Community Grants and Funding Opportunities

 NAIDOC Grant funding is provided by Aboriginal Affairs NSW to support activities and events in NSW held during NAIDOC Week (2 July – 9 July 2023) that celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements.

The theme for NAIDOC Week in 2023 is For Our Elders.

Events and activities must be held between 2 July 2023 and 30 November 2023.

Aboriginal Affairs NSW NAIDOC Grants, where possible, are distributed to Aboriginal run and controlled organisations. NSW Public Schools that want to apply for a NAIDOC Grant should approach an eligible organisation to partner with, such as an incorporated P&C, incorporated local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) or Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) to be the applicant.

This grant programs provides funding to build the capability of multicultural communities to recognise and respond to domestic, family, and sexual violence.

The DFSV Multicultural Community Grant aims to:
• build the capability of multicultural communities in recognising and responding to domestic, family, and sexual violence
• support faith and/or community-based culturally responsive initiatives that target domestic, family and sexual violence experiences of multicultural communities
• align with the National Plan and State Plans to support and enhance the capability of NSW multicultural communities to recognise and respond to victim-survivors and their families thereby supporting recovery from domestic, family and sexual violence
• encourage collaborative efforts and partnerships between faith and other eligible NSW organisations to support culturally appropriate responses to domestic, family and sexual violence in multicultural communities across NSW.

Funding through a one-off grant must be expended by 30 June 2024. Ongoing or recurrent funding is not available.

Grants must serve people from multicultural communities (including children, young people and older people) from one or more of the following:
• newly arrived migrant communities (within five years of settlement as described in the National Settlement Framework)
• emerging communities (growth of population groups as described in the ABS census by profile)
• refugee or asylum seekers
• on temporary visas (student, worker and spouse visas)
• migrant communities
• living in NSW rural, remote or regional areas
• living with disability
• lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer or asexual (LGBTIQA+)
• faith and/or community migrant groups
• faith and/or community leaders/elders.

The assessment process will prioritise grant applications which serve the above target groups. Applications may also be prioritised to ensure equitable distribution of grant funds across target groups and across NSW.

Carers are people who provide ongoing, unpaid support to people who need it because of disability, chronic or life-limiting illness, mental illness, frail age, dementia or drug or alcohol dependency.

Projects should support the delivery of outcomes for carers:

• Have a broader systemic education approach that will enable key service providers to better identify and support carers, and to reach more carers across NSW.
• Have a focus on at least one of the four Carers Strategy priority areas: improve carers access to services and supports; ensure that carers are better respected and empowered; have improved economic opportunities and better health and wellbeing.
• Consider the needs and diversity of carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; Aboriginal carers; young carers; carers living in rural/remote areas; working carers.

This grant round focuses on training for service providers and professionals (particularly GPs, psychiatrists, hospitals, neurologists, allied health, dentists, pharmacists, teachers and principals, and government agencies that carers come into contact with), to be educated about the role of carers and how to identify them, carer rights, referral to support available, and the benefits of including carers as partners in care.

This grant will have a two-stage application process. Organisations can complete an Expression of Interest in stage one and have their eligibility for a grant assessed. Eligible applicants will be invited to submit a more detailed application for funding in stage two.

The Flagship Event stream supports marketing activities for existing events in regional NSW that have been running for more than two years to increase their profile and encourage visitation.

The Flagship Event stream identifies and assists the promotion of events that contribute to the unique character of the tourism regions of NSW and can demonstrate that they attract overnight visitation. The stream is open to events held in regional NSW that have been running for more than two years and offers grants specifically to support marketing activities aimed at increasing visibility and attracting visitation to the event from outside its local area.

Annual grants of $20,000 (ex GST) or triennial grants of $30,000 (ex GST) per year for three years are available for eligible events to support marketing activities that encourage overnight visitation from outside the events Local Government Area.

The event marketing activities that will be supported by Destination NSW’s Flagship Event stream must:

• Be directed at specific markets outside the immediate Local Government Area of the event; and
• Aim to increase tourism business by influencing visitors’ intention to travel to, and stay overnight in, the region and/or to extend their length of stay.

Funding will only be made available to enhance marketing and promotion to assist existing events build visitation from outside the event’s local area. Funding is not intended to replace previous or other event funding.

