Community Grants and Funding Opportunities

Expressions of interest are now open for seven available grants, up to a maximum of $300,000 each, to fund evaluations of social impact programs that align with Paul Ramsay Foundation's (PRF) purpose of a future where people and places have what they need to thrive. PRF is receiving support from the Australian Centre for Evaluation at various stages of the grant round.

The grants are open to registered charities and non-profit organisations who are implementing, or intend to implement, programs that improve outcomes aligned to PRF’s outcomes which are:

• Children and young people have positive life paths free from entrenched poverty and harm.
• Places and communities are connected and imagining and leading their own futures.
• Conditions support thriving.
• First Nations people and communities are self-determining.

The NSW Government established the Community War Memorials Fund to help conserve, repair and protect war memorials across NSW. Since the establishment of the program in 2008, grants have been provided for a wide range of projects including conservation assessments, honour roll repair, war memorial cleaning and conservation work, arborist advice for war memorial trees, security measures for memorials, repairs to war memorial halls and improvements to the accessibility of memorials.

Two application rounds are run each year. The rounds open on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

Through the Growing Good Grains Grants (GGGG) program, Life Ed and Bakers Delight’s Healthy Solutions range are encouraging children to get gardening and to ask more questions about where their food comes from. As part of the program, primary schools, preschools and early learning centres across Australia, will have the opportunity to win a grant, to establish their very own food garden or to upgrade an existing one.

All primary schools, preschools and early learning centres across Australia seeking to educate young Australians about gardening and healthy living can apply. If you are a teacher or parent interested in applying, please work with your school on your submission.

There are 25 X $1000 school garden grants up for grabs courtesy of Bakers Delight, plus the first 50 submissions will receive a $100 Bakers Delight e-gift card. Applicant schools will also have access to free resources to boost their submissions and create unique learning experiences in the classroom.

The program has been established to support the inclusion women and girls in community football by enabling clubs to provide suitable uniforms for junior and youth girls.

This may include:

• Replacing white shorts with a suitable alternative for junior & youth girls teams, or;
• Purchasing of appropriate playing uniforms that are made specifically for girls (ie female cuts)

Please note: this grant round is only open to junior and youth girls. For avoidance of doubt, this includes teams, umpires, and competitions under the age of eighteen.

$250,000 is available, with clubs and umpire associations able to apply for up to $3,000 each, while leagues can apply for up to $10,000.

The Sisters of Charity Foundation provides charity grants of up to $10,000 to organisations that use clever ways to fight poverty, loneliness, suffering and oppression, but struggle to find funding.

The Sisters of Charity Foundation favours programs that:

• restore hope and build dignity
• fall between the cracks of other funding sources
• are not associated with well established organisations with significant reserves and or are not capable of raising their own funds
• are not eligible for funding from government or other sources.

Since 2019, our sponsorships and donations program has benefitted more than 300 community projects in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria with grants worth more than $1 million.

In 2023, as per the updated Ministerial Interim Statement of Expectations, Inland Rail is now focused on building the Beveridge to Parkes section of the alignment while planning and approvals work will continue north of Parkes to Kagaru.

Whilst ARTC will continue to offer funding between $1000–$4000 for individuals and organisations in regional areas along the Inland Rail route, applications from areas where construction is underway will constitute a greater focus for the Community Sponsorships and Donations Program.

Funding will be available to short-term projects and activities that contribute to local and regional prosperity, wellbeing and sustainability, such as upgrading community facilities and equipment, implementing unique STEM projects in schools, mentoring and developing local business communities, and hosting community events.

Ski for Life Inc is a group of people committed to raising awareness and promoting mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention. Members share compassion and empathy for those impacted by suicide and passion and commitment to reducing the frightening statistics we find before them.

To help acheive this, they support projects for rural and remote communities throughout Australia that would benefit from awareness, promotion of mental health, wellbeing, and suicide prevention.

