Urapuntja Splash Park
Client:
Urapuntja Health Service
Year Completed:
2024
Location:
Urapuntja (Utopia), NT
Services/engagement type:
Business Case Development / Grant writing Services
Brief Overview
Urapuntja Health Service Aboriginal Corporation engaged us to prepare a business case and funding application for a new community splash park. The facility is designed to provide a safe, accessible recreation space while addressing the high burden of preventable disease in the region. By combining health evidence with community priorities, we positioned the project as both a public health intervention and a much-needed amenity for families.
Challenge / Context
Remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory face some of the highest global rates of preventable illness, including Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD). Overcrowded housing and limited access to wash facilities increase risks for ear, eye and skin infections in children. Engagement with the health system can also be intimidating or traumatic, creating further barriers to preventative care.
The challenge was to develop an evidence-based case that translated these urgent health issues into a compelling investment proposal. The project needed to show how a relatively low-cost intervention - a community splash park - could deliver meaningful health, social and economic benefits, while meeting the assessment criteria of a highly competitive national funding program.
Our Approach
We undertook targeted research to quantify the burden of disease and economic costs of inaction, strengthening the anecdotal evidence provided by health service staff. The business case demonstrated how the splash park would reduce infection risks, support family hygiene, and provide mental health benefits through safe intergenerational interaction. We then prepared a funding application that positioned the project as a preventative health measure as much as a recreation facility, aligning it with policy objectives around Closing the Gap in health outcomes.
Secured $1.09m in Commonwealth funding (out of a total $1.21m project cost), making it one of only two Northern Territory projects awarded under the Growing Regions Program Round Two.
Delivered a compelling, evidence-based business case that reframed a community amenity as a preventative health and wellbeing initiative.
Strengthened Urapuntja Health Service’s position with a model for linking infrastructure investment to long-term health and social outcomes.
Outcomes
✓ $1.09 million secured
✓ 1 of 2 projects funded in NT
✓ Improving community health
*Cover photo courtesy of UHS