Flagship Event stream grants must be expended on marketing and promotional costs, including but not limited to:

• Advertising or promotional costs
• Brand design
• PR activities
• Website development
• Social or digital marketing
• Cooperative marketing activities
• Photography or videography
• Visitor research

The Incubator Event stream offers seed funding to events in Regional NSW to support their first and second years of activity. The stream supports innovative events that demonstrate sound organisational planning, have a unique alignment with the character and culture of the local region and which can demonstrate a broad appeal likely to promote tourism and attract overnight visitation.

The Incubator Event stream offers seed funding for activities that are likely to establish the event as a driver of visitation.

Activities for which funding will be offered include, but are not limited to:

• Venue hire and other costs specific to the event, determined on a case by case basis
• Temporary event infrastructure (marquees, stages etc.) that is likely to improve the visitor experience
• Marketing and promotions
• Marketing, PR and digital specialist or consultancy fees subject to Destination NSW approval of a brief
• Brand design and development
• Attendee research

elstra’s Connected Communities Grant Program will boost support for communities across remote, rural and regional Australia to improve resilience, environmental sustainability and liveability through the power of connection.

The program offers grants up to $10,000 for not-for-profit community organisations that are providing access to information, technology, education and facilities to support their communities to embrace new technologies and ways of working to build social capital and digital capability.

The program seeks to foster:

• Resilient communities that are well prepared and socially connected when disaster strikes with the ability to renew and recover together;
• Sustainable communities that are diverse and inclusive, planning for the health, wellbeing, and prosperity of their people and the planet; and
• Liveable communities that have digital capability, and help to equip individuals with the skills to live, learn and work in a digital society.

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).

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

100 Women is a collaborative giving circle that amplifies the giving power of everyday people to create significant change for women and girls. Our ever-growing giving circle gathers people from all walks of life to contribute and celebrate the life-changing impact that we together can have on women and girls – locally, nationally and globally.

100 Women awards grants to organisations that advance the safety, health, education and economic freedom of women and girls.

Applications will be considered for projects for a maximum period of 24 months that:

• Improve economic outcomes for girls and women who are disadvantaged or face barriers; or
• Improve health outcomes for girls and women; or
• Improve educational outcomes for girls and women; or
• Provide safety to girls and women at risk from sexual abuse, sex trafficking or family violence; or
• Address any of the Targets for Goal 5: Gender Equality UN Sustainable Development Goals (where the beneficiaries of the grant are girls and women)

Organisations must be a fund, authority or institution:

• which is Charitable (or would be a charity within the meaning of the Australian Charities Act 2013 (Cth) if it were not a ‘government entity’, as defined in the Act);
• Classified with Item 1 Deductible Gift Recipient Status (DGR);
• has been operating for at least 36 months; and
• has a total annual revenue (as last reported to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission) of less than $10 million.

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 Major Capital Fund supports the creation of additional preschool places through new builds, extensions and renovations of centre-based community preschools and long day care services running a preschool program in areas of need and demand across NSW.

The Major Capital Fund must contribute to the following objectives:

• maximise the number of preschool places available for pre-school aged children to attend at least 600 hours per year or 15 hours per week of quality preschool education.
• ensure the continued operation of the service to deliver preschool places throughout the ten-year compliance period.
• support ongoing management of the service in line with applicable regulatory requirements.
• where possible, leverage funds from sources external to the department, including private finance, charitable donations and grants from state and federal government agencies.

There will be three rounds of funding in 22/23:

• Round 1: open from 4 October to 14 November 2022 (for community preschools).
• Round 2: open from 6 February to 19 March 2023 (expanded eligibility for community preschools and long day care services offering a preschool program).
• Round 3: open from 3 April to 14 May 2023 (expanded eligibility for community preschools and long day care services offering a preschool program).

To be eligible for funding applicants must:

• be registered or incorporated in Australia; and
• be a not-for-profit organisation or association, or a local government entity; and
• operate, or intend to operate, an education and care service in NSW that delivers preschool education as an Approved Provider with a valid Service Approval.

The Mobile fund supports mobile services to replace existing vehicles to ensure continuity of service delivery and/or to purchase additional vehicles to cater for increased demand.

Maintaining or increasing the number of enrolments, days, or hours a mobile service operates is an expected outcome of a Mobile grant.

The Mobile Fund supports mobile services to:

• replace an existing vehicle to ensure continuity of service to approved mobile venues; and/or
• purchase an additional vehicle to expand service delivery to approved mobile venues.

