The Aurora Group is ringing in the new decade by supporting a record number of grants for powerful LGBTIQ+ community projects.

“This year, we are delighted to announce that a record 14 organisations will share in funding to support essential projects and empower the LGBTIQ+ community,” said Aurora Chair, Sam Turner.

“After receiving a high number of applications and going through a difficult decision-making process, Aurora is proud to be able to spread funding from Tamworth and surrounds, to Western Sydney, the Hunter and digitally across the nation in 2020,” Sam said.

“Aurora exists to help ensure LGBTIQ+ people and communities are not left behind. This year we have a strong focus on projects that support young people and people of colour, as well as the trans and gender diverse community, in projects that reach far beyond the city centre.”

Westpac has again shown its support, kicking in $10,000 for a Special Grant over two years that will support OutLoud to run a project collaborating with the Muslim community to provide a mental health safety net for young LGBTIQ+ people in South West Sydney.

And PwC Australia, along with Westpac, continue to support Special Grants in their second year of funding in 2020.

The full list of projects supported by Aurora in 2020 include:

• Blacktown Youth Services Association together with AllOut Blacktown – Establishing a safe space for LGBTIQ+ young people in the Blacktown area;
• Tamworth Aboriginal Medical Services – Establishing a youth network for LGBTIQ+ identifying people across the Tamworth and Gunnedah region with specialist support;
• Hunter Gender Alliance – Delivering a series of workshops for trans and gender diverse young people in the Hunter Region;
• Westword’s – Supporting a series of workshops and public events for an LGBTIQ+ Writers’ Group in Western Sydney;
• ACON – Developing a cutting-edge online resource space, called ‘Transhub’ for the TGD community that houses evidence-based information, downloadable resources, video content and stories in an accessible and up-to-date format;
• Community First Step – Building on much-needed support services and counselling for their newly established LGBTIQ+ youth group in the Fairfield area.
• Youth Solutions Campbelltown – developing a video resource targeted at LGBTIQ+ young people as part of essential drug & alcohol resilience skills training, to be delivered across schools across the Macarthur & Wingecarribee regions of South-West Sydney;
• The Gender Centre – A project to develop a new program of support for the siblings of trans and gender diverse young people; as well as funding for the second year of the ‘Kids Play Together project, providing a playgroup for young trans and gender diverse people and their families (proudly supported by Westpac);
• Participate Australia – A project to sustainably develop the communications and reach of the Rainbow Bridge Social Club, a club for LGBTIQ people aged 18-35 with intellectual disabilities;
• The Inner City Legal Centre – the second year of funding for a project aimed at educating homelessness services on best practices in supporting trans and gender diverse clients (proudly supported by PwC Australia);
• OutLoud – Partnering with the Muslim community to provide mental health support for young Muslims aged 12-35 who also identify as LGBTIQ, and in particular, those who are experiencing mental health issues as a direct result of identifying as LGBTIQ (proudly supported by Westpac);

And Aurora will continue to support our major recipient Twenty10 with a large grant for their incredible work with LGBTIQ+ young people.

“We are only able to give more grants than ever in 2020 because of the growing and incredible generosity of our supporters – who want to ensure their donations go to much-needed, grassroots and far-reaching projects that support the LGBTIQ+ community,” Sam said.

“At our 2019 Aurora Ball we celebrated 20 years of giving, and in 2020 we look forward to supporting these incredible projects and spreading the generosity even further.”