Community Grants and Funding Opportunities

The Quality and Participation Grants Program supports eligible early childhood education services to:

• increase participation and access for children experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage, by delivering targeted initiatives and support for Aboriginal children and children from low income families (Category 1)
• improve quality learning environments to positively impact experiences and outcomes for preschool aged children (Category 2)
• support implementation initiatives to meet the requirements under the Preschool Reform Agreement and Early Years Commitment (Category 3).

This program supports the participation in 600 hours of quality early childhood education in the two years before school. The program is open to not-for-profit community preschools (centre-based and mobile) and not-for-profit long day cares, Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services, Aboriginal Child and Family Centres and for-profit providers operating a single long day care service. For-profit providers operating a single long day care service are eligible for funding to support the implementation initiatives to meet the requirements under the Preschool Reform Agreement and Early Years Commitment.

The following service types can apply for grants funding of up to $15,000 (ex GST) for Category 1 and Category 2:

• not-for-profit community preschool (centre-based or mobile)
• not-for-profit long day care (as identified in the National Quality Agenda IT System, or where sufficient evidence is provided upon request) and includes local government managed services
• Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Service operating in NSW
• Aboriginal Child and Family Centres operating in NSW.

The following service types can apply for grants funding of up to $2,500 (ex GST) for Category 3 initiatives:

• not-for-profit community preschool (centre-based or mobile)
• not-for-profit long day care (as identified in the National Quality Agenda IT System, or where sufficient evidence is provided upon request) and includes local government managed services
• Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Service operating in NSW
• Aboriginal Child and Family Centres operating in NSW
• standalone for-profit long day cares

National Science Week is Australia’s major national celebration of the sciences, occurring in August each year. National Science Week will be held from 12 to 20 August 2023. National Science Week provides the opportunity for community participation in high profile science engagement activities across the nation.

The objectives of the grant opportunity are to:

• inspire wide community participation in STEM
• provide an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of Australian scientists to the world of knowledge
• encourage an interest in science pursuits among the general public
• encourage younger people to become fascinated by the world we live in.

The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are to:

• increase national and international interest in Australian science
• improve critical engagement with key scientific issues by the public
• increase inspiration drawn from science and improve the value of science as perceived by the public.

The DeadlyGrants project aims to foster engagement in STEM and support the development of STEM skills in students in  remote and very remote schools across Australia. The program will involve deep cross pollination between Schools and STEM professionals, and link remote students and teachers with top-tier scientists and their research to provide them with real time data science and skills.

DeadlyScience will provide funding of up to $5000 for remote Australian schools, where Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders are the majority of students, in order to increase their access to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) resources and equipment.

DeadlyScience will provide high-quality STEM learning resources to selected remote and very remote schools and communities. Selection for the resources will be based on a simple application process.
This opportunity is to provide $5000 for teachers and schools to use in order to secure resources that will assist in STEM learning, experiment kits, teacher resources, teacher professional development and two high-quality microscopes for each school). It aims to foster creativity and inquiry-based learning and to support the development of STEM skills in students and youth and engagement through hands-on learning.

The objectives of the grant opportunity are to:

• Engagement: Celebrating STEM knowledge and the enjoyment of science
• Education: Developing a stronger scientific literacy especially with respect to weather and climate
• Enrolment: Intentions of students to choose STEM subjects in further years. Intention of student to investigate STEM concepts and knowledge further outside of class.
• Employment: Awareness and opportunity of careers in STEM

School Infrastructure NSW’s Sustainable Schools Grants invite all NSW public schools and preschools to apply for funding up to $15,000 to deliver hands-on, sustainability-focused projects that link to the NSW curriculum.

The grants are part of a 4-year, $10 million program that gives schools the opportunity to develop innovative hands-on projects that help students learn about environmentally sustainable practices and take real steps to enhance the sustainability of their school environment.

Projects may include, but are not limited to initiatives to improve:

• biodiversity and connect students to nature
• energy, water and waste efficiency
• environmental education, behavioural change and capacity building.

Note: Non-government schools and preschools not owned and operated by the NSW Department of Education are ineligible to apply.

