Lift Local grants
Healthy Tasmania Fund
About Lift Local grants
A $20,000 Lift Local grant was offered to each council in 2023.
Local Governments are using their Lift Local grants to support activities that strengthen planning for health and wellbeing.
Councils are working on a wide range of initiatives, like finding out more about an issue, consulting with their community, gathering data, youth engagement, food security research, Aboriginal Cultural Awareness and celebration, inclusivity and climate resilience.
The Local Government Health and Wellbeing Network
The Local Government Association of Tasmania has been working with Public Health Services to set up the Local Government Health and Wellbeing Network (the Network) for people working in local government. Together the Network are sharing, learning, and supporting each other to improve health and wellbeing.
One of the next steps for the Network is to develop a learning framework to support councils’ role in preventive health.
Why is this work important?
Councils are close to their communities and well placed to look at health and wellbeing locally. The Network is providing opportunities for councils to develop plans, learn and share from each other to strengthen health and wellbeing locally.
Contact us
Do you have a question? Do you work in local government and want to join the Network? Email [email protected] or call us on 6166 1691 during business hours.
Frequently asked questions
Local government only. Each council has been invited to express interest in the Lift Local grant.
This grant is for all councils. Councils are close to their communities and well placed to address health and wellbeing locally.
Lift Local grants are for councils to support activities to strengthen planning for health and wellbeing.
- Engaging with community to develop a health and wellbeing plan or strategy.
- Researching and developing a local health and wellbeing profile (in plain language) to inform future work in health and wellbeing.
- Looking at ways to include people with diverse backgrounds in health and wellbeing planning including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Understanding and acknowledging local history from a Tasmanian Aboriginal view to pay respect, acknowledge the past and build understanding and knowledge for the wellbeing of all local people.
- Investigating social prescribing for wellbeing by bringing together council, interested stakeholders and local GPs to explore the idea and evidence base.
- Bringing together local young people to discuss and inform local health and wellbeing planning and action.
- Building a collaboration with other councils and community groups to tackle issues like community safety and climate change impacts on health and wellbeing locally.
Councils across Tasmania are different sizes and have different resources. This grant is only one part of the support offered to councils. Through the Network, we aim to build stronger relationships between councils and with State Government to better understand and respond to local health and wellbeing context and build skills and knowledge.
No. This grant aims to look at health and wellbeing planning. You could use the grant for getting a group of people together to look at how to sustain a service.
There is $20,000 available for each council. Each council was invited to put forward one expression of interest, but councils were able to express interest in working on two related strategies that could be funded within the $20,000. Councils can also apply for other grant streams in the Healthy Tasmania Fund.
Yes. Collaborating with other councils, and/or community sector organisations is encouraged.
All councils were eligible to express interest through a simple process while still meeting the need to be accountable for government money.
Councils were invited to write about their idea in two sentences and attend a workshop to share and develop the idea. The workshop included professional development opportunities tailored to the councils’ needs and an opportunity to work on a one-page plan for the grant. Councils submitted their plan to their General Manager or authorised delegate for approval.
Three regional workshops and one rural workshop have been held.
Multiple people from each council attended the workshops to share professional development and work together on the one-page plans for their ideas.
Yes. Financial support was available for councils to attend the workshop if needed.
This grant is only one part of the support offered to councils. The Local Government Association of Tasmania and Public Health Services are working together provide support with this grant. There are sharing, learning and development opportunities as part of the Network.
Our aim is to build stronger relationships over time between councils and with State Government and includes:
- support to develop and evaluate ideas
- access to advice regarding best available data and evidence
- opportunities to develop skills and knowledge
- access to information about other funding opportunities
- connection with other areas doing similar work.
Reporting will be through a short case study. You will be invited to come to another health and wellbeing workshop. The question you will answer for the case study is: What is changing as a result of this grant? Case studies can be submitted in any format including pictures, video or a written story. This is the only formal reporting required.
Reporting will be through a short case study. You will be invited to come to another health and wellbeing workshop. The question you will answer for the case study is: What is changing as a result of this grant? Case studies can be submitted in any format including pictures, video or a written story. This is the only formal reporting required.
Yes. The Lift Local grant can be used for exploring and understanding a local health and wellbeing issue. That may mean councils are better placed afterwards to apply for other funding including Healthy Tasmania grants.
12 months. We will check in with councils along the way to get feedback and offer support. Opportunities for sharing, learning and development are offered through the Network.
Yes, funds can be used for consultants where councils may need specific support. Involving consultants can be an opportunity for learning and collaboration, building health and wellbeing information for future planning.
The Lift local grant money is not for keeping services going or to provide service delivery.
Lift Local grant money was transferred in April 2023. Councils signed an exchange of letters between Public Health Services, and the General Manager.
If you need more time to use the funding, we can discuss this with you.