Eighty-four communities in the Western Division were given multi-ethnic grants, marking the first round of grant disbursement by the Ministry of Multi-Ethnic Affairs for the 2025–2026 financial year.
The grants were presented to community-based organisations across Sigatoka, Nadi and Lautoka, supporting initiatives that strengthen community development while promoting cultural and religious harmony.
Speaking at the event in Lautoka, Minister for Multi-Ethnic Affairs, Culture, Heritage, Arts and Public Enterprises Charan Jeath Singh emphasised that the multi-ethnic grant program remained the ministry’s flagship initiative, designed to empower community-based organisations and support efforts to preserve culture, religion, and shared human values, while the program continues to receive overwhelming interest from communities across Fiji.
“The multi-ethnic grant program is the ministry’s flagship initiative, supporting numerous community-based organisations by empowering and strengthening them to preserve and promote culture, religion, and shared human values. We are truly honoured to have the opportunity to serve and uplift our communities through this program,” he said.
“The ministry’s grant program continues to receive overwhelming interest from communities across the country, reflecting the strong appreciation for the Government’s support. These initiatives play an important role in strengthening social cohesion, community participation, and national unity.”
The minister also highlighted that the ministry had implemented a strict assessment process to ensure fairness and transparency in the allocation of grants.
“To ensure that all processes were conducted fairly and transparently, the ministry established a three-tier assessment and verification mechanism comprising ministry staff, a directors’ panel, and the permanent secretary’s panel. Once this was completed, the recipients were then confirmed,” he said.
Mr Singh encouraged all recipients to utilise the grants responsibly so that the supported projects can contribute meaningfully to strengthening community development, social cohesion and unity within Fiji’s diverse society.
For the 2025–2026 financial year, the total allocation for the program has increased to $2million, representing an increase of $700,000 compared with the previous financial year. As part of the Western Division disbursement, 84 community-based organisations, including churches, institutions, mandalis, temples and villages, will receive grants to support a variety of projects.
The funded initiatives include fencing, water management systems, equipment procurement, musical instruments, accessibility improvements, renovation works, shed materials, event organisation, learning and development programs, cemetery upgrades, solar projects, borehole installations and other community-based activities.
