Community Grants and Funding Opportunities

The Queer Futures Fund is a grant program designed to empower and uplift LGBTQIA+SB young people aged between 18 to 26 years old.

Grants of between $5,000 and $20,000 are available to support arts, culture and community based projects run by LGBTQIA+SB youth for LGBTQIA+SB youth.

The Queer Futures Fund is open to individuals, organisations or groups. Applicants may be emerging artists and performers, community organisers, writers or filmmakers (and so much more). The aim is to support Queer expression in whatever form you imagine, the creation and strengthening of communities and the cultural shifts that occur from each passion project.

Projects must commence between 1 January and 30 June 2027. There's no fixed end date, though most projects are completed within 12 months. They ask that you outline clear milestones so they can see how you plan to get there.

To be eligible for an Queer Futures Fund grant, applicants must:

• 26 years old or younger (18 to 26) by 1st December 2027.

• Identify LGBTQIA+SB

• Based in Australia

• Have an Australian Business Number (ABN)

• Have a Tax File Number (TFN) (if applicant is an individual)

Eligible projects must:

• Commence between 1 January and 30 June 2027

• Be lead by LGBTQIA+SB young people

• Meaningfully engage LBGTQIA+SB community in development or presentation

Ignite Pride Grants are to empower the community to do what it does best: support each other.

These grants are perfect for local or place-based organisations, groups or projects that work directly with LGBTQIA+ people and communities. Applications are also welcomed for projects or activities with state, territory or national focus or that address systemic issues or gaps.

Grants are between $5,000 and $20,000. The total pool will fund approximately 8-10 grant partners.

To be eligible for an Ignite Pride grant, applicants must:

• be an Australian charity registered with the ACNC (or auspiced by an Australian charity registered with the ACNC)

• be an organisation and/or project based in Australia for the benefit of LGBTQIA+ people in Australia

• be specifically working with and led by LGBTQIA+ people and communities

You do not need to be endorsed DGR1 to be eligible for an Ignite Pride grant.

Narrabri Shire Council’s Community Financial Assistance Grant supports the delivery of projects and activities that pursue our values of a connected, unique, and culturally rich community.  The Community Financial Assistance Grant aims to support and empower local clubs and not-for-profit community organisations to deliver activities, programs, and events that contribute to the economic, infrastructure, social connections, and vibrancy of Narrabri Shire.

The Community Financial Assistance Grant is designed to assist our community’s development, provide funding for capacity-building events, projects, programs, and activities that benefit the people and the Shire.

The financial support offered through Council’s Community Financial Assistance Grant seeks to achieve the following objectives:

• Increase the range of, and access to, recreational, social, cultural, and environmental activities, programs, and services to the people of Narrabri Shire.
• Encourage a sense of community pride that allow communities to promote their towns and villages through promotional activities.
• Reflect the community’s priorities and vision
• Provide for the inclusion and participation of all members of the community that enable vulnerable individuals and groups to participate in local activities and opportunities.
• Foster community partnerships and encourage cooperation between community groups, organisations, and Council to ensure that residents and organisations benefit from common resources.
• Promote Narrabri Shire as a vibrant, diverse place to live and visit.

Dementia Australia is offering small grant opportunities of up to $30,000 as a one-off payment, to organisations or groups that support Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, to raise awareness of dementia in their community, their way. 

Grant recipients will also receive one free professional dementia information session for their staff or committee members, delivered by Dementia Australia. The information session will help staff gain a greater understanding of dementia, empowering them to confidently discuss dementia-related topics with their community members.

This grant aims to: 

• increase equity of access to dementia information and support across diverse groups
• build greater understanding of dementia
• empower staff and community leaders to facilitate conversations about dementia in their community. 

The selection process will prioritise applications that:

• Target the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and/or CALD communities.
• Are led by Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or people from a CALD background.
• Demonstrate specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time sensitive outcomes.

Residential aged care agencies and University led projects are not eligible to apply. 

Nutrien Ag Solutions Community Grants is a small grants program aiming to contribute to the success, vibrancy and wellbeing of rural and regional communities nationwide.

