Violet Vines Marshman Centre Partnership Funding

2025 applications are now open

Community organisations can apply for grants of up to $50,000 to partner with the VVMC on small projects that improve health and wellbeing in rural areas. Download the partnership funding application form below to apply.

Applications close 5pm, Friday 30 May 2025.

Join our online information session

Learn about the grants scheme, application process, and have your questions answered.

When: 4:30 – 5:30pm, Monday 28 April
Where: Online via Zoom

About the funding

Partnership funding is designed to support projects that directly improve the health and well-being of people living in rural and remote areas. Projects will primarily be assessed on direct community benefit. This includes the number of people benefiting and the extent of the health and wellbeing benefits for the communities involved. Proposals must align with the Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research’s core mission: Transforming rural health outcomes through research, collaboration and community engagement.

On completion, projects will need to report upon the benefits delivered and hence contribute to better understanding of practices that make real-world community impact.

Funding is available to a wide range of organisations, including health and social services, local councils, schools and community groups. Importantly, the funds are not intended to replace regular operational expenses; applicants should clearly outline the additional, direct benefits their projects will bring to their communities.

To ensure strong community engagement, proposals must demonstrate how they will match funds from the Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research Partnership Funding Stream.

Aims

Primary

• Directly improve the health and wellbeing of rural and remote communities by supporting impactful, short-term projects.

Secondary

• Proof of concept - Enable locally developed concepts and ideas to be developed and tested in real-world rural community settings.
• Pilot demonstration - Provide a factual basis for broader [for example government funded] roll out into rural communities.

Funding rules

Non-onerous for communities: The funding process is designed to be accessible and not overly burdensome for communities.

Eligibility: A wide range of organisations and community groups (with charity status) can apply, provided the project aligns with the Centre’s mission of improving rural health and well-being.

Funding limits: Up to $50,000 is available per project, with a maximum duration of two years.

Impact focus: Applications must clearly show how the project will have a direct impact on rural and remote communities, with the primary emphasis on practical outcomes not academic outputs.

Student involvement: If students are involved, their involvement should be aligned with the project’s goals, with a focus on more advanced students (honours, doctoral, or post-doctoral). Undergraduate placements are not supported through this funding.  This funding stream is not designed to support student work.

Matching funding: Applicants must provide matching funding, and in-kind contributions will be considered if an appropriate rationale is provided.

Evaluation plan: Applicants must outline how they will measure the outcomes of their project, with a progress report and a final evaluation.

University partnerships: Collaborative projects with other universities are encouraged and welcomed.

Funding acknowledgement: The Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research must be acknowledged in all media stories, reports, publications, conference presentations and other communications relating to the funded project.

For all enquiries relating to partnership funding, please email violet.marshman@latrobe.edu.au.

Funded Partnership Projects in Previous Rounds

The successful applicants in our 2021 funded partnerships came from across rural Victoria and NSW. The funding was allocated to four projects across two rounds.

Round 1: Sunraysia Community Health Services, together with Ruth Hardman.

Round 2: Mildura Rural City Council, West Wimmera Health Service and Cultivate Farms.

Round 3: Echuca Regional Health and Northern District Community Health Service.

Round 4:  Cohuna District Hospital, Gateway Health and Wangaratta Rural City Council

Round 5: Karen Organisation of Bendigo, Lockington and District Bush Nursing Centre and Yea and District Memorial Hospital