Community Benefit

Right from the start, we committed to ensuring that our whole community would stand to benefit from the wind farm, not just investors. Part of this commitment is being delivered through the Hepburn Wind Impact Fund. This fund is a key part of our community enterprise model.

Grants and funding

The Hepburn Wind Impact Fund supports community projects.

In 2019-2020 we reviewed the Community Grants program which had funded 60 local projects with grants totalling over $115,230 since 2011. This review noted that there were several grant programs of a similar scope so we created the Hepburn Wind Impact Fund.

To facilitate the Hepburn Wind Impact Fund we have partnered with the Community Enterprise Foundation to host the Z-NET Climate Resilience Fund.

For more information on the Impact Fund please review the guidelines below and get in contact.

2021 Impact Fund Guidelines

Round VI 2018

This year the Community Fund committee received eleven applications and awarded eight projects with full or partial funding. Funding for successful recipients came to a total of $12,500.

The successful local projects are:

  • Sprung Circus – Gymnastic equipment
  • Daylesford Primary School – Reconciliation Garden
  • Plastic Bag Free Daylesford – Single-use plastic free Daylesford
  • Transition Creswick – Film Night Facilitate
  • Ballan & District Community House – Lighting Upgrade
  • Trentham and Districts Men’s Shed – Trentham Men’s Shed
  • Mt Prospect Tennis – Grass Court Fencing
  • Hepburn Springs Golf Club – Cart Shed Power

Round V 2017

This year the Community Fund committee received eleven applications totalling almost $45,000 and selected seven projects to share in a total of $13,730.

The successful local projects are:

  • Tripwire Theatre Inc – Hollow
  • Daylesford Secondary College – Spark
  • Glenlyon Upper Loddon Landcare Group – What’s in Our Backyard at Glenlyon?
  • Cornish Hill Committee of Management – Safeguarding the Scascighini Puddler
  • Hepburn Wholefoods Collective – Storage and fit out materials    
  • Trentham Food Hub Trentham Food Hub – Distribution Hub
  • Trentham Neighbourhood Centre Inc. – Trentham Food Co-op and Community Garden

Round IV 2015

Hepburn Wind’s Community Fund committee received eleven applications totalling almost $40,000 and selected eight projects to share in a total of $17,973.

The successful local projects are:

  • Daylesford Community Theatre Inc – Cinema Speakers
  • Clayspace Community Ceramics – Studio Equipment
  • Ballan District Health and Care Ballan Child Care – Sustainability and Educational Program
  • Wombat Forestcare – Arboreal Mammal Research Project in the Wombat Forest
  • Hepburn Community Radio – Hepburn Community Radio-internet Broadcasting
  • Daylesford Secondary College – Project Garlic
  • Melbourne Chamber Orchestra – Daylesford Chamber Music Weekend
  • Trentham Food Hub – Purchase of a Mobile Coolroom

Round III 2013

In June 2013, twenty applications totaling over $100,000 were assessed by the Community Fund committee. The volunteer committee had $40,000 to distribute this round and chose fourteen projects. Twelve projects are located within the Hepburn Shire and two projects in the Moorabool Shire, close to the wind farm in Leonards Hill.

The 2013 Community Fund recipients are:

  • Glenlyon Progress Association — Cycling for sound
  • Melbourne Chamber Orchestra Daylesford — Chamber Music Weekend  Development
  • Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre — Community Solar, Heating and Energy Efficiency
  • Daylesford Riding for Disabled Centre Arena — seating and fencing
  • Ballan & District Kindergarten — Information Technology
  • Jubilee Lake Co-operative Ltd — Solar Street Lights Pilot Project
  • Creswick Neighbourhood Centre — Local Warming Project
  • Gordon Primary School — Sustaining Cultural Awareness
  • Franklinford Cemetery Trust — Public Seats
  • Hepburn Wildlife Shelter inc. — Hospital facility for injured wildlife
  • Daylesford & District Historical Society Inc. — Revealing our heritage Daylesford Community Theatre Reel to Real… Empowering Volunteers
  • Daylesford Dharma School — Eco-learning Hub
  • Trentham Sustainability Group — Trentham Renewable Energy Project

Round II 2012

Second round of the Hepburn Wind Community Fund
On 12 June 2012, Hepburn Wind was pleased to announce the recipients of round two of our Community Fund.

