The Ballarat Community Hub is a modern, innovative and inclusive facility supporting charities, social service providers, volunteer-involving organisations and community groups to positively impact community wellbeing and social cohesion from the heart of Ballarat’s central business district. A study by Deloitte in 2020 confirmed the need and community benefit of the redevelopment project and quantifies ...
Ballarat Foundation United Way
Ballarat Community Hub

GOAL
$500,000
Field of Interest
- Community and economic development
- Individual/family services and support
Target Population
- General population
- General population

Ballarat Foundation United Way Inc is a DGR1 endorsed, not-for-profit public benevolent institution which has been supporting the Ballarat community for more than 40 years.
The Ballarat Foundation inspires positive community change by supporting programs and enabling philanthropic solutions which reduce disadvantage and encourage connection, cohesion and prosperity.
We operate programs such as the L2P Learner Driver program, Volunteering Ballarat and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library as well as distribute more than $350,000 annually to charitable projects through grants and appeals.
Vision: enabling giving to build thriving communities free from disadvantage in the Ballarat region.
Mission: The Ballarat Foundation inspired positive community change by supporting programs and enabling philanthropic solutions which reduce disadvantage and encourage connection, cohesion and prosperity.
Project Summary
The Ballarat Community Hub is a modern, innovative and inclusive facility supporting charities, social service providers, volunteer-involving organisations and community groups to positively impact community wellbeing and social cohesion from the heart of Ballarat’s central business district.
A study by Deloitte in 2020 confirmed the need and community benefit of the redevelopment project and quantifies how the project will have a lasting positive impact on the broader Ballarat community. The project will promote community engagement, connection and teamwork within Ballarat.
Promoting and encouraging volunteering is also a key focus of this initiative. The Deloitte study found a five per cent uplift in volunteering will generate $8.6 million in benefits for the Ballarat community every year. This significant community benefit does not include the untold value of benefit of individuals involved in volunteering. The hub will promote inclusivity, connection and engagement by supporting groups such as First Nations People, people with a disability and recently arrived migrants to meet and conduct activities and events. It will revitalise and open a prominent building in Ballarat’s historic Lydiard Street, supporting jobs, stimulating economic and CBD activity during the construction phase and for years to come once operational.
The hub will host community meetings, events and gatherings which will enable reconnection and re-engagement opportunities for all local residents. Revenue from the facility will be utilised by the Ballarat Foundation to increase grants to community groups and service providers across the Ballarat region, increasing and sustaining positive impact for decades to come.
Chatham House is a three-level building in the heart of Ballarat’s historic Lydiard St commercial district. The building is wholly owned by Ballarat Foundation United Way Inc and has no heritage listings.
The current building is currently not fit for broad community use. Plans have been created to provide a modern redevelopment of the building, including:
– Meeting, event and communal spaces for community, volunteer, charity and social services with available access to modern video conferencing and communication facilities;
– Office space for small volunteer, charity and social services which cannot afford commercial spaces and lack access to modern communication technology;
– Universally accessible floors and rooms and security provisions to provide an inviting and safe facility within touching distance of all major public transport services within the Ballarat CBD;
The Foundation is seeking philanthropic support to begin Stage 2 of the redevelopment.
Project Outcomes
A study undertaken by Deloitte to assess the viability and options to create a Ballarat Centre for Volunteering and Charity was completed in 2020. The study was the impetus to create the Ballarat Central Community Hub project. The study showed the total value of organised volunteering in the Central Highlands was estimated to be $172.4 million for 2019, which is equivalent to $4850 worth of benefits from each volunteer.
Based on this data, a 5 per cent uplift in organised volunteering hours across the region would generate an additional $8.6 million worth of benefits to the Central Highlands community. A 15 per cent uplift would generate more than $25 million in benefits. We believe, based on the investigations undertaken to assess the viability of this project, that creating the centre will underpin the significant economic and social impacts predicted by increasing volunteer engagement.
The Deloitte study specifically found:
- The hub presents an opportunity to uplift sector capability through training and reducing costs borne by the volunteer or the VIO (volunteer-involving organisation). Training programs led by either the Ballarat Foundation, an external provider, or VIOs themselves, could all be administered from the Hub’s centralised location and be provided to volunteers at a lower cost.
- The hub could facilitate greater collaboration and knowledge sharing across the sector. This presents an opportunity to embed effective management structures and fundraising techniques across a wide range of VIOs in the Central Highlands.
- The hub will provide an additional communal meeting and training space for VIOs to use in the region.
Beyond the volunteering sector, the project will deliver broader positive social and economic impacts:
- Reduced cost access to modern technology and rental space for small and emerging not for profit and social service delivery organisations which currently cannot access - or afford - such facilities due to capacity or business development constraints;
- Promotion and delivery of collaborative programs by connecting like-minded not for profits and service delivery organisations within the tenancies and meetings spaces, with the Ballarat Foundation acting in support of removing barriers to collaborations.
- Shared service support for small and emerging organisations to ensure they have access to specialist services such as finance, human resources and data analytics.
- Greater participation and engagement from multicultural groups, people with a disability and across age demographics in community activity, with inclusivity at the centre of program delivery;
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $2,851,823
FUNDING
Funding source | Amount |
---|---|
State Government of Victoria (confirmed) | $1,047,000 |
Philanthropic funders (confirmed) | $738,000 |
Ballarat Foundation (unconfirmed) | $566,823 |
Funding gap (unconfirmed) | $50,000 |
EXPENSES
Expense item | Amount |
---|---|
Redevelopment planning and works | $2,851,823 |
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