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

Parents, guardians and carers can apply for a voucher with a value of up to $100 per calendar year for each student aged 4.5 to 18 years old enrolled in school.

The voucher may be used with a registered activity provider for registration, participation and tuition costs for a range of creative activities, including arts, drama, dance, digital design, coding, and music lessons.

The voucher can be used at any time during the calendar year it was issued.

From 1 January 2022, the Creative Kids program is refocusing on encouraging real-time (live) activities. Art kit programs, pre-recorded video lessons and online programs that are not delivered in real-time are no longer eligible.

The Active Kids program, launched in 2018, aims to increase participation of school-enrolled children in sport and physical activity by providing parents with vouchers to help cover the cost of registration and membership fees.

Families can access two separate $100 vouchers for each school-enrolled child. This means more kids can get involved in physical activity and learn healthy habits from a young age. The vouchers may be used with an approved Active Kids provider.

This program supports the wellbeing of children and young people living in regional NSW to recover from and build resilience to future adversity. It leverages the work of Regional Youth Community Coordinators (YCC) to identify projects for funding in regional NSW Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Funding recipients can be government or non-government organisations in eligible regional Local Government Areas (LGAs) such as:

• local councils
• community groups
• not-for-profit organisations
• Local Aboriginal Land Council
• schools
• neighbourhood centres

Programs that may be eligible for funding include, but are not limited to:

• community events and social activities
• sport and recreational programs
• youth mental health training
• cultural and community connection programs
• healing initiatives to support Aboriginal children, vulnerable children and young
• people affected by adverse events
• peer support programs, mentoring and training for children and young people
• digital communications and resources

A maximum amount of $100,000 allocated to each eligible LGA and joint applications from a number of LGAs are encouraged.

All LGAs in the Northern Inland are eligible.

This funding supports programs, events and resources to help children and youth living in storm and flood impacted regions to recover, build resilience, improve wellbeing and strengthen community connections. The NSW and Commonwealth Governments have made equal contributions under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements to make a $3.6 million available.

LGAs included in the Natural Disaster Declarations, with the Australian Government Reference Number (AGRN) 954 and 960, are eligible, which is all Northern Inland LGAs.

Eligible applicants include:

• local Councils
• joint Organisation of Councils
• schools
• not-for-profit organisations
• research or academic organisations
• Local Aboriginal Land Councils

Eligible projects may include, but not limited to:

• community events and social activities
• sport and recreational programs
• youth mental health training
• cultural and community connection programs
• healing initiatives to support Aboriginal children, vulnerable children and young people affected by adverse events
• peer support programs, mentoring and training for children and young people
• digital communications and resources
• partnership programs, activities with schools, early childhood and NGOs.

A maximum of $100,000 will be allocated to each LGA.

The Local Para Champions program provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-24 participating in state, national or international championships for athletes with a disability.

If successful, applicants will receive $750-$1000 towards the cost of attending their championships

• Base Grant: $750
• 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

The program will enable communities and organisations to deliver a range of activities and programs to support, at the earliest possible stage, individuals who may be vulnerable to developing extremist views and behaviours. The program will empower communities and organisations to develop and deliver local solutions to these issues in the best way they see fit.

The principles underlying the Safe and Together Community Grants Program are to:

• strengthen communities’ resilience to violent extremism, including in regional/rural Australia
• encourage localised initiatives to support vulnerable individuals (and specifically young people) to reject radicalisation and reduce the risk of becoming violent
• build grassroots partnerships between the Commonwealth and community organisations to enhance understanding of violent extremism, including early identification and referral pathways.

Established in 2019, the Mable Community Grants (MCG) are a philanthropic initiative to fund people and projects that promote inclusion for people with disability and older Australians in the arts, sports and recreation and business and technology.

Mable are dedicated to breaking down the barriers for older Australians and people with disability to social and workforce participation. We advocate for a society that sees people of all ages, demographics, and abilities have the opportunity to live a life of their choosing and discover meaning, purpose and belonging.

Through our Mable Community Grants, they reward like-minded changemakers who are having a positive impact on their community.