The Regional Australia Bank prides itself on operating at the heart of their community, providing essential support to community groups each year as part of their Community Support Program. Any community group is able to apply for support in the form of sponsorship, with applications opening on 1 July and closing 31 July each year ("Application Period")

The primary objective of community support is to benefit communities whilst keeping Regional Australia Bank engaged with them, facilitating a closer relationship that allows Regional Australia Bank to play a key role as champions for regional prosperity.

Sponsorships are assessed in accordance with the Community Support Policy and should fall into one of the following categories:

• Arts;
• Community activities (e.g. festivals & fairs);
• Education or employment related activities;
• Environmental;
• Health;
• Indigenous/cultural; or
• Sporting.

To be considered for Regional Australia Bank’s Community Support Program, your event or project should:

• Provide benefits for the local community;
• Be of interest to Regional Australia Bank members;
• Be local to the Regional Australia Bank’s areas of business;
• Be for groups which share the values of Integrity, Respect, and Fairness or exhibit similar behaviours of being flexible, supportive, approachable and friendly;
• Provide a means to reach Regional Australia Bank’s target audience;
• Provide the Regional Australia Bank with media, promotional and signage opportunities;
• Guarantee that no Regional Australia Bank competitor will be principal supporters of the activity (this includes all financial service providers);
• Be hosted by a committee or organisation willing to consider bringing their banking to Regional Australia Bank. Priority will be given to those organisations that have done so;
• For larger sponsorships, allow Regional Australia Bank to develop and implement an effective marketing communications program tailored specifically to the event or project; and
• For larger sponsorships, allow Regional Australia Bank to share the successes at the conclusion of the event or project.

A Community Support Application Form can be found on the Regional Australia Bank website or you can pick one up from your local branch. The form is used to obtain the information required to assess the application. Although  applications are accepted throughout the year, community groups are encouraged to submit applications in Application Period.

The grants program provides financial support to organisations and projects that contribute to the development and promotion of the communities in which we live and work.

There are two types of activities that GrainCorp’s Grants program funds:

1. Community-related programs & activities (Maximum funding limit: $5,000)
2. Community infrastructure projects (Maximum funding limit: $20,000)

To be eligible for a grant, the organisation or project must:

• Be based within a GrainCorp operational region or region linked to grain growing activities;
• Be intended to have a positive effect on local communities in rural and regional areas;
• Demonstrate a direct connection with community development; and
• Align with at least one of GrainCorp’s Community Foundation Pillars.

GrainCorp opens two rounds every year for grant funding applications:

• 1 – 29 February
• 1 – 31 July

The Program aims to help the NSW community rediscover the culture, the events and the people that shaped transport in NSW over the past 170 years, as well as support the restoration and conservation of, and access to our valuable heritage assets (including buildings, rolling stock, vehicles, museum objects and collections).

Depending on the type of project, the following are eligible to apply for grants:

• Organisations: NSW or ACT¹ based bodies corporate that are not-for-profit or charitable institutions with transport heritage and/or NSW heritage or history as their primary objective and purpose.
• Individuals: Members of Transport Heritage NSW. Individuals may apply in the following categories but only in partnership with an eligible organisation:
  • Restoration, reconstruction or preservation
  • Exhibition, interpretation, education or publication
  • Audience development, accessibility and inclusion.

¹ ACT organisations may only apply for heavy rail projects relating to the history and heritage of NSW
Government Railway

Lowitja Institute provides Major Research Grants to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations. The grant period is two years and the maximum amount available per project is $200,000.

As part of their commitment to Knowledge Translation, an additional $20,000 grant is offered to all recipients of Lowitja Institute’s Major Research Grant within 12 months of the commencement date, to support organisations to deliver on their vision and aspirations in relation to research impact. This grant assists in getting the right message to the right audience, to achieve impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

This grant opportunity specifically supports innovative and responsive community research led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations to improve the health and wellbeing of our mobs.

The Major Research Grants provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to transform their ideas into reality.

Who can apply:

The Major Research Grants are for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations only.

