Berwick’s Buddhist Vihara Victoria has been awarded a People of Post grant to support its “Light up Minds“ workshop, a vital program offering mental health strategies and resources to local VCE students to help manage stress and promote wellbeing.The grant will fund venue hire, materials, professional fees, and promotional efforts.
Recent research commissioned by Australia Post has found that 40 per cent of regular-giving Australians have donated less in the past 12 months due to cost-of-living pressures, with half of Australians saying they give less to charity because of the increased cost of groceries and essentials.
To help address growing financial pressures faced by community groups nationwide, Australia Post is awarding over $400,000 in grants to over 200 grassroots community and not-for-profit groups around Australia through its People of Post grants program.
In Victoria, Australia Post has awarded grants to 79 nominated community organisations, with the majority of projects focusing on mental health, this initiative will help to foster community connection, resilience and awareness.
Now in its eighth year, the People of Post program is a unique employee-led community grant initiative that enables Australia Post team members, including Posties and Post Office workers, to nominate local community or not-for-profit groups, for a grant of up to $2,000. To date, the program has supported 2,158 not-for-profit community organisations across Australia, delivering a total of nearly $2 million in grants.
The research, which explores shifting donation trends, also found that over half (57 per cent) of Australians want to support local causes which address immediate community needs, with a third agreeing they have seen the direct impact and benefit these causes have had on the community or someone close to them.
In response to falling donations from the community, Australia Post significantly increased its grants for this year. The 2025 program has provided 224 grants to initiatives spanning metro, regional and remote areas, a 47 per cent increase on last year’s program. Community groups in Victoria received the highest number of grants this year with 35 per cent of grants issued, followed by Queensland (25 per cent) and New South Wales (20 per cent), with remaining recipients from Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT.
Over half (54 per cent) of the grant recipients focus on initiatives supporting mental health, with environment and sustainability making up 25%, disaster support and resilience 12 per cent, and indigenous children’s literacy and learning 3 per cent. A further 5 per cent combined mental health with other areas.
Australia Post General Manager Community and Stakeholder Engagement, Nicky Tracey, said, “Being part of a community and feeling connected is more important than ever before. That’s why Australia Post continues to support local communities through the People of Post grants.
“We know that people want to continue to support their local not-for-profit, but with cost of living impacting both households and communities, many people are finding it increasingly difficult. We’re proud to continue supporting our team members to champion the causes they see making a real difference at a local level and strengthen Australia Post’s commitment to creating a culture of giving for our people.”
Employee-led corporate social responsibility is common practice throughout the country and increasingly valued by employees. Australia Post’s research found almost half of Australians (47 per cent) would be more likely to work for an organisation that supports a charity in their local area, and over a quarter (26 per cent) stated it would positively influence their perception of the organisation.
Since its launch in 2018, People of Post grants have supported many causes, including delivering intergenerational programs to tackle social isolation and loneliness in Victoria and planting initiatives to restore the habitat and healthy eco-systems for native animals in Queensland.
The full list of Australia Post’s 2025 People of Post Grants recipients, listed by state/territory, and more information about the People of Post Grants program, is available at: auspost.com.au/popgrants.