This grant is open to all communities in remote, rural and regional Australia. Organisations wanting to apply will need to have their project endorsed by a Nutrien Ag Solutions Branch Manager. Please contact FRRR if you do not know where your local Nutrien Ag Solutions branded store is located.

A broad range of charitable projects are considered under this program, including:

• Delivering, or providing activities, events, programs and services;
• Purchasing or hiring equipment and materials;
• Community infrastructure projects such as community facility upgrades;
• Organisational capacity building such as strategic planning; and
• Developing community resources such as volunteer programs, community gardens or providing access to training and skills development

The Woolworths Netball Grants Program supports grassroots netball clubs and associations across the country to improve the health and wellbeing of Aussie kids.

This year, grants of $2,000 will be awarded to 40 clubs across Australia. There will also be a massive $20,000 grant for the winner of the 2026 People’s Choice Prize, as well as 12 Free Fruit for Kids deliveries valued at $250 each or a $250 Woolworths Essentials e-Gift Card to purchase fruit for kids

To be in the running, apply and explain how your club or association would use a grant to help improve the health and wellbeing of Aussie kids, in one or more of the following ways:

• Sporting equipment / uniforms / improvements to facilities
• Access to Woolworths’ NetSetGo program; and/or
• Nutrition

NSW Women’s Week celebrates the contributions of women from all backgrounds and promotes gender equality across NSW. In 2027, Women’s Week will run from Tuesday 2 March to Monday 8 March, aligning with International Women’s Day on 8 March.

Women’s Week Grants fund events held during Women’s Week that advance gender equality by:

• increasing the empowerment and participation of women and girls in our communities
• celebrating and strengthening focus communities
• challenging gender stereotypes, roles and expectations.

Women’s Week Grants fund innovative events that increase the empowerment and participation of women and girls in our communities, which advances gender equality in the long term. Funding provides Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisations, rural, regional and remote-based organisations and not-for-profits with an opportunity to give back to their communities by delivering events or activities that benefit local women and girls. 

NSW Women’s Week events must align with at least one of the 3 pillars of the NSW Women's Strategy (2023-2026), these pillars are:

1. Pillar 1 - economic opportunity and advancement
2. Pillar 2 - health and wellbeing
3. Pillar 3 - participation and empowerment

By investing in artists themselves - not just their outcomes - Practice in Community is grounded in the belief that artists are essential to social change and to the thriving of regional communities. It supports the deep, relational work that builds trust, belonging and long-term community impact.

Rather than funding short-term projects, Practice in Community values process over product, supporting the deep, slow, and relational work that builds genuine community connection and supports lasting impact. By embedding artists in everyday life, the program enables community-led projects that build connections, generate exchange, and create opportunities for local people to share stories, explore challenges, and imagine new futures together. The program will enable communities to take a creative and arts-led approach to responding to an identified local priority.

The program aims to:

• Increase community participation in the arts by creating exciting community-led projects.
• Provide vital support for artists by offering multi-year financial resources, mentoring, and professional development that sustains artistic practice and wellbeing.
• Invest in the sustainable development of the CACD sector through practice-led learning, shared knowledge, and stronger networks for artists embedded in community.
• Contribute to social impact outcomes through building connections, generating exchange, and creating opportunities in regional, rural, and remote communities.
• Measure and communicate this impact through a responsive and rigorous learning and evaluation approach.

To be eligible, applicants must be:

• an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• must hold, or be able to obtain, an ABN
• over 18 years old
• living outside a Major City of Australia, as defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Remoteness Structure – this means artists living in Inner Regional, Outer Regional, Remote, and Very Remote areas around Australia are eligible
• a resident within 100km of the community in which the proposed project will take place
• a professional, independent artist with at least five years of experience in Community Arts and Cultural Development (CACD) or community-engaged practice
• able to demonstrate an established history of working with communities through creative projects
• available to undertake the program over the relevant two-year term for their cohort, on a part-time basis

Building Digital Skills grants help organisations deliver free Be Connected digital literacy programs to older Australians in their community.

Building Digital Skills grants of up to $20,500 help organisations to support older Australians aged 50+ through free digital mentoring sessions. A range of resources and support materials are available to help organisations to deliver this program, including the learning courses available on the Be Connected learning site.

