City of Ballarat councillors are set to vote on a pair of strategic partnerships with key contributors to the city's events and tourism sectors.
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At this Wednesday night's council meeting, councillors will decide on partnerships with Sovereign Hill and the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute worth almost $300,000 over the next three years.
Both organisations received strategic partnership grants in 2017. Sovereign Hill hopes to extend its $80,000 per year partnership for another two while the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute is seeking a renewed strategic partnership grant of $45,000 per year over three years and will contribute a matching amount.
For the 162-year-old Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute, the grant would help continue its shift from a volunteer-run organisation to a not-for-profit business.
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The Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute hopes the grant will help build its capacity and deliver new programs.
Venue manager Sam McColl said the partnership was crucial to the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute.
"It would be very difficult for us to operate if we didn't have this partnership. It's quite a lot of funding, quite a lot of money for us," he said.
"As a relatively small not-for-profit organisation, we do rely on partnerships with governments, whether that's local, state or federal, and ongoing funding and funding opportunities. Most of our money comes from creating events and hosting events here at the Mechanics' Institute as well as our membership base.
"Our organisation itself is over 160 years old... and this building is over 155 years old, so the building and the organisation itself are quite integral to the fabric of Ballarat."
Mr McColl said before the first partnership, the organisation was mostly volunteer-run but now employs about eight staff members.
"Since COVID, the arts industry has been very affected so it's really important for organisations like ours, any arts and cultural organisations, to be as funded as they can, to receive support so that we don't lose arts in our community," he said.
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