The Red Rattler’s directors and volunteer co-ordinators are very excited to announce the first of the Red Rattler Grants: the Volunteers Grant ($2000) and the Queer Grant ($1000).

With so much hard work and passion put in by the volunteers over the last year it’s exciting to be able to push a bit of dosh back into our creative communities of Red Rattler volunteers.

The Volunteers Grant

This grant is open to application by all past and present Red Rattler volunteers. This grant has been contributed by the Red Rattler.

About the Volunteers Grant 
This grant is for volunteers and volunteers decide who is awarded this grant. The Red Rattler decided to set up this volunteers grant as a pilot for a community grants scheme, even though the Red Rattler has not yet paid off the loan taken to turn the building into an events space. The Red Rattler operates almost entirely on volunteers – from the Directors, Volunteer Coordinators, Event Managers, Media and Maintenance people, to our Bar Staff, and behind the scenes legal and organisational workers and more. Although we feel that just being a part of maintaining and building an amazing creative space in Sydney is a reward, we are excited about acknowledging the long slog that volunteers do in keeping the doors open via a grants scheme. We hope you have your creative juices flowing and apply for some of these grants…Either way you can vote on the outcome!

At this stage, the Red Rattler’s longer term aim is to build on this Pilot Scheme towards an ongoing Grants Scheme. The Red Rattler intends to commence a broader scheme once the costs incurred to set up the building as an event space (the fire compliance building work, the sound/lighting systems and so on) have been repaid. As at September 2011, the Red Rattler still has $44,000 to pay off the fire services loan, and about $20,000 to repay in other building set up costs. Our mission is to get the $64,000 fire services and building set up costs debt out of the way ASAP. 

Once that debt is repaid, the Red Rattler plans to use surplus income towards furthering its eco-sustainability, and the Red Rattler Grants scheme! This 2011 Volunteers Grant is open for application by all past and present Red Rattler volunteers. It is envisaged that some future grants scheme will be open to (and the grant award decided by) only those volunteers who volunteer at least four hours per month. 

Grant Conditions
The Grant is for $2000, and must be used for a project or event to be staged in the Red Rattler in 2012. You could pay some serious wages to put on an event, pay your favourite overseas artists or airfares out to Australia for an event, use the funds to make some mad props or screens for your event, undertake massive promotions and marketing blitz. The options are endless…. A $2000 budget is pretty sweet either way. It is open to all past and present volunteers of the Red Rattler.

Applying for the Volunteers Grant
To apply, email your application to volunteers@redrattler.org, marking the subject line “Volunteers Grant”. The deadline for grant applications is 5th November 2011 (yes that’s really soon !!!) This deadline is strict and late applications can not be considered in this round.

Your application must include the following details:

Project Name: ………………………..(word limit:15 words)

Project Description:…………………..(word limit:400 words)

Proposed date of event in 2012:………………………..

Your volunteer role at the Red Rattler…..(word limit:25 words)

Who makes the award decision?
The decision as to which application should be awarded the grant will be made by Red Rattler Volunteers. The Red Rattler Grant Coordination group will collate all the grant applications, and send out one email to all Red Rattler volunteers to vote for which application should be selected.

When will the decision be announced?
The grant decision will be announced in December 2011.

The Queer Grant

This grant is a contribution from the proceeds of the 2011 Camp Betty Festival (thank you Camp Betty!). It was provided to fund a queer community project. The Camp Betty Festival chose the Red Rattler to distribute this grant in recognition of the contribution of the Red Rattler to the Camp Betty festival. A massive number of Red Rattler volunteers helped made Camp Betty happen during the weekend of Camp Betty! The Camp Betty Collective said “Without the donation of space and human resources from the Red Rattler the festival would not have been able to happen. Thank you!”

Queer Grant conditions
This grant is open to anyone to apply. The project must be for a queer community project. The project is for the the queer community, the benefit may be political, practical, arty, health related, sexy, it may bring a smile to peoples faces. It’s up to you to decide what you think is “queer”. Unlike the Volunteers Grant, this project is not required to be undertaken at the Red Rattler Theatre.

Queer Grant Application
To apply, email your application to volunteers@redrattler.org, marking the subject line “Queer Project Grant”. The deadline for grant applications is 5th November 2011 (yes that’s really soon !!!) This deadline is strict and late applications can not be considered.

The application must include the following details:

Project Name: …………………………(word limit: 15 words)

Project Description:……………………(word limit: 400 words)

Who Decides?
The decision as to which application should be awarded the grant will be made by Red Rattler volunteers. The Red Rattler Grant Coordination group will collate all the grant applications, and send out one email to all Red Rattler volunteers to vote for which application should be selected.

When will be the decision be announced?
The grant decision will be announced in December 2011.