Community Grants and Funding Opportunities

This Grant Program has been introduced to help increase the capability of Para coaches. It provides both individual Para coaches and NSO/Ds and NIN partners (Organisations) with financial support towards a program, project, or initiative that supports either the development of the Individual HP Para Coach (Individual HP Para Coach Development Grant) or HP Para Coaches within an Organisation (Organisation HP Para Coach Development Grant).

Individual coaches can apply for grants up to $6,000 and Organisations for grants up to $20,000.

Arts North West's Annual Micro Grants provide grants of up to $1,000 to support independent professional practising artists, community groups, arts organisations and creative businesses across the New England North West.

The program invests in small-scale creative projects that strengthen artistic practice, build professional skills, increase community participation and contribute to a vibrant regional arts sector.

Funding can support activities such as professional development, artist fees, workshops, exhibitions, creative development, equipment and materials, marketing, mentoring and community arts initiatives.

Projects must be delivered between 10 December 2026 and 10 December 2027.

The Australian Government has announced a total of up to $3.744 million (GST exclusive) for the VWG Program for the 2026–27 financial year. Applications will be considered under 2 grant streams:

• Stream A Small Grants (up to a maximum of $50,000 per grant)
• Stream B Large Grants (from $50,001 to a maximum of $200,000 per grant).

There is no set proportion of the funding allocated per stream.

The objectives of the VWG Program are to:

• maintain and improve the independence and quality of life of members of the veteran community, by providing funding for activities and projects that sustain or enhance health and social wellbeing
• deliver activities and projects not already provided by Australian, state, territory or local government funding to the veteran community to build future community capacity
• expand on existing activities and projects offered to the veteran community in new regions within Australia or in the development of new activities and projects that will be offered in more than one location
• raise awareness of the important issues faced by the veteran community.

To be eligible to apply, the organisation must be an eligible entity type and be either:

• an ESO applying in its own right, or as the lead organisation of a consortium, or
• a non-ESO applying as the lead organisation of a consortium that includes at least one ESO, and

one of the following legal entity types:

• Company
• Cooperative
• Incorporated Association
• Indigenous Corporation
• Statutory Entity
• Unincorporated Association – grant activities up to $10,000 only.

The purpose of the Veteran Community Grants Program (VCGP) is to support activities and services to enhance the wellbeing of the NSW veteran community and promote appreciation and understanding of the service and sacrifice of military service personnel.

The VCGP is targeted at individuals and not-for-profit organisations who are based in NSW.

Applications must align with and be submitted under one of the below category descriptions:

1. Local history, heritage and education
   Projects that help inform and educate the wider community about the service and sacrifice of local veterans and their families, including the conservation and display of memorabilia and artefacts, research towards online or print publications and educational activities.
2. Public commemorative events and commemorative spaces
   Events that honour or mark military anniversaries and pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of NSW veterans, or the creation of commemorative spaces. Please note, Anzac Day events are ineligible for funding.
3. Provide support to members of the NSW veteran community
   Activities such as excursions, milestone reunions, and training and development to assist with the health and wellbeing of the veteran community.
4. Infrastructure and equipment
   Projects that improve facilities, infrastructure, and equipment to strengthen the delivery of services and activities for the veteran community.

The purpose of the First Nations Cultural Tourism Creativity Fund is to support the growth of a strong, sustainable and NSW First Nations-led cultural tourism sector in New South Wales by:

• Supporting NSW First Nations artists, creatives, organisations and businesses to develop, showcase and deliver culturally strong, tourism-ready experiences.
• Increasing the availability, visibility and quality of NSW First Nations cultural and creative tourism experiences across NSW.
• Strengthening partnerships between arts, culture, and tourism sectors to improve market access, collaboration and participation.
• Delivering economic, community and cultural outcomes led by and for NSW First Nations communities.

The intended long-term outcomes of the program are:

• Increased capability of NSW First Nations artists, creatives and organisations
• Growth in the number and diversity of NSW First Nations tourism-ready cultural experiences
• Stronger market connections and visitor engagement
• Increased participation in the NSW visitor economy
• Improved economic and cultural outcomes for NSW First Nations communities.

Create NSW aims to allocate 50% of the program budget to applicants from regional NSW.   

Types of projects funded under this grant

All funded activities must be First Nations-led and demonstrate appropriate cultural authority, culture governance and community support where relevant.

Tier 1 - DEVELOP

Projects at this tier focus on developing, testing and preparing First Nations arts, cultural and tourism experiences

Value: $20,000 to $50,000 (excluding GST)

Funding supports early-stage arts, cultural and tourism projects and activities, including:

• concept development
• product development
• business and capability building
• market testing
• pilot visitor experiences
• partnership development
• feasibility and planning activities.

Tier 2 - GROW

Projects at this tier focus on expanding, strengthening and growing established First Nations arts, cultural and tourism experiences

Value: $50,001 to $100,000 (excluding GST)

Funding supports existing arts, cultural and tourism projects and activities ready to expand, launch or scale:

• expansion of existing tourism experiences
• development of tourism-ready products and services
• market development and audience growth
• visitor experience enhancements
• strategic partnerships and collaborations
• delivery of larger-scale projects and experiences.

The Responsible Wood Community Grants Program aims to enhance the connection and build positive long-lasting relationships with local community groups and their local forests and the forest managers, by:

• Supporting communities undertake projects or activities that better enable physical connection of people and forests or wood products.
• Providing an opportunity for communities to leverage funding from a variety of sources to complete forest access or timber utilisation projects that otherwise would not be possible.
• Supporting certified forest growers and chain of custody producers to build their relationships with their local communities.
• Linking community with Responsible Wood certified forest growers or timber product producers who have Responsible Wood Chain of Custody certification.
• Providing an opportunity to promote to local communities the value and benefits of sustainably managed certified forests and wood products.
• Supporting the forest industries through promotion of Responsible Wood certification.

