Great Ydeas Small Grants Program
About Great Ydeas
YWCA Canberra’s Great Ydeas Small Grants Program provides grants up to $2500 to support women, girls and non-binary people in the ACT to pursue their passions and improve our community.
The program was launched in 2010 in celebration of our 80th anniversary. Since then, Great Ydeas grants have helped more than 80 local women and girls to progress projects including establishing a podcast, launching a public awareness campaign, running empowering programs for girls, attending a conference and launching a social enterprise.
Priority is given to projects that empower women in our local community, and that have the potential to grow beyond the initial funding provided.
For those new to applying for grants, we have developed a helpful toolkit to navigate the grant application process.
If you have any questions, get in touch at caf.team@ywca-canberra.org.au. You can also review our frequently asked questions page and find out about past recipients.
2022 Great Ydeas Grant recipients
Sustineo Great Ydeas Empowerment Grant
Deborah Martin: Yurwan Bulan (Strong Woman)
Yurwan Bulan aims to support and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women with information and skills to help prevent domestic and family violence in a culturally informed and inclusive way.
As a Djaru/Gidja elder, Deborah knows that non-Indigenous services are underutilised by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women because they are not considered culturally safe. Developing an intervention grounded in cultural knowledge that is led and implemented by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders is crucial to helping prevent and respond to domestic and family violence.
Canberra Innovation Network Great Ydeas Innovation Grant
Claire Harris: Women of Impact
Women of Impact is an evidence-based program designed to support and promote women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Women remain underrepresented in STEM fields, and Claire realised that very few initiatives and programs are specifically designed to support women with career progression.
Women of Impact will not only develop a ‘mastermind group’ of women in STEM to support each other as a core network, but it will also provide coaching, skills building, and provide support in marketing and PR. In addition, the program will raise awareness of the systemic gender inequality in STEM and showcase workplaces that are doing a great job of addressing this.
Beyond Bank Great Ydeas Community Grant
Jennifer Seyderhelm: Teen ACT Podcast
The Teen ACT podcast (also known as TACT) aims to empower teenagers with meaningful sexual and reproductive health information, drawing from the existing ACTeen Choices website.
In collaboration with the Women’s Centre for Health Matters, Jennifer will be hosting and developing a podcast series that will be a free audio resource where teenagers can access evidence-based information on sex, sexual health, and bodies.
The Joyful Business Club Great Ydeas Grant
Sarah O’Malley: CBR Grrrls to the Front
CBR Grrrls to the Front is a mini-music festival that aims to address the male-dominated nature of the music industry by featuring female-identifying musicians and artists.
The event will be hosted and produced by women for women and seeks to promote female-identifying artists and upskill participants in running live music events.
YWCA Canberra Grants
Lieta Sauiluma-Duggan: Voice of the Pasefika
This project aims to be the voice of Pacific Island seasonal workers, who form a large part of the seasonal agricultural workforce in Australia. Currently, seasonal workers are vulnerable to exploitation due to the remote location of their work, the nature of their visas, and the lack of visibility given to their experiences.
This project will actively engage with seasonal workers in remote regions to better understand their experiences and raise awareness via targeted media engagement. The project will also engage with relevant authorities to ensure decision-makers hear their experiences.
Maya Kruger-Downs: Women’s Strength Collective Youth Program
This program, developed in collaboration with The Strength Syndicate, aims to connect young women aged 12-18 years with a safe space to learn about lifting, exercise and gain healthier messages around nutrition, self-esteem, body image and self-defence skills.
Weightlifting can be a great tool for empowerment. The Strength Collective Youth Program will harness this sport to provide participants with tools for confidence, challenging unhelpful thought patterns, and inspiring leadership.
The project has been run to date with great success and will expand to provide more sessions and greater access to young women.
Nicole Seifert: Even Ground Writers Room for Comedians Comedy at Bean Central
This project aims to provide a space to support all comedians, particularly women and non-binary people, to develop their skills in the industry through confidence building and support in launching their online presence.
The Canberra comedy scene has significantly been impacted during the pandemic, affecting comedians in terms of finance and mental health. Providing this opportunity will assist in strengthening and rebuilding the Canberra comedy scene alongside the presence of women and non-binary comedians within it.
Kellyanne Rosalion: Auslan Playgroup
Auslan Playgroup is a social playgroup for D/deaf parents and families/carers of D/deaf children. Auslan Playgroup brings together Auslan/English using families of children aged 0-12. The playgroup is for families and carers of D/deaf children interested in growing their Auslan skills and confidence in a fun way and connecting with a community of other Auslan users and deaf children.
Currently, this is the only structured and facilitated Auslan playgroup in Canberra.
Naomi Atkins: Expensive Dysfunctions
Expensive Dysfunctions is a digital and physical installation documenting the lived experience of having adult ADHD. Using the concept of the ‘ADHD Tax’, the installation is composed of paper receipts that record the hidden costs people with ADHD experience.
The installation serves to destigmatise ADHD, raise awareness of the realities of the disability, and build community among adults living with ADHD, particularly with under and misdiagnosed women and gender-nonconforming individuals. As a digital exhibition, it will be accessible to a global audience.
Jessika Spencer: Biyanha (Habitual)
Biyanha (Wiradjuri word translating to ‘Habitual’) is a series of workshops teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to weave. This series of workshops will cover everything from the basics to intermediate techniques to more difficult ones. Biyanha will equip First Nations women with lifelong knowledge that they will then be able to pass on to other women. This will ensure the continuation of culture through knowledge sharing.