Mobile grants must also contribute to the following objectives:

• maximise the number of preschool places available for preschool-aged children to attend at least 600 hours per year or 15 hours per week of quality preschool education.
• ensure the continued operation of the service to deliver preschool places throughout the four-year compliance period.
• support ongoing management of the service in line with applicable regulatory requirements.

The NSW Department of Education has established a Student Wellbeing Innovation Fund to support and encourage bold, innovative programs and/or initiatives that are ceated and offered by external providers, to be sourced by primary and secondary schools for the purposes of educating, informing or directly supporting individual students to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

The Student Wellbeing Innovation Fund will directly support student wellbeing outcomes and will build on the department’s commitment to quality assure external student wellbeing programs to enhance the development and provision of high-quality external providers delivering evidence-based wellbeing programs/initiatives.

The Student Wellbeing Innovation Fund has two streams:

1. To provide one-off capacity building funding for providers of wellbeing programs/initiatives who are wanting to scale or deliver their wellbeing programs and/or initiatives in new areas or to new cohorts listed as a priority area.
2. To support ‘incubator’ student wellbeing programs and/or initiatives by providing seed funding (via one-off grants) to providers to research, create, develop and test new approaches to supporting and addressing student wellbeing issues.

There are five Priority Areas for applications under the Student Wellbeing Innovation Fund, embedding the wellbeing elements of belonging, resilience and behaviour, including:

• Primary school-aged students
• Students transitioning to Kindergarten and High School
• Students living in regional and remote areas
• Students from target cohorts, including First Nations students and culturally and linguistically diverse students; students with additional needs and/or disability; students from a migrant or refugee background; and female students
• Cyber health

Small Grants aim to meet the short-term, collection-based requirements of community museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces. There are no set categories for funding, and applications for a broad range of projects will be considered.

Previous Small Grants have funded the purchase of computer cataloguing software, exhibition mannequins and display cases, oral history recording equipment and archival storage items.

Small Grants are open to museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces (with object collections and displays) with up to two full time paid staff members (no more than 70 hours of paid staffing per week) as well as museum networks such as AMaGA Chapters.

There are two rounds for 2023:

• Applications for Round 1 must be submitted on or before Sunday, 2 April 2023. Projects cannot commence before June 2023 and must be completed no later than 31 December 2023. Acquittal reports are due by 31 January 2024.
• Applications for Round 2 must be submitted on or before Sunday, 10 September 2023. Projects cannot commence before December 2023 and must be completed no later than 27 June 2024. Acquittal reports are due by 31 July 2024.

The Strengthening Regional Communities (SRC) Rebuilding Regional Communities (RRC) stream gives small remote, rural and regional communities across Australia the opportunity to access funds for a broad range of initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities.

Recognising the impacts of COVID-19 on communities, the Australian Government has partnered with FRRR to distribute $5 million from 2022 to 2024 to support community-led initiatives that:  

• Enhance the process of recovery of remote, rural and regional communities from the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Reduce social isolation and foster stronger, more resilient remote, rural and regional communities; and/or  
• Sustain local remote, rural and regional organisations and their work. 

Projects funded must align with one or more of the following charitable outcomes:

• Bringing people and community organisations together to foster stronger, more resilient communities.
• Fostering and celebrating a sense of identity, diversity and cultural connection within the community.
• Supporting diverse groups within remote, rural and regional communities including, but not limited to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse, those living with disability, and LGBTQIA+.
• Improving community health and social wellbeing.
• Enabling people to develop skills, knowledge and confidence to lead and contribute to the prosperity and renewal of their community.
• Building a sustainable volunteer base and/or supporting the wellbeing of volunteers.
• Celebrating and resourcing volunteer-led efforts.
• Increasing access and inclusion for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including remote communities.
• Enhancing places where communities gather.
• Promoting connection to place and enabling initiatives that champion a community’s social, cultural or economic aspirations.
• Reducing the divide on access to digital technology and connectivity for remote, rural and regional communities.
• Enabling locally-led responses within rural, regional and remote communities endeavouring to reduce the impacts of the changing climate within their community.

The Regional Media Fund has been established to improve the long-term sustainability of regional media organisations by providing support towards innovation, digitisation and technology enhancements that enable more effective creation and distribution of regional media content.