The Capacity Building grant is an opportunity for community organisations to run a train-the-trainer program to support and develop new digital mentors.

Digital mentors help people to feel confident and safe online. They support communities to learn digital skills. They are at the heart of community-led digital inclusion programs.

The Capacity Building program is a train-the-trainer initiative to support and develop digital mentors in local communities across Australia. Capacity Builders work with Good Things to inspire skilled, passionate and friendly digital mentors to help more older people be connected.

The Honda Foundation is funded by contributions from Honda Australia, private donors and 90 Centres across the country. For every new Honda vehicle sold in Australia, the Honda Centre donates $10, Honda Australia donates $20 taking the total donation to $30. More than $14 million has so far been donated to hundreds of very worthy causes, including empowering disadvantaged Australians, providing relief for victims of natural disasters and supporting the development of new technologies and research to fight disease.

The Honda Foundation acts as a charitable trust, providing financial assistance to charities and organisations doing amazing work across a range of social and environmental issues. These include:

• Supporting the disadvantaged, disabled or those suffering from illness
• Relief for victims of natural disasters
• Promotion of innovation and new technologies

The Honda Foundation also provides a 12-month Loan Vehicle Program which includes registration, insurance and all servicing costs, and is capped at 20 loan vehicles at any one time.

The Future Drought Fund Drought Resilience Hubs Program will establish 7 Drought Resilience Hubs (Hubs) across Australia, with the vision to build drought resilience across the drought cycle by connecting farmers and communities to regional experts, innovations, new practices and services.

The objectives of the program are:

• to facilitate the delivery of place-based extension and adoption activities with a realistic prospect of impact
• strong collaboration across the 7 Hubs, with Australian, state and territory governments, Research and Development Corporations and other relevant bodies
• robust governance frameworks that enable efficient, effective delivery with strong transparency and accountability mechanisms to build stakeholder trust.

The outcomes of the program are:

• increased farmer and community understanding of drought-resilient practices, innovations and services
• increased adoption of drought-resilient practices by farmers and regional and rural communities
• improved analysis and understanding by Hubs, Hub partners and government policymakers of drought-resilient extension and adoption gaps in the service region and identification of place-based solutions
• improved collaborative planning and delivery of drought-resilient activities between Hubs, state and territory governments, Research and Development Corporations, and industry/community stakeholders
• improved linkages between farmers and communities’ research needs and experts and researchers to support co-designed research solutions.

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.

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.

Development & Operations grants aim to support community media station resilience by strengthening governance, building community, sustainable operations and technical capacity.

Applications must clearly demonstrate how the proposed activities address one or more of the areas listed below:

• Governance – strategic planning, technology planning, developing open and transparent governance policies and procedures, recruiting and maintaining a governance team with diverse skills and experiences
• Sustainable operations – improving the financial sustainability, and/or reducing the environmental impact of community media
• Building community – engaging the diverse members of your community.

Grants for Development & Operations are distributed twice per year, with the greater portion allocated in Round 1.

The NSW Seniors Festival Grant Program 2027 provides $200,000 in funding for community events and activities during the two-week festival period in March, which enables older community members to remain active, healthy and engaged.

The grant program encourages seniors in NSW to enjoy new experiences, continue learning, stay active and connected to their communities through:

• supporting a broad range of local community organisations
• supporting programs and activities in rural and regional NSW
• fostering partnerships with community groups and services
• providing programs and activities for diverse communities in NSW
• supporting projects that empower older people to stay connected
• assisting organisations to increase capacity of current programs and activities.

Applicants must be one of the following:

• Not for profit companies limited by guarantee, registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and/or are endorsed as deductible gift recipients (DGR) status.
• NSW associations or non-distributing co-operatives registered with NSW Fair Trading.
• Local Aboriginal Land Councils or Indigenous corporations registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations.
• NSW local councils operating under the Local Government Act 1993.
• Not-for-profit entities incorporated under an Act of Parliament.

The following are mandatory eligibility criteria:

• All applicants must have appropriate public liability insurance valued at a minimum of $10 million.
• All applicants must address the NSW National Redress Scheme sanctions.

