Assistance for pet owners, life jackets for the Sea Scouts and support for artists to exhibit their creative works are just some of the initiatives that have received funding from the City of Fremantle in its September 2025 round of Community, Youth and Arts grants.
A total of $68,303.20 has been shared among 14 organisations and individuals to deliver programs and activities that make a positive contribution to the community.
In a new one-year partnership, the Arts grant program is being proudly supported by Fremantle Community Bank a branch of Bendigo Bank.
There were seven recipients in the September 2025 Community Grants category, with funding directed to:
- An inclusive nightclub event designed specifically for adults living with disabilities by Dance Ability Performing Arts Kelete DAPAK.
- Funding towards a new Port Beach Polar Bears website and a community open morning event.
- A series of workshops delivered by Integrity Initiative to cultivate autonomy, dignity and human rights in mental health conversations and care.
- Publishing of an illustrated book ‘Let it be bush forever’ for local kindergarten and pre-primary students by Friends of Cantonment Hill.
- An RSPCA WA Community Action Day event for those struggling with the expenses of caring for a pet. Providing free pet health checks, advice, food, parasite treatments and microchipping for dogs.
- An immersive, community-driven exhibition addressing young adult loneliness through interactive art installations, collaborative creativity, and facilitated conversations by Global Shapers Perth Hub.
- An Open Day event by Tuart Place which provides support to adults who experienced out-of-home care during childhood, including Stolen Generations, Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants.
| Recipient | Funding received |
| Dance Ability Performing Arts Kelete DAPAK | $2,500.00 |
| Port Beach Polar Bears Inc. | $3,985.90 |
| Integrity Initiative (auspice via Consumers of Mental Health WA) | $5,000.00 |
| Friends of Cantonment Hill (auspice via Perth NRM) | $6,908.00 |
| RSPCA WA | $3,866.70 |
| Global Shapers Perth Hub | $2,545.60 |
| Forgotten Australians Coming Together Inc (t/a Tuart Place) | $5,000.00 |
There were two recipients in the September 2025 Youth Grants category, with funding directed to:
- A neurodiversity-affirming program designed to support autistic and neurodivergent teen girls and gender-diverse young people aged 15-18 by Spectrum Space.
- New life jackets to be used by 100 youth members of Fremantle Sea Scouts.
| Recipient | Funding received |
| Spectrum Space | $7,500.00 |
| 1st Fremantle Sea Scout Group, Scouts Australia WA Branch | $1,320.00 |
There were five recipients in the September 2025 Arts Grant category, with funding directed to:
- A development workshop for the debut collaborative EP Joy & Balloons by multicultural musicians, led by creative producer and performer Mohammed Ayo Busari, culminating in a launch event.
- Aaron Ashworth for his first exhibition, Over Exposed, which explores visual narratives drawn from his lived experience and examines the complexities of life in a hyper-digital world.
- Jane Ryan for her first solo exhibition at the Moores Building Arts Space, created during her Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre residency, with a public program designed to inspire both the disability community and wider audiences.
- Tone List Inc. the experimental music association’s 10-year anniversary celebration concerts, to be held at Victoria Hall in 2026.
- Yasamin Khadembashi’s Dreaming in Farsi solo exhibition showcase of large sculptural paintings and smaller experimental works exploring memory, diasporic identity, and queer feminist resistance.
| Recipient | Funding received |
| Mohammed Ayo Busari | $7,350.00 |
| Aaron Ashworth | $4,776.00 |
| Jane Ryan | $5,586.00 |
| Tone List inc | $4,500 |
| Yasamin Khadembashi | $7,465.00 |
The next round of grants will open on 1 March 2026. For grant information visit fremantle.wa.gov.au/grants
