On 13 July 2026, Blue Mountains City Council distributed $60,000 among 60 local not-for-profit organisations through its annual Community Assistance Program. The grants, typically up to $1,000 for most groups, will fund everything from emergency food relief to a suicide prevention open day scheduled for 2027.
The program supports a wide sweep of community life: preschools, neighbourhood centres, sporting clubs, arts groups, health services, environmental organisations, and local associations. Each recipient was chosen for direct work that strengthens wellbeing and connectedness in towns stretching from Lapstone to Mount Irvine.
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said the grants recognise the role grassroots groups play in delivering services council itself cannot. “Every year, our community organisations deliver an extraordinary range of services, activities and support for local people,” Cr Greenhill said on 13 July. “These grants help build the capacity of local groups to keep doing what they do best; bringing people together, supporting vulnerable residents, and strengthening community wellbeing.”
Two recipients illustrate the program’s reach. Blue Mountains Safe Space for Suicide Prevention, based on Station Street in Katoomba, will use its grant to stage an Open Day in 2027. The organisation won the 2026 ZEST Award for Outstanding Community Partnership, and its open day is designed to extend its vision of a community where hope is found by all. Joshua Stojanovic said council support is critical. “Council’s support with events like this contribute greatly to making our vision of a community where hope is found by all – and that people thinking about suicide can live well – a reality.”
Gateway Family Services will direct its funding to an emergency relief pantry that puts food on the table for vulnerable families. Karen Bartle described the grant as invaluable. “It goes a long way in ensuring the vulnerable members of our community can put food on the table and that children are able to go to school with full bellies, ready to learn.”
Related to This Story
Blue Mountains City Council
Local government authority responsible for the City of Blue Mountains in New South Wales, delivering services including community grants, planning, and infrastructure for residents in towns such as Katoomba, Springwood, and Blackheath.
The council’s Community Assistance Program opens each year early in the calendar year, with the full $60,000 pool shared among successful applicants. Designated Key Community Organisations can receive up to $1,750. The 2026 round is now closed. The next application window is expected in early 2027.
Unlike larger state or federal grants, the CAP focuses on small-scale capacity building. Sixty organisations sharing $60,000 means highly targeted support. Each success means a pantry stays stocked, a sports club runs a season, or an arts group mounts a workshop. The 2027 Open Day planned by Blue Mountains Safe Space is a direct output of that philosophy.