Community Grants and Funding Opportunities

The Community Choices program aims to support grassroot organisations that support our communities, with a total of $175,000 to be shared by eligible groups in 20 zones across the Essential Energy network area – including a new category for groups located in areas with a small population.

Individuals can nominate community groups that need a helping hand. The winners in each zone will be determined by the number of votes received during the voting period.

Community voting will take place between 9am Tuesday 18 May 2021 and 5pm Monday 31 May 2021.

This program funds infrastructure projects that deliver positive social, environmental, and recreational outcomes while promoting community participation, inclusion and cohesion.

In 2021, there is a maximum of $300,000 to allocate in each electorate. Incorporated not-for-profit community organisations and local councils are eligible to apply for grants of between $5000 and $150,000. The average grant awarded is around $20,000.

Projects with contributions from their own, or other sources, will be considered favourably. Local councils, including their section 355 committees, are required to provide matched funding to the CBP grants.

As total funding will be divided equally among the state electorates of NSW, applications will be assessed against other proposed projects within the same electorate.

Funding in the Rural Major Projects Program is focussed on supporting charities with a major infrastructure, capital investment, transportation and/or logistics project. Projects must directly impact and improve your food relief program and help build the organisations capacity.

When applying for a Rural Major Project Grant organisations must demonstrate that the funding will do one or more of the following:

• Significantly increase capacity and/or capability of current food relief program
• Support delivery of a new food relief program for an identified and quantified need in the local community
• Increase the reach of organisations current food relief program into areas in need
• Improve economic, operational and/or functional efficiencies of food relief programs

Funding in the Rural Grassroots Grants Program is focussed on minor infrastructure, quality kitchen equipment, capacity building training and access to food staples that will help organisations meet the demand efficiently and effectively. Funding requests must directly impact and improve your food relief programs and help build the organisations capacity.

When applying for a Rural Grassroots Grant organisation must demonstrate that the funding will do one or more of the following:

    Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of current food relief program and organisation more broadly
    Build capability and capacity to enable delivery of a new food relief program for an identified and quantified need in the local community
    Increase the reach of organisations current food relief program geographically
    Improve economic, operational and/or functional efficiencies of food relief programs

The Tackling Tough Times Together grant program helps communities access the resources they need to support one another through the ongoing effects of the drought.

This program is designed to provide flexible funding to support community-based activities that both help to relieve current stressors and symptoms, and most importantly, build capacity and resilience for the future. Funds could also support activities that engage your local community in being proactive, exploring options and creating something that will stand the test of tough times.

The program is divided into two parts, funding for projects up to $60,000 and funding for projects up to $150,000. Projects seeking funding for between $60,000 and $150,000 must speak to the Foundation first and submit and EOI with an earlier closing date.

The Strengthening Rural Communities program gives small rural, regional and remote communities across Australia the opportunity to access funds that can benefit and help secure their future prosperity. Grants are available for a broad range of initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities.

Applications from not-for-profit organisations in communities of fewer than 15,000 people are prioritised, particularly those communities whose size, remoteness and relative access to services, funding, and resources present particular ongoing challenges. The Strengthening Rural Communities program accepts applications any time. FRRR considers applications and makes grant distributions on a quarterly basis.

Funding for community projects, programs, and events in the Narrabri Shire. 

Eligible applicants must be classed as one of the following:

• Not-for-profit organisation
• Incorporated community group
• Registered sporting club
• School P and C Committee
• Not-For Profit Childcare Facility
• Registered Charity

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.

In 2021 Assessment and notification of outcomes will be divided into 3 batches. The table below identifies the cut-off dates for all 3 batches:

1. 11:00 PM AEST on 10 June 2021.
2. 11:00 PM AEDT on 7 October 2021
3. 11:00 PM AEDT on 8 February 2022

The Powering Communities Program will provide grants to help not-for-profit community organisations reduce energy use, improve energy productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

The program aims to save energy and reduce power bills through:

• upgrading equipment to reduce energy consumption
• undertaking energy management activities and assessments, such as energy systems assessments and feasibility studies
• investing in energy monitoring and management systems
• investing in on-site renewable energy and solar-connected batteries.

