Two Hellenic community organisations have been successful in their applications for grants to be provided by the NSW Government as they strive to support the state’s multiculturalism.
The NSW Government announced on Tuesday 18 July the 81 community associations across the state that were successful applicants of the Multicultural NSW Stronger Together Festival and Event Grant program.
The two Hellenic groups among that list are the Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Burwood and District – Saint Nectarios and the Cyprus Community of NSW.
They, along with the other community organisations, will each have a share in more than $630, 000 allocated for their events over the next eight months, with each getting an amount ranging from $5000 to $15,000.
Christina Efthymiades AM, Board Member and Secretary of The Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Burwood and District – Saint Nectarios, said they are on the higher end of the range, receiving $12, 000 which will go towards their Greek Street Fair scheduled for Sunday 12 November.
Ms Efthymiades, who is also Event Director for the Greek Street Fair Burwood, stated that this is the latest and largest bit of support they have received from the state in recent years for many of their initiatives.
“We are so grateful to Multicultural NSW for its support of our events and projects. We have received Stronger Together Festivals and Events Grants for Greek Street Fair Burwood over several years but this year’s grant of $12,000 is the largest received so far,” she told Neos Kosmos.
“The grant will help us stage Greek Street Fair Burwood and will go towards essential items to organise the day including stage and chair hire, fencing, sound, entertainment, and marketing. As a result, along with Burwood Council, Multicultural NSW is a major supporter of the event, and it could not proceed without this financial assistance.”
The group has also received grants in the past for events like ‘Fuse Fest’ in 2022 and 2023 (a multicultural festival organised by their youth, ‘Youth In Action’, in May), as well as for their weekly food service program for those in need, ‘The Cottage Kitchen’.
“Their support is greatly appreciated, and we could not deliver the events and services we do without this support. For a not-for-profit, volunteer-based organisation, this financial support is invaluable,” she said.
The secretary stated the great validation in their efforts being recognised consistently by the state government, who have provided them with financial aid on numerous occasions through the Stronger Together program.
“It is a highly competitive process and our continued success in being selected to receive these grants is…a great endorsement for our efforts which makes us very proud,” Ms Efthymiades said.
Multicultural NSW has two rounds of the Stronger Together Festivals and Events Grant each year, with this batch of Festival and Events Grants providing for events held in the period of August 2023-February 2024.
