Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) today announces that the SGLMG Community Parade Grants Program this year is proudly supported by Google. The parade grants program is designed to fund and support a diverse range of community ideas, and make the 2017 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade the most fabulous yet.

The SGLMG Community Parade Grants program is accepting applications now and aims to provide grants to individuals, community groups and not-for-profit groups to help lift their parade entries to a completely new artistic level. Grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 will be awarded to the most compelling applicants who demonstrate a clear message, relevance to the LGBTQI community and a high level of artistic merit.

SGLMG CEO Terese Casu said: “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Google, who this year are increasing their support by helping community organisations to profile their message in the Mardi Gras Parade. The SGLMG Community Parade Grants Program has now grown through this support and will make Mardi Gras bigger and better than ever.”

Renee LaBriola, who leads Google Australia’s Gayglers group of LGBTQI employees and supporters, said:

“We are proud to continue our partnership with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. This year we’re excited to celebrate by partnering with the LGBTQI community through support of the SGLMG Parade Grants Program.”

“We want to assist as many people as possible to get involved with Mardi Gras, so this year we’re putting our resources towards helping community organizations create their own memorable parade experiences.”

The Mardi Gras Parade is Mardi Gras’ flagship event. The Parade attracts more than 10,000 participants and is the largest night time parade of its kind in the world. Applications close 5pm Sunday 12 February and can be downloaded from www.mardigras.org.au.