Organisations are not expected to have research experience for the Major Research Grants. Those without existing relationships with researchers or internal research expertise can contact us regarding how we might assist in pairing them with a suitable researcher.

The Australian Government is inviting organisations via an open competitive process to apply to deliver services nationally under the Program 2.1 – Families and Communities – Support for Trafficked People – Forced Marriage Specialist Support Program from 2024–25 to 2027–28.

The objectives of the FMSSP grant opportunity are to: 

• Deliver a coordinated national response to support the victims and survivors of forced marriage, working with all communities that experience forced marriage, including CALD communities.
• Assist those at risk of, or who have experienced forced marriage by providing access to support that is needs-based, and provided for as long as is needed for their recovery and healing due to the negative impacts of being at risk of, or in a forced marriage.
• Provide those at risk of, or who have experienced, forced marriage a safe, confidential, person-centered, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed entry point to the FMSSP.
• Establish processes to screen eligible victims and survivors for legal, physical, psychological, family and community indicators of forced marriage, outlined in Australian legislation, standards, research and good practice, and drawing on the lived experience of victims and survivors.
• Provide specific prevention and early intervention support to those at risk of forced marriage, including establishing and maintaining linkages with other services for referral and establishing processes under the FMSSP for escalating higher risk cases for appropriate support and referral to ensure client safety.
• Educate the community in a culturally safe way about the importance of both parties willingly consenting to marriage and raise awareness and understanding about forced marriage and coercive control and their rights under Australian law.

To be eligible you must be one of the following entity types:

• Company 
• Cooperative 
• Incorporated Association 
• Indigenous Corporation

If you are applying as a trustee on behalf of a trust , the trustee must be one of the eligible entity types listed above.

Local football clubs across Australia will have the opportunity to share in an $8 million funding boost over the next four years, as the AFL and Telstra launch Telstra Footy Country Grants. With a pool of $2 million to be distributed in 2024, eligible regional and metro clubs can apply for grants up to $20,000 – helping strengthen, sustain and grow local footy.

As the foundation of our great game and the heartbeat of communities, investment in local clubs is vital to ensuring everyone has access to play Aussie Rules and experience the health, social and wellbeing benefits that come with belonging to a club.

The Telstra Footy Country Grants is designed to financially assist initiatives that can support Community Clubs affiliated to the AFL to strengthen the base and secure the future in three key strategic areas:

• Grow and assist volunteer capacity.
• Grow and diversify participation.
• Improve club environments and experiences.

Whether it’s upgrading to an electronic scoreboard, upskilling volunteers or introducing new initiatives to attract more participants, Telstra Footy Country Grants aims to provide tangible support for clubs and alleviate the challenges they may face. 

 The objectives of Development & Operations grants are to support community media organisations to:

• Strengthen governance policies and practices that support longer term thinking
• Enhance capacity and capability that drives sustainability
• Increase resilience through preparations for unexpected change 
• Deepen engagement with identified communities  
• Expand partnerships to maximise opportunities
• Develop and embed inclusive and accessible practices

You are eligible to apply for a Development & Operations grant if you are:

• a recognised community media organisation (radio and TV)*
• a Remote Indigenous Media Organisation or Remote Indigenous Broadcasting Service

You can submit one Development & Operations grant application. There is no limit to how much you can apply for. The more funding you request, the greater detail assessors will expect in your responses.

All applications will be competitively assessed and may be funded in full, in part or not at all based on the merits of the application and the demand for funding in any given grant round. Where appropriate we will fully fund an application that is highly ranked.

This funding support is designed to encourage stations to carry specialist radio programming. It assists with the development, production and broadcast costs of specialist programming content to meet the needs of particular communities. Funding is available for Specialist Radio Programming as below:

• • *First Nations Australians programs, in accordance with the specific conditions outlined in section 3.
  • Radio reading (formerly RPH) programs to serve people with a print disability, in accordance with the specific conditions outlined in section 3.
  • *Ethnic programs to serve a defined local ethnic community, in accordance with the specific conditions outlined in section 3.