Examples of Eligible Grant Requests

• Research and testing of new technology are designed to make it easier for our ageing population to live independently at home for longer.
• Using monies towards production costs for a film written, directed or starring people with a disability or older people or with a subject matter supporting inclusion and independence that is to be submitted to an international film festival.
• Purchasing equipment or travel expenses for an individual or sporting team travelling to a domestic or international tournament.
• Funding of a new business venture or research projects that promote inclusion

This program provides funding to the communities that are home to Inland Rail to support short-term or one-off initiatives such as:

• sponsoring local festivals and celebrations
• upgrading sporting facilities
• purchasing new laptops for students
• supporting health and wellbeing groups
• mentoring programs
• hosting guest speakers

There will be four rounds in 2023:

• 1 February to 30 April
• 1 May to 31 July
• 1 August to 31 October
• 1 November to 31 January 2023

As the foundation's purpose is “To provide support that helps, grows, and enriches our communities”, they have a clear focus on providing grants to reputable community-based charitable organisations which need funding for projects and initiatives designed to benefit as many people as possible.

Because most of the funding for The Harcourts Foundation is generously provided by Harcourts offices, they will only consider applications from groups for a specific event, project, item, or initiative where Harcourts has an office.

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.

Creative Koori Projects funding is open to Aboriginal artists, arts and cultural workers, groups, and organisations.

It aims to support a strong, resilient, and creative Aboriginal arts and cultural sector for NSW. This will be done by embracing the principles of Aboriginal self-determination and putting Aboriginal artists, arts and cultural workers, organisations, and communities at the centre of funded activity.

Funding may be requested for a range of arts and cultural activities including (but not limited to):

•     creative development
•     public presentation
•     commissioning professional artists
•     community collaborations/partnerships
•     research and/or development
•     audience engagement

This funding is only available to Aboriginal artists, arts and cultural workers, groups and organisations.

Project funding supports innovation, vibrancy and creativity within the NSW arts and cultural sector.

It aims to deliver a dynamic and diverse range of arts and cultural experiences to communities across NSW, contribute to the development of a vibrant and accessible arts and cultural sector, and support the employment and development of professional NSW-based artists and arts/cultural workers.

Funding is available for a wide range of arts and cultural activity, including:

• the creative development and/or public presentation of work(s), for example, literary works, music, dance or theatre pieces
• commissioning professional artists – for example, a writer, composer, choreographer or visual artist – to develop a work for an event
• partnerships (including those with the non-arts sector) to develop arts and culture in a specific region, Priority Area or artform/discipline
• community collaborations involving professional artists, to develop skills, public performances, exhibitions or participatory events
• research and/or development of creative/cultural projects that develop new skills and/or engage with new ways of working including new approaches to museum practice, including curated shows and engagement strategies
• arts and cultural activities aimed at engaging young people, particularly students attending geographically and/or socio-economically disadvantaged schools
• extending an artist’s practice, audiences or markets, including skills exchanges for workers developing and deepening audience engagement with arts and culture.

Funding is not available under this program for filmmaking and screen production, mainstream animation and film festivals.

Annual Organisation funding is provided on an annual basis to support arts and cultural organisations (including Local Government Authorities and service organisations) to deliver multiple arts and cultural activities.

It aims to:

• increase access by and engagement of diverse audiences and artists
• improve the quality and excellence of arts and culture in NSW
• ensure the best practice and sustainability of arts and cultural organisations.

Project funding supports innovation, vibrancy and creativity within the NSW arts and cultural sector.

It aims to:

• deliver a dynamic and diverse range of arts and cultural experiences to communities across NSW
• contribute to the development of a vibrant and accessible arts and cultural sector
• support the employment and development of professional NSW-based artists and arts and cultural workers

Increasingly, people affected by cancer and the broader community are seeking to be active participants in decision making about their health. The community requires access to appropriate support and evidence-based information that inform decision making about cancer risks, prevention and screening, as well as active involvement of people affected by cancer in decisions about all aspects of their care. The Grant process allows for community organisations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to collaborate with other partners and local communities to reduce the impact of cancer and better support people affected by cancer.