Help guide grants to where they can help most.

You’re invited to participate.

We believe that the community we serve should be included in our grant making process. So we’re inviting people from the Yarra Valley to participate in two ways:

  1. Help to create the criteria we use to compare grant applications

  2. Help to review and assess the grant applications we receive

You don’t need experience to participate, just a willingness to be fair and open-minded. Help us make sure that the community is deeply involved in choosing where grant money is best directed.

Apply now

What’s involved?

Creating grant criteria

    • An understanding of the Yarra Valley

    • Willingness to speak up and participate in a workshop environment

    • Willingness to be open-minded and discuss options with others

    • No prior experience with creating criteria, or participating in grant processes is necessary

  • Read our report on the needs and strengths of the Yarra Valley - called Ear to the Ground.


    Participate in a 2hour workshop to help us create the criteria that will guide assessments of grant applications.

  • About 3 hours:

    • 1hr to review our report on what our research has discovered about the needs and strengths of the Yarra Valley

    • 2hrs to participate in the workshop

  • The workshop will be held in Healesville.

    You can read the report from wherever you like!

Reviewing and assessing grant applications

    • Willingness to understand the grant making criteria

    • Open-mindedness and willingness to try not to be biased

    • No prior experience with reviewing or assessing grant applications is necessary

    • Please note: if you have applied for a grant through the Foundation you are not able to participate in this role.

  • You’ll read applications for grants, consider how the proposed activity fits with the grant criteria, and score applications against the criteria.

    Then you’ll talk with others about what you think of the application, and why you have scored it that way. Together you’ll come to a shared understanding of the final scores for each grant application.

    Then you’ll write a short recommendation for the Yarra Valley Community Foundation Board.

    Our CEO, Charlie Simson, will support and guide you through the assessment process.

  • In-person workshop - Group assessment workshops will be offered in Healesville, VIC, 3777.

    Online/Remote - If in-person workshops isn’t an option for you, online/remote will be available.

  • Each application will be assessed by up to 3 people.

    1: Assess: Assess applications allocated to you.

    2: Discuss: You’ll discuss the applications, and how you’ve scored each on with a few others. Together you will decide on a final score for each application.

    3: Shortlist: Applications are then shortlisted based on their scores for further assessment/discussions.

    4: Select: Final applications are selected for recommendation to the Board.

    5: Recommend: You’ll write a short summary of why each of the recommended applications is worthy of the grant. This recommendation will go to the Board for a final decision.

Apply to be involved in the 2026 granting process.

Our 2026 Grant Process.