Community Small Grants and Community Support Grants support groups and services within the local government area.

Community groups, not-for-profit organisations, arts and cultural organisations, sporting clubs, and individuals are encouraged to apply for these grants which are offered regularly:

• Community Small Grants ($0-$2000)
• Community Support Grants ($2000-$5000)

Residents of Armidale region's villages can apply for:

• Armidale Regional Village Grants – up to $3500

Youngcare’s At Home Care Grants (AHCG) provide funding for equipment, home modifications and essential support that is unable to be funded through other means (eg. NDIS). This funding is to both enhance the quality of life for young people with high physical care needs and assist them to remain living in their own home with loved ones.

The grants provide one-off funding of up to $10,000 to help those aged 16-65 with high physical care needs who are living at home, and are at risk of entering inappropriate housing.

Grants are offered nationwide.

The Groundbreakers Program is a leadership and storytelling initiative that supports five emerging leaders from Australia and New Zealand who are shaping the future of agrifood. Through mentoring, professional photography and main‑stage recognition at evoke^AG., participants are equipped with the confidence, capability and networks to amplify their impact.

Why is the program important?

The program invests in people rather than projects alone, strengthening leadership capability, visibility and connection across the sector. Groundbreakers supports the next generation to communicate with clarity, build meaningful networks and contribute to a resilient, future‑focused agrifood ecosystem.

Who should apply?

Australian and New Zealand residents aged 18-30 who are making a demonstrated impact in agrifood through innovation, research or leadership. Applicants may be at any stage of development but must already be working on an idea, project or initiative with clear relevance and traction.

What is the time commitment?

The Groundbreakers Program runs between September and February and is designed to be flexible and achievable alongside work, study and other commitments.

During this period, participants can expect:

• One dedicated media training session focused on building confidence, profile and impact when engaging with media
• Six storytelling and mentoring sessions delivered as a mix of individual and group sessions (two hours per group session, one hour person individual session) to support personal development, narrative building and peer connection
• All sessions are delivered via Microsoft Teams.

Session dates and times will be confirmed once the cohort is announced, with scheduling designed to accommodate availability across Australia and New Zealand. The program balances structured support with flexibility, ensuring participants can engage meaningfully without undue time pressure.

The NSW Rugby World Cup Legacy Program 2026/27 Category 2 participation stream aims to increase participation in Rugby with new or enhanced program/competition formats and increase opportunities for participation in Rugby for under-represented groups.

Key objectives

• Increase participation in Rugby with new or enhanced program/competition formats
• Increase opportunities for participation in Rugby for under-represented groups
• Priority will be given to innovative, program/competition formats that expand participation pathways and/or test alternative models of competition delivery beyond traditional programs.

Eligible applicants

• Incorporated, not for profit rugby union associations or zones in NSW that are affiliated and have met compliance requirements of NSWRU and/or ACT&SNSWRU.

Types of projects funded under this grant

Funds will be prioritised to projects that are:

• new or innovative
• for program/competition formats that expand participation base and/or
• pilot alternative models of competition delivery beyond traditional programs.

Programs put forward for funding should be holistic and demonstrate that consideration has been given to all the elements of the program necessary to result in the increased participation and other outcomes.

Where a new population group is targeted, there should be a clear explanation of the opportunity (e.g.: size of market, level of interest/demand), how the consultation and ongoing engagement with this group will occur and be sustained over the delivery timeframe to maximise sustainability of the program.

The proposed program should be discussed with the relevant contact at NSWRU and/or ACT&SNSWRU staff to ensure that its realistic, aligns with the Rugby Strategic priorities and feedback and support can be provided to strengthen the application.  Please note the relevant Rugby contact will not be involved in the assessment of the application.

Examples of population groups that may be targeted or modified programs/competitions that may be considered include:

• Women and girls’ participation (e.g. new girls’ competitions) 
• First Nations or Pasifika groups 
• Tri Tag Rugby Programs (adults)
• Modified programs/competitions for Under 85kg, over 35 aged etc
• Introductory programs for children and young people e.g. Get into Rugby programs or Tri Tag Rugby programs.