WA Community Foundation :: Peel Community

About Us

The Peel Region covers an area of 5,500 square kms and is home to an estimated population of 80,000. The region is located immediately south of the Perth Metropolitan area and extends east from the flat coastal plain bordered by the Indian Ocean to the jarrah forests and rolling farm land of the Darling Range.

The region is geographically diverse with coastal areas, river systems, an expansive estuary, multiple dams, agricultural and horticultural land, an escarpment and plateau. The five local government areas of the Peel Region are the City of Mandurah, and the Shires of Boddington, Murray, Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Waroona.

In Our Community

Early in 2005, members of the Peel Community Development Group and the Peel 2020 met with representatives from Western Australian Community Foundation to discuss establishing a donation fund for the region. The meeting expressed the need for independent funding to guarantee the longevity of the community.

The Peel Community donation fund was established in May 2005, the objectives of the fund being to support people, projects and activities that demonstrate a contribution to the economic, social and environmental enhancement, well being and future sustainability of the Peel region and associated communities of interest.

Working in collaboration with Western Australian Community Foundation, the local advisory committee for Peel received a 'kick start' donation from Alinta Limited to get their fund off the ground so that the committee can now focus on attracting funds to help shape the future of Peel.

Western Australian Community Foundation sought the involvement of the corporate sector in the provision of Challenge Grants. Alinta Limited were the first organisation to approach the Foundation and offer their financial support. Due to Alinta's specific involvement in the Pinjarra region through their co-generation plant located at Alcoa, Alinta were keen to activate a Challenge Grant involving the Pinjarra community.

Alinta approached Western Australian Community Foundation to help facilitate this process and, in particular, the identification of a suitable project. The Foundation, in turn, worked with the Peel Development Commission and Peel Community Development Group and very early in the discussions the Communities That Care project was identified as an ideal project. The project is very community development focussed, impacts on the short term and long term development of the Pinjarra community, involves youth and brings together all sectors of the community. In this sense it met the specific needs of Alinta and the general intent of the community foundation movement.

As Alinta became more familiar with both the project aims of Communities That Care and the general objectives of the Foundation they saw the opportunity to fund two components and increase the value of their contribution and the impact on the community. Instead of offering just their initial Challenge Grant to help fund the Communities That Care project, Alinta is committed to support the community donation fund in the region, now known as the Peel Community donation fund.