12 grants are available for each federal electorate, and applications must be invited by the applicable federal member through an expression of interest process.

EOI's for the New England Electorate need to be submitted to Barnaby Joyce by the 28th of May.

EOIs for the Parkes Electorate need to be submitted to Mark Coulton by the 11th of June.

This program provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 participating in state, national or international championships.

Between $500 and $750 is available towards the cost of attending their championships as follows:.

• Base Grant: $500
• Applicants travelling 800km - 1999km to their nominated championships: + $100
• Applicants travelling internationally or greater than 2000km to their nominated championships: + $200
• Applicants residing in a rural electorate: + $50

Funding to help conserve, repair and protect war memorials across NSW 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.

NAB Foundation Community Grants provide funding to safeguard communities through projects that prepare for natural disasters, support long-term recovery and build resilience against future disasters.

They provide funding for projects aiming to do one or more of the following:

• help people and places prepare for natural disasters
• assist in short and long-term recovery efforts
• build community resilience against future disasters
• strengthen the environment to be more resilient to natural disasters
• help communities reduce their climate risk.

Australian charities, social enterprises, community organisations with a charitable purpose or a local government or government-funded facility (such as a school or childcare centre) can apply.

There are usually two grant rounds per year.

The Honda Foundation is funded by contributions from Honda Australia, private donors and more than 100 dealerships across the country. More than $10 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 promotion, development and preservation of Australian culture

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 Tackling Tough Times Together grant program helps communities access the resources they need to support one another through the ongoing effects of the drought.

This program is designed to provide flexible funding to support community-based activities that both help to relieve current stressors and symptoms, and most importantly, build capacity and resilience for the future. Funds could also support activities that engage your local community in being proactive, exploring options and creating something that will stand the test of tough times.

The program is divided into two parts, funding for projects up to $60,000 and funding for projects up to $150,000. Applicants for funding between $60,000 and $150,000 must speak to the foundation and submit a full application by this earlier date.

Projects seeking funding for under $60,000 can apply directly with a later closing date.

The foundation provides funding for two priority areas:

1. Children with physical &/or mental disabilities
Projects by community based organisations to support children with physical and/or mental disabilities or their carers, particularly projects seeking to address social isolation experienced by such children and their carers (Not including research projects).

2. Elderly people suffering mental disabilities

Projects by community based organisations to support elderly people suffering from mental disabilities (including dementia) or their carers, particularly projects seeking to address social isolation experienced by such elderly persons and their carers (Not including research projects).

Active Kids is a program to help NSW families meet the cost of getting their kids into sport and active fitness and recreation activities. The initiative aims to reduce barriers to participation and help change the physical activity behaviours of children and young people in NSW.

Every child (4.5 - 18 years’ old) enrolled in school from Kindergarten to Year 12 is eligible. This includes those who are home-schooled or enrolled in secondary school education at TAFE NSW.

The Creative Kids Rebate can be put towards the cost of registration, participation or tuition fees for creative and cultural activities such as music lessons, language classes, coding and digital, visual and performing arts.

The objective of the CCCF Special Circumstances Grant Opportunity is to support continuity of child care, in particular in disadvantaged or vulnerable communities, where service viability is affected by:

• an unforeseen event or circumstance outside the control of the service,such asa natural disaster or extreme weather event, or
• another event or circumstance,which would result in market failure for the community.

The program provides funding with the intention of empowering community and creating an environment where every child has the opportunity to reach their potential.

CAGES Foundation will intentionally seek to fund DGR 1 organisations with high levels of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation, influence, identity and leadership. The foundation’s principle around self-determination is best enacted through supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led organisations however they also recognise the need to build skills and capabilities in these organisations and the communities they exist in. They believe an effective way to do this is to support respectful partnerships between non-Indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations where two-way learning and capacity building at an organisational and community level is intentional.

Every day across the country IGA Community Chest raises funds to support local communities, charities and other worthwhile causes. It could be in response to a major event like floods or bush fires or something as simple as new soccer balls for the local under 8’s.