Letters of Support

In general, a letter of support expresses Council’s recommendation of a project, event or activity which has clear benefit to the local community or environment, to receive funding from an organisation other than Council.

The content of a letter of support will depend on the details of the request.

You do not need a letter of support if you are applying for a Council grant or funding program.

To request a letter of support from Council, please read through the following instructions and then contact our Economic Development Officer.

In your request, let us know:

• The name of the organisation requesting the letter of support
• The name, position and contact details of the person from your organisation making the request
• Details about the project, event or reason for the request including:
  • a brief description of the project, event or reason for the request
  • when and where it will happen if the grant or funding is for a project or event
  • what will be purchased if the grant or funding is for goods
  • who will be involved in the project or event if relevant
  • what resources the project or event needs if relevant
• Why the project is needed by the community and who or what will benefit
• The name of the organisation or funding stream you are applying to
• The value of the grant or funding you are requesting
• The date that you need the letter of support

When Council receives a request for a letter of support, we assess whether it aligns with Council's priorities and strategic goals.

We may consider documents such as the Council Plan 2025-2029, the Health and Wellbeing Plan 2025-2029 and any other relevant Council plans and strategies.

To strengthen your request:

• Explain how your request aligns with Council’s current plans.
• Look at the “objectives and strategies” and “priorities” in the Council Plan or Health and Wellbeing Plan that are relevant to your request.
• If you believe your request aligns with a different Council goal or objective that isn’t stated in the Plans, please let us know as part of your request.
• Attach any documents that support your request. For example, project outlines, site maps, details of the grant or funding opportunity, or whatever is relevant to your request.

Contact our Economic Development Officer if you have any questions by phone 03 5232 9400 or by email.

We prefer to receive your request in writing.

You can submit your request:

• by email
• by post to PO Box 283, Colac VIC 3250
• in person at one of the locations listed below 

• Great Ocean Road Visitor Information Centre at 100 Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay, 10am to 5pm seven days a week (except Christmas Day and Good Friday), or
• Colac Otway Shire Council Customer Service at 2-6 Rae Street, Colac, 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday (except Public Holidays)

No, not all requests are met. Council writes letters of support at our absolute discretion.

We assess requests on a case-by-case basis and can only assess requests where we have enough time and information to be able to make a decision about writing the letter.

Council is not required to provide reasons for deciding not to write a letter of support.

While we don’t guarantee that we can give you a letter of support, we encourage local organisations to access funding that benefits our community and environment.

To improve the likelihood of Council agreeing to write a letter of support:

• Give us plenty of time to assess your request and to seek further information if needed
• Follow the instructions in the “How to request a letter of support” part of this page as much as you can. We understand that every situation is different and not all parts of the instructions will apply to you.
• Explain how your request for funding aligns with Council’s goals 
• Contact us if you have any questions on 03 5232 9400 or by email