Young LGBTIQA+ Victorians across Melbourne and regional Victoria are set to benefit from more than $100,000 in Healthy Equal Youth grants, supporting creative workshops, social activities, safer spaces and mental health initiatives that help young people feel connected and valued.

Essential Takeaways

  • Twelve projects funded: Community-led initiatives will share more than $100,000 in support.
  • Regional voices included: Four successful projects are based outside metropolitan Melbourne.
  • Creative programmes lead the way: Activities include writing, costume-making, libraries, outings and relationship workshops.
  • Youth wellbeing matters: The grants aim to reduce stigma while strengthening connection and mental health.
  • Local ideas, practical impact: Funding supports inclusive spaces designed around young people’s real experiences.

Twelve projects, one clear message

A library, a fantasy workshop and a collection of personal stories might sound like very different projects. Together, they show how Victoria is investing in the everyday places where LGBTQ+ young people can meet, create and feel understood.

The Victorian Government has announced that 12 community-led projects will share more than $100,000 through the Healthy Equal Youth, or HEY, grants programme. According to the Victorian Government, the scheme is delivered in partnership with the Youth Affairs Council Victoria and focuses on diversity, inclusion and wellbeing. [2]

That practical emphasis matters. Support isn't limited to formal services or large organisations; it can also mean a welcoming room, a creative outlet or a group outing where someone doesn't have to explain themselves before joining in.

Creative ideas are doing the heavy lifting

Among the successful recipients is Queer Joy, a youth-led initiative in Bass Coast that will expand an LGBTIQA+ library while organising social events and group trips. It's an approachable model: useful resources on the shelf, then a chance to turn shared interests into real friendships.

In Bendigo, Worldbuilders will run creative sessions in which young people develop characters, make props and build costumes. Meanwhile, Transforming the Narrative will bring young trans and gender-diverse writers together for workshops, with their work eventually collected in a short-story book. The HEY programme highlights creative expression as a route to confidence, connection and change. [3]

There’s something quietly powerful about that combination. A paintbrush, a notebook or an over-the-top costume can give young people room to experiment before they’re ready to say everything out loud.

Regional projects keep inclusion local

Eight projects are based in metropolitan Melbourne, while four are located in rural and regional Victoria. That spread is significant because access to LGBTQ+ support can look very different beyond the capital, where travel distances may be longer and specialist services less visible.

The grant programme is designed to support initiatives across Victoria rather than concentrating activity in one major hub. Previous HEY recipients have included projects centred on community connection, education, creative work and safer environments, according to Youth Affairs Council Victoria. [7]

For a young person in a regional town, a local programme can remove a major barrier: the need to travel elsewhere to find community. It also means support is shaped by people who understand the character of their own area, rather than being copied wholesale from Melbourne.

What the HEY grants are built to support

The grants are aimed at projects that promote diversity, challenge stigma and discrimination, and improve mental health and wellbeing for young LGBTIQA+ Victorians. Youth Affairs Council Victoria describes HEY as a way to back young people and community organisations developing positive, inclusive change. [4]

That can include workshops about healthy relationships, community events, practical resources and activities that create safer spaces. The focus isn't simply on putting an event in a calendar; it’s on making participation feel comfortable, relevant and genuinely welcoming.

For applicants and community groups considering future funding, the message is useful: strong ideas don't need to be flashy, but they do need a clear benefit for young people. A programme with a thoughtful structure, accessible activities and a credible local connection can make a modest grant go a long way.

Why small grants can make a big difference

Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt said the funding would help young people thrive regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. Minister for Equality Steve Dimopoulos also said the government wanted young people across Victoria to feel safe, express themselves and access support. The statements reflect the programme's broader goal of building connection, not just funding isolated activities. [6]

Youth Affairs Council Victoria's HEY materials also frame the grants as part of a continuing programme of youth-led work. That continuity matters: communities can develop experience, build trust and create projects that feel less like one-off initiatives and more like dependable local fixtures. [5]

For participants, the result may be wonderfully ordinary: meeting friends, finding a story worth telling or discovering a space where the shoulders finally drop. That's often how inclusion becomes real.

It's a small grant programme with a distinctly human ambition: helping young people feel seen, safe and connected where they live.

Source Reference Map

Story idea inspired by: [1]

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