Content grants increase and diversify the voices heard in Australian media by supporting the creation of compelling content.

The objectives of Content grants are to support community media organisations to:

• Increase community participation and engagement in community media that is inclusive and accessible to all
• Amplify and reflect the voices, cultures and languages of Australia's diverse communities 
• Build audiences by supporting creativity, excellence and innovation in community media content production  
• Expand partnerships to explore new forms of storytelling across topics and platforms 

You can apply for a Content grant if you are a current or prospective community broadcaster who is producing content for broadcast by a recognised community media organisation.

In line with governments’ commitment to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the Australian Government will create partnerships with First Nations people, communities and organisations to create new opportunities and achieve better outcomes at a local level.

Delivery Grants are being offered to eligible organisations for English LLND skills training to First Nations people across Australia. The training is to be co-designed with the community/communities in which it will be delivered.

Delivery Grants will typically be for between $350,000 and $1,000,000 (excluding GST) per year over a 2 to 3 year period, for a single site, or up to $3,000,000 (excluding GST) per year for delivery at multiple sites.

To be eligible to apply for a Delivery Grant, your organisation must be either a:

• ACCO
• First Nations RTO
• First Nations ACE provider (which may or may not be RTOs)
• First Nations Community Organisation peak bodies (applying on behalf of their eligible members)
• and have the legal capacity to enter into a grant with the Commonwealth
• be affiliated with the community/communities on whose behalf they apply, or partnering with an organisation that is. In the case of a peak body this refers to the community affiliation of the member organisation you are applying on behalf of. Community affiliation can be demonstrated by providing evidence such as:
  • annual reports showing us that you have local community involvement at a board/employment level etc.
  • statements of support from community leaders.

These grants support the delivery of the NSW Illegal Dumping Prevention Strategy 2022-27 and contribute to two of the key focus areas of the strategy:

1. Reducing kerbside illegal dumping activities ​
2. Reducing public land and bushland illegal dumping activities

The four grants streams aim to support local government and state government agencies to:

• gather baseline and ongoing data on the size of their illegal dumping problem
• develop a business case for investment in illegal dumping prevention
• proactively target localised illegal dumping issues
• collaboratively address illegal dumping across land tenures
• encourage entities to undertake illegal dumping prevention projects if they have not done so before

This is a new grant stream to run a collaborative project addressing illegal dumping across multiple land tenures for groups of organisations (including local councils, groupings of councils and state government agencies). Partners can include entities that do not manage public land such as community groups, Local Aboriginal Land Councils or charities, but the purpose of their participation must be to prevent dumping on public land.

The Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation is a philanthropic organisation that supports registered charitable organisations who are actively making a positive difference in the lives of humans, animals and the natural environment. Many past grants have been awarded to small scale grassroots groups, who may otherwise struggle to attract the funding of larger more prominent organisations.

Each year, the Tucker Foundation considers applications from organisations seeking to undertake projects that further the Foundation’s aims and objectives.

To provide flexibility for different projects, there is not set amounts of time to complete the project. The proposed project timeline and justification should be included in the application form.

Grants are available to organisations with income tax exemption and ACNC registration for local, regional or national projects anywhere in Australia. Australian organisations seeking funding for projects undertaken overseas may also be considered.

This program funds a range of activities that deliver benefits to the arts sector and wider public, including national and international audiences. Grants are available from $10,000 to $50,000. Supported activities must last no longer than two years from the proposed start date.

The current round is for projects beginning after the 1st of December 2024.

You can only submit one application to each closing date for Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups.

They fund a range of activities, for example:

• professional skills development, including mentoring and residencies
• the creation of new work
• practice based research
• creative development
• experimentation
• collaborations
• touring
• festivals
• productions
• exhibitions
• performances
• publishing
• recording
• promotion and marketing
• market development activity
• activities that creatively engage communities.