There’s a lot of kids in the Walgett/Lightning Ridge area who don’t pursue tertiary education because they can’t afford it.

We recognise that the cost of rural students pursuing their post high school goals is often much greater than those of their metropolitan counterparts and that sometimes these costs can be prohibitive.

CEF Walgett is the 41st local foundation of the Country Education Foundation of Australia and was established to provide much needed financial assistance and support to local young people to help them access further education, training and jobs.

We raise funds and allocate grants to willing young Walgett district people in financial need, under the strict protocols of CEF Australia.

We support a diverse range of education and career pursuits including apprenticeships, traineeships, cadetships, degrees, diplomas and certificate level studies or entry careers. We do not provide cash grants directly to the recipients – the local foundation reimburses the student for a pre-agreed expense or pays the goods and services providers directly.

With this in mind, CEF Walgett raises funds throughout the year and accepts tax deductible donations from local residents and businesses in order to provide financial grants to students who need an extra helping hand.

The funds come directly from the local community – none of it is government funded – celebrating the aspirations of local youth and working to help them achieve these aspirations. It’s our way of saying “we believe in you and want to support your goals”.