The key objectives of the Regional Media Fund are to:

• improve the long-term sustainability of regionally focussed media and news gathering organisations.
• support organisations that are investing in the regional media industry by maintaining or creating employment opportunities in regional areas.
• support innovation and digitisation that will enable more effective creation and distribution of regional media content.
• ensure that people living in regional NSW have access to a diverse range of local news and content.

To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate that they:

• are a media or news gathering organisation with a primary focus of creating, producing, and distributing news and content to a readership or audience in regional NSW
• have been trading for over 12 months
• have resources located in regional NSW, or that a significant portion of the organisation’s business is undertaken within regional NSW through other means such as remote work.

The Aboriginal Affairs NSW Cultural Grants Program supports Aboriginal community organisations across NSW to celebrate Aboriginal culture and hold key cultural events and activities.

The AANSW Cultural Grants Program objective are to:

• support Aboriginal communities to strengthen, protect, and maintain traditional and contemporary expressions of Aboriginal culture 
• support key contemporary Aboriginal cultural events and activities 
• contribute to Aboriginal community wellbeing and healing, through the use of Aboriginal culture and community connection
• facilitate sharing of Aboriginal cultural knowledge and skills between generations.

Funding can be used for projects that meet the objectives of the Cultural Grants Program. The following are the types of activities that may be funded, where they are aligned with the program objectives:

• women’s or men’s gathering on Country
• delivery of a culture and wellbeing camp for Aboriginal youth
• creation of a digital installation showing Aboriginal history of the local community
• statewide music or cultural festival
• hosting a series of online workshops
• community celebration event
• cultural activities at a regional sporting event

Applications will be accepted at any time during the open period and the assessment panel will meet monthly to assess applications. Applicants will generally be notified of the outcome of their applications within 8 weeks of applying.

First Nations visual art is internationally recognised and sought after for its quality, innovation and cultural richness.

Funding will be provided to organisations for activities that best contribute to delivery of the following program  outcomes:

• a professional, viable and ethical Indigenous visual arts industry that features strong participation and provides economic opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• the continued production, exhibition, critique, purchase and collection of Indigenous visual art.

It is expected that activities will meet one or more of the following objectives:

• provides professional support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in the production, promotion and marketing of their art.
• provides opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to develop, extend, market and generate income from their professional visual art practice.
• provides employment and economic opportunities in the visual arts industry for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly in remote communities.
• provides opportunities for art centre staff, artists and board members to develop professional skills and gain experience.
• contributes to strengthening the Indigenous visual art industry, including the delivery of professional services and support by industry service organisations.
• supports the upgrade or refurbishment of art centre facilities.
• increases access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to national and international markets.
• increases digital literacy and/or infrastructure.

The Indigenous Contemporary Music program supports participation in, and access to, Australia’s arts and culture through developing and supporting cultural expression. The purpose of the program is to provide development opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians and bands throughout Australia. It establishes support mechanisms for individuals and bands, and provide opportunities and skills for ongoing income and employment pathways in the music industry.

The objectives of the program are to:

• support the development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians and bands by providing professional industry-based opportunities such as training, mentoring, performing, recording and promotion
• support sustainable employment and income-earning pathways in the wider Australian music industry for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians and bands
• build capacity in the Indigenous music sector by supporting partnerships, collaboration and networks across the Australian music industry.

These grants help cover community language school operating costs such as teaching materials, staff wages and new equipment.

The amount of the grant is based on the number of students who have enrolled in your community language school. You can apply for this grant after 12 months of operating your school. You can also apply for a Specific project grant at the same time.

You may receive a per capita grant if your community language school:

• has been operating for more than 12 months
• is managed by an organisation which is a not-for-profit legal entity
• is located more than two kilometres away from any other community language school that teaches the same language
• normally has a minimum of 20 school-aged students enrolled. (Schools outside a metropolitan area with less than 20 students may be eligible for funding in some circumstances.)
• is open to school students from Kindergarten to Year 12, regardless of their language background
• has students who attend at least 70 per cent of lessons in Term 1
• holds classes outside school hours for at least 35 weeks of the year
• provides a minimum of two hours per week face-to-face language teaching based on a sound educational program.

You can use the grant for:

• teaching materials
• stationery, photocopying
• technology
• payments to teachers
• buying educational equipment
• expenses associated with the administration of the schools

You cannot use the grant for capital purposes such as buildings, repairs, maintenance or renovations.