Coal & Allied Community Development Fund
The Coal & Allied Community Development Fund (previously called the Coal & Allied Community Trust) was established in 1999 to support communities in the Hunter Valley to build community capacity to address development challenges and take advantage of emerging opportunities.
In late 2008, Coal & Allied announced the continuation of the fund and has committed $3 million to distribute to eligible projects between January 2009 and December 2011. The aim of the fund is to support projects and programmes that will create opportunities and foster new ideas that will provide a long lasting benefit to the wider community.
- Fund objectives
- Projects
- Committee members
- Eligibility & guidelines
The fund aims to target issues, needs and opportunities which are a priority to the local community and are related to Coal & Allied's core business. Specific objectives have been identified based on an understanding of the local social and economic environment, as well as through direct feedback from members of the community. A socioeconomic baseline and community survey in 2007 and interviews with key opinion formers in 2008 assisted in gaining this understanding.
Based on this information, the objectives of the Coal & Allied Community Development Fund are to support projects in the following areas.
Economic
- Proposals aimed at enhancing the economic base of the region:
- Attract and diversify sustainable business and services
- Strengthen and promote regional attributes, capabilities and cooperation that will add economic value
- Improve the economic competitiveness of the region.
Social and education
Proposals aimed at increasing community capacity in the region:
- Develop community and youth leadership and recognise excellence
- Increase access to appropriate academic and vocational education and training
- Increase recognition of the benefits of lifelong learning within the community
- Enhance community recognition of excellence and leadership.
Environmental
Proposals aimed at increasing the quality of the Upper Hunter environment:
- Promote awareness of regional environmental issues
- Implement community generated regional environmental programmes that will improve the quality of the Upper Hunter environment.