Winners!!
Thankyou to all our Registered Users who participated in our survey recently. We are pleased to announce the winners of the free packages of searches......

• Joan Anson, Belmore School
• Stroke Association of Victoria
• Nyunda Park Co-operative Limited
• Operation STITCHES
• Savanna Solutions Pty Ltd

This is your last chance to take advantage of the single search for $11. This was an introductory Trial search that will soon no longer exist, so get in now to try out FundBase.

NEWS
Helping Volunteers Pay for Petrol

Not-for-profit organisations can receive up to $2,500 to help pay for their volunteers' petrol bills, as part of the Australian Government's Volunteer Grants Program 2008.

Under the Program, grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 can also be used to purchase equipment, including computers, tools, air conditioners and sporting equipment.

School Parents and Citizens Associations (P&Cs) will also have the opportunity to apply for funding along with other not-for-profit organisations. Voluntary and other charitable organisations can apply for funding to contribute to the reimbursement of fuel costs incurred by their volunteers.

These measures are aimed at helping community organisations and the more than five million volunteers who give up 700 million hours of their time to keep them going.

Applications open on Saturday 6 September and close on Friday 17 October. Organisations will receive funding by the end of the year.

Help for Irrigators
The Rudd Government is offering to buy the water entitlements of small block irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin who agree to sell all their water entitlement to the Commonwealth.

The Government will offer up to $150,000 as a special exit payment, along with other transitional assistance, to eligible irrigators on 15 hectares or less.

The short-term scheme will be available this financial year. Access to the program will be conditional on irrigators selling their water entitlement to the Commonwealth to be returned to the Basin's rivers and wetlands.

This assistance will allow eligible small scale irrigators with permanent water entitlements of at least 10 megalitres who choose to leave irrigated farming to stay on the farm and in their communities'.

In addition to the exit grant of up to $150,000, two complementary grants will be included in the package:

• up to $10,000 for advice and training, including skills development, direction setting plans, succession planning and business advice
• up to $10,000 for removal of permanent plantings and other production-related infrastructure

Sellers of water entitlements in the Queensland and northern New South Wales areas of the Basin will be invited to lodge applications from 15 September 2008 until 5:00pm (EST) 19 December 2008.

FUND FOCUS
Youth Change Makers
The Youth Change Maker grant responds to the right of young people to participate as advocates for change in their communities. Youth Change Makers will support individuals and small groups of young people who have identified an issue in their community and have developed an advocacy response which aims to take action that creates a positive impact and/or change in relation to that issue. Youth Change Makers grants will support projects up to $10,000 per applicant group.

Any individual aged 12-25 years, or group all aged 12-25 years, may apply for a Youth Change Maker grant. This can be done with the support of an organisation. These organisations may include, for example, a community organisation or school, enterprise, youth group, or government.