By Melissa Blewitt

Down The Track Youth Enterprises Limited (Lake Cargelligo) are among 13 community-groups to receive funding boost through the Essential Energy’s 2026 Essential Grants program.
The non-profit organisations working to drive meaningful environmental and social change in their communities.
Down The Track will install a rooftop solar system at its youth headquarters to reduce operational costs and improve long-term sustainability. The organisation delivers trauma-informed youth development, diversion and social enterprise programs for young people facing challenges in a small rural community.
The Essential Grants program offers grants of up to $15,000 for community projects that provide a positive impact across regional, rural and remote NSW. Recipients are selected across Essential Energy’s operating area for the benefits they provide to their local community through initiatives supporting sustainability and climate adaptation, social impact or the energy transition.
According to Essential Energy, this year’s recipients are responding to the very real challenges facing regional communities, from rising living costs and energy bills to the impacts of extreme weather and social challenges. Through practical, community-led projects, this investment will help create stronger, more sustainable futures.
Essential Energy’s Head of Sustainability, Sophie Mackinnon, said the program is an investment in communities, backing practical local projects that deliver lasting benefits.
“These grants are an investment in communities, supporting local groups that know what their region needs and are getting on with delivering practical solutions, whether that’s reducing energy costs, improving local resilience or creating new opportunities for the people they support,” Sophie said.
“What stands out in this year’s recipients is the diversity of projects and the shared commitment to making a lasting difference in local communities. From sustainability and climate adaptation initiatives to services supporting vulnerable people, these organisations are helping build resilience in their communities across regional New South Wales.”