the caravan to create a safe and accessible space for broadcasters who use wheelchairs/walkers and interview guests.

Each grant round, our volunteer assessors look closely at your applications providing comments and scores.

We’ve listed some of the most common feedback about applications in our most recent grant round to help you when preparing future applications.

Content grants

Content applications that did well in this round included the following characteristics:

• strong ideas for engaging and important programs building on existing successful content
• specific and appropriate measures of success demonstrating strong value to and impact on their communities
• a ‘value for money’ budget in line with expectations of the content output, includes:
  • demonstration of appropriately paying people for their time
  • good mix of funding from other sources
  • evidence of seeking sponsorship into the future to ensure longevity and viability rather than just relying on the grant funds requested
• previous content sample or pilot of high-quality and professional production values
• high number of diverse and knowledgeable participants
• plans for wide multi-platform distribution
• programs involving mentoring and training of current and future presenters
• clear responses to the gender equity questions.

Development & Operations grants

Development & Operations applications that did well in this round included the following characteristics:

• strong articulation of the immediate need for the request
• clear and detailed explanation of how issues with technical equipment came about, how often it is causing a problem, the impact on the community and the stations standing in the community
• forward-thinking initiatives that promote the sustainability of the organisation
• inclusion of photos and diagrams to help assessors to understand the request
• value for money when comparing the budget request to the clear outcomes in the Impact section
• demonstration of how the request will positively impact the community and meet the station’s strategic goals
• organisational contributions to the budget (even if the organisation has limited revenue)
• thorough planning and demonstration of a strong team of appropriately-skilled people involved.

Get in touch

Don’t forget, you can always ask for feedback on your application from your Grants Support Team member.

• Successful grants start with 5 key questions
• Top 10 tips for your CBF grant application
• Acknowledge the CBF in your promotions on websites, social, audio credits and publications.
• Other helpful CBF resources
• Other funding opportunities
• What does a grant assessor do?