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COMMUNITY FUTURES FUND

At CleanCo, our aim is to create a better energy future for our customers, communities and Queensland. The Community Futures Fund supports initiatives that contribute to the wellbeing of the communities where we live and work.

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

Applications are now open for the CleanCo Community Futures Fund. Applications close at 5pm on Monday 7 September 2026.

About the fund

CleanCo’s Community Futures Fund supports not-for-profit organisations, community services, First Nations initiatives, educational institutions and environmental associations. The Fund offers sponsorships of up to $5000, with one funding round held each year.

Applications open annually in August and are available to organisations located within one of the following local government areas:

  • Cairns
  • Tablelands
  • Ipswich
  • Mareeba Shire
  • Cassowary Coast
  • Somerset

Assessment criteria

The CleanCo Community Futures Fund aligns with our Thriving Communities Strategy.  Applications will be assessed on how the proposal contributes to community wellbeing.   This can be in one or more of the categories below:

  • Community identity and belonging: Proposals that strengthen community identify and belonging and celebrates shared values and customs and connection to Country.
  • Fair processes and equitable outcomes: Proposals that promote inclusion and equality across cultures, generations, abilities and backgrounds .
  • Local prosperity: Proposals that support the growth and success of social enterprises.
  • Infrastructure and services: Proposals that improve the quality of community assets and services.
  • Environment and surroundings: Proposals that protect and enhance the local environment.

We preference proposals that are socially sustainable (provide ongoing benefit to the local community and environment) and support communities to thrive in a net zero future.

Information session for applicants

View a recording of the information session we hosted on 14 August 2026. In this 35-minute webinar we explain the application process and answer questions from interested applicants.

For any questions about the application process please email our Community Performance team at community@cleancoqld.com.au.

View application guidelines Download the flyer Apply now

Organisations/initiatives which have received financial support (in any form) from CleanCo in the previous 12 months are eligible to apply. However, CleanCo retains the rights to preference organisations/initiatives which have not received financial support from CleanCo in the previous 12 months.

Case study: supporting volunteers to grow a greener Brisbane Valley Rail Trail

For more than a decade, volunteers from the West Moreton Group have been helping transform a section of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail into a thriving native landscape that benefits both the environment and the local community.

Since 2015, the group has worked alongside Lowood’s rail trail volunteers to restore and maintain an 8km stretch of the trail, planting Australian native species and creating an inviting green corridor through the Somerset region.

The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail stretches 161km from Yarraman to Wulkuraka and attracts more than 42,000 visitors each year. Walkers, cyclists and horse riders travel the trail to experience Queensland’s rural landscapes, heritage sites and country towns.

What was once an underused rail corridor is now a flourishing habitat for native plants and birdlife. The growing biodiversity has also attracted birdwatchers to the region, providing another boost for local tourism.

Through CleanCo’s Community Futures Fund, West Moreton Landcare received funding to purchase essential maintenance equipment, including a chainsaw, hedge trimmer, secateurs and planting augers. These tools help volunteers maintain the growing number of native plantings more safely and efficiently, allowing them to spend more time improving the trail.

The tools will also be used by Landcare volunteers working at a nearby University of Queensland trial eremophila (emu bush) research site.

By supporting community-led environmental projects like this, CleanCo is helping create healthier landscapes, stronger communities and places that people can enjoy for generations to come.

Case study: Supporting nutritious meals and social connection in Cairns

Older Australians and vulnerable people across Cairns will benefit from a CleanCo Community Futures Fund grant to Cairns Meals on Wheels, with the organisation receiving $5,000 to establish a herb garden.

The Growing Fresh – Cairns Meals on Wheels Herb Garden project will create gardens at the organisation’s Cairns base, providing fresh herbs to enhance the flavour of meals prepared by volunteers while helping reduce food costs.

Each week, the not-for-profit organisation prepares and delivers hundreds of fresh and frozen meals to people across Cairns and surrounding communities.

Beyond meal delivery, the service also provides an important welfare check and valuable social connection for many clients who may otherwise experience isolation.

CleanCo’s Community Futures Fund will help Meals on Wheels purchase materials including raised garden beds, soil, irrigation, gardening tools, signage and plants.

We’re proud to support an organisation that helps people stay well-nourished, connected and supported in their local community.

Recent recipients

Far North Queensland recipients

  • Balaclava State School – support for a whole-of-school recycling program
  • Kuranda Conservation Community Nursery Inc – construction of a concrete slab to install a storytelling Cassowary statue and information sign
  • Cairns Meals on Wheels Inc – support to establish a herb garden
  • Daradgee Environmental Education Centre – funding to enhance an existing outdoor learning space
  • Youth Link Kuranda – upgrading kitchen equipment, storage systems and sensory lights for a community space
  • She Shed Cairns – installation of a battery energy storage system
  • LifeFlight Foundation – funding to deliver two Five Minutes Matter workshops
  • Rotary Club of Cairns West Inc – funding to support the Breakfast Club at the Manoora Neighbourhood Centre and purchase fridge/freezers
  • Atherton Tableland Agricultural Society Inc – livestock precinct energy efficiency and safety upgrade
  • Tully State High School – support for students to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Program and upgrading camping and hiking equipment
  • Stray to Stay Ltd – funding to deliver subsidised dog and cat desexing services in the Cassowary Coast region
  • Grace Community Hub – funding to purchase resources for a new playgroup for Herberton children
  • Tully and District Men’s Shed – safety and accessibility improvements to an outdoor area and resources for a new garden
  • Dingo Culture Aboriginal Corporation – funding towards equipment to help build Dingo Culture’s digital capacity.

 Southeast Queensland recipients

  • Hymba Yumba Community Hub Foundation – funding to purchase a hydroponics system
  • Fernvale Rural Fire Brigade – upgrading the air conditioning at the Brigade’s training facility
  • The West Moreton Landcare Group Inc – gardening and maintenance equipment for volunteers on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail
  • Queensland Police-Citizens Youth Welfare Association Ipswich – support for Breaking the Cycle Program
  • Somerset Regional Council – support for the Somerset Rail Trail Classic
  • Riverview State School – rejuvenating the Bush Tucker Garden
  • Guides Queensland – Goodna Redbank Plains Girl Guides – funding for a new footpath to support accessibility
  • St Francis Xavier Primary School Goodna – funding for a First Nations Yarning Circle and cultural wellbeing space.
  • Atherton Performing Arts Inc – communication equipment and safety ladder
  • Community Support Centre Innisfail Inc – support for Community Harvest Box program
  • Dalby Day Nursery and Preschool Association Inc – soft-fall surfacing for playground and swing area
  • Esk State School P&C Association – sandstone blocks for seating on school oval
  • Far North Queensland Wildlife Rescue Association Inc – fauna care products for wildlife carers
  • Frog Safe Inc – computer equipment to support frog research
  • West Moreton Health Foundation – Ipswich Hospital Foundation – care packs and turbans for Wig Lounge
  • Kalapa Hall and Sports Committee – 45,000 litre rainwater tank
  • Leyburn and Districts Progress Association  – support for Leyburn Seniors Day
  • Marlin Coast Neighbourhood Centre Inc – solar panels and inverter for the centre
  • North Ipswich Bowls Club Inc – bench seating for the bowling greens
  • North Rockhampton State High School P&C Association – support for Queensland State Schools Cup seniors rugby team
  • Stanwell State School – wellbeing and educational initiatives
  • Tully Branch Little Athletics – 12 volt solar electrical system for the club house