The volunteer committee assessed 19 applications for a total value of nearly $60,000 and selected 10 groups to share in the available total of $17,000.
Congratulations to the following groups:

  • Daylesford Girl Guides — Daylesford Guides mentor breakfast 2013
  •  Clunes and District Kindergarten — Irrigation for outdoor playscape area
  •  Moorabool Environment Group — MEG projector
  •  Daylesford Secondary College — Cyber solutions
  •  St Michael’s School Parents Association — Bush tucker and Indigenous garden
  •  SHARE — Sustainable Futures: renewable energy pilot education program
  •  Creswick Brass Band — New instrument fund low brass
  •  Creswick Neighbourhood Centre — Growling grass frog & friends happy habitat
  •  Daylesford and District Community Brass Band — New instrument fund
  •  Hepburn Relocalisation Network — Workshops for resilient living

Round I 2011

The results from our first round were announced at our Launch Festival on 5 November 2011.
Vicki Horrigan, chair of the Fund committee had great pleasure in announcing the community based projects that received grants from the first round of funding, totaling $15,000:

  • Wombat Forestcare — Arboreal Mammal Research Project in Wombat State Forest
  •  Daylesford Food Aid — Commercial freezer
  •  Daylesford Football and Netball Club — Footballs and netballs
  •  Trentham Kindergarten — Planter box
  •  Hepburn Wholefoods Collective — Start up equipment
  •  SHARE — Retrofitting project
  •  Daylesford Secondary College — Waste education
  •  Daylesford Lawn Tennis Club Club — Facility Development Plan
  •  Bungal Arts Depot — Ballan community art project
  •  Daylesford Men’s Shed — Welding unit
  •  Creswick Soccer Club — BBQ
  •  Leonards Hill Hall — Kitchen refurbishment
  •  Clunes Playgroup — Outdoor play equipment

Energy Fund

Our ‘rolling’ fund for renewable energy projects remains open year-round.

The fund welcomes inquiries from community members keen to develop local renewable energy projects within Hepburn Shire and for portions of the Moorabool Shire, that provide opportunities for wide community participation.

Enquire about Energy Fund

Sponsorship

Hepburn Wind sponsors local institutions around the wind farm neighbourhood as well as local events.

If you would like to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please provide some information below.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Testimonials

  • Our activities are one of many local projects that strengthen the communities access to sustainable food sources. The Hepburn Wind grant that we received came at a time when we were struggling with space and the demands of a growing collective. The items we were able to purchase with the funds enabled us to reorganise our space effectively to accommodate a larger number of shoppers through our doors and also to expand our product range to dairy / fresh produce and whole grains.

    Hepburn Wholefoods Collective

  • Hepburn Wind has enabled us to move our project to the next stage. It’s very encouraging to have the support of a like-minded organisation and an exemplar of social enterprise in our region.

     

    Trentham Food Hub

  • We created highly visible and accessible works by 17 local artists in 17  trading places in Ballan with a strong cross section of support from artists and community groups

    Ballan Arts Project

  • The welding unit is an integral part of the metal work area. As anticipated the new welder provided benefits in that it enhanced capabilities of the shed members to assist with member and community projects and skills training of members who have not had access to equipment. Since taking possession of the unit the number of users capable/accredited to use the unit has increased from 4 to 10 and we anticipate this to increase as the new year brings on increased needs.

    Daylesford Men's Shed

  • “Daddy come now, now daddy! Come see the vegetable patch, you can see all the vegetables and they are going super big. We are going to pick them next week and have on our table”, A quote from my daughter Montana upon a Kinder Pickup 7/12/2012. The project once completed met its objectives the Garden bed is now an often used as a teaching aid and demonstration piece.

    Trentham Kindergarten

  • Due to the generous assistance of the Hepburn Wind Community Fund, allowing the completion of the kitchen refurbishment. The committee feel that this is a great achievement and this has made  a more user friendly  and modern facility and hopefully lead to increased Hall Hire and community use.

    Leonards Hill Hall Committee

  • Our new instruments have been well received by our band members, and we have gone on since to win the Victorian State Championship, so we must be playing them well!

    Creswick Brass Band

  • It was an extremely satisfying experience for all of us be connected with a project of reclamation and beautification of a neglected, depleted  area. We’re very much looking forward watching the wetlands develop and hopefully in time, the return of the elusive growling grass frog and remain extremely grateful for the support of Hepburn Wind which enabled completion of the project.

    Creswick Neighbourhood House

  • With the grant we received from Hepburn Wind we were able to purchase all the equipment out lined in our application. By the beginning of term one 2012 the equipment was ready to be used and the children enjoyed being able to spend more time outside when the weather permitted.

    Clunes Playgroup

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.