Sporting Schools offers grant opportunities for primary schools, and targeted grant opportunities for secondary schools in relation to year 7 and 8 students. Grants support the delivery of sport-based programs to help students build the confidence and capability to be active for life. Sporting Schools has partnered with more than 35 national sporting organisations (NSOs) and national sporting organisations for people with disability (NSODs) to facilitate delivery of Sporting Schools programs.

The objectives of Sporting Schools are to:

• engage primary school students in free, high-quality sport programs at school
• engage secondary school students (Years 7-8) in free, high-quality sport programs at school, particularly inactive students, girls, and students attending schools in disadvantaged areas
• establish partnerships between sporting organisations and schools to promote involvement in sport outside of school
• develop the capability of schools and teachers to provide students with positive sport experiences
• build the capability of coaches and the sport workforce
• support life-long involvement in sport and physical activity to enhance health and wellbeing.

The Small Grants program supports projects proposed by individuals and or organisations and or communities who would otherwise be limited by the constraints of other funding programs.

The maximum grant has been increased to $1000 in 2022 and there will be more grants awarded (if successful) each round. The project needs to directly or indirectly assist, involve and benefit LGBTQIA+ people and promote positive social outcomes and mental health in the community.

They welcome applications that are particularly creative and innovative, and those that are put forward by individuals, communities and organisations that have not received small grant funding in the previous 2 years. They regard favourably projects that work as partnerships between individuals and organisations.

Round 1 2026
Funding priority to transgender, non-binary and gender diverse people and communities
Opens at 9am AEDT Monday 19 January 2026 and closes at 11:59pm AEST Monday 13 April 2026.

Round 2 2026
Funding priority to projects supporting healthy ageing for older people
Opens at 9am AEST on Monday 4 May 2026 and closes at 11:59pm AEST on Monday 13 July 2026.

Round 3 2026
Funding priority to regional and rural communities
Opens at 9am AEST Monday 3 August 2026 and closes at 11:59pm AEDT on Monday 16 November 2026.

Motorsport Australia has established a funding allocation framework to support growth and development of 
Motorsport Australia Affiliated Car Clubs and Motorsport as a whole.

Funds will be allocated to projects that fit within one of the following funding areas:

• Funding Area 1: Safety and Operational Equipment 
• Funding Area 2: Volunteer Upskilling and Club Capacity Building
• Funding Area 3: Participation Programs

Clubs are encouraged to undertake projects that support diversity, equity & inclusion in motorsport and supports the inclusion of population cohorts with existing low levels of participation in sport and physical activity. e.g. people with a disability, women and girls, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people, Culturally and Racially Marginalised (CARM) communities, LGBTIQ+ and older people.

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 Disability Advocacy Futures Program Special Purposes and Projects and, Sector Development 2026 Stream 1 grant program has 4 key objectives:

• increase available advocacy supports to assist people with disability and their supporters in NSW to actively engage with and access services in their communities in a more informed and empowered way.
• further develop the NSW disability advocacy sector through quality improvement, collaboration and innovation and building the capacity of individuals to self-advocate.
• build stronger networks and learning opportunities for the NSW disability advocacy sector.
• support people with disability to respond and adapt to key policy reforms at a state and national level by developing their self-advocacy capacity, access to information and broad advocacy supports.

The Disability Advocacy Futures Program Special Purposes and Projects and, Sector Development 2026 grant program (Thriving Kids) has 4 key objectives:

• increase the availability of advocacy supports to assist children aged 0-8 years with developmental delay and/or autism and their families, carers and kin, to access information, engage with services and supports, and participate in their communities in an informed and empowered way.
• further develop the NSW disability advocacy and service sector through quality improvement, collaboration and innovation, and initiatives that build the capacity of individuals, families, carers and kin to self-advocate.
• build stronger networks, partnerships and learning opportunities across the NSW disability advocacy sector, including initiatives that strengthen linkages between advocacy, early childhood, health, education and community services.
• support people and / or children with disability and their families, carers and kin to respond and adapt to key policy reforms at a state and national level by developing their self-advocacy capacity, access to information and broad advocacy supports.

The Rebuilding Futures grant program seeks to support communities to strengthen their resilience to significant disasters by undertaking a wide range of medium to long-term community-led disaster recovery, prevention and preparedness projects for community benefit.

Throughout Australia, individuals and groups are working to identify private unmarked graves of First World War veterans and marking these graves to recognise their service. This Marking (First World War) Private Graves Grants (MPG) Program contributes to the cost of establishing a grave marker on currently unmarked private graves.

The MPG Program provides one-off funding of up to $620 per grave to assist with the purchase of a grave marker for unmarked private graves of veterans of the First World War. You can seek funding for up to 10 grave markers in each individual application, and you may only submit a maximum of 2 applications.

The objective of the grant opportunity is to contribute to community recognition of the service and sacrifice of service personnel in the First World War. It does this by providing funding to contribute to the cost of establishing a grave marker on currently unmarked private graves.

The intended outcome of the MPG Program is to mark private graves of veterans of the First World War so as to:

• enable community recognition of service
• preserve and add to the knowledge of, or provide information about, Australia’s wartime heritage. 

Eligibility

You are only eligible to apply for a grant if ALL the below requirements are met:

• The grave must be located within the Commonwealth of Australia, including external territories: Christmas Island, Cocos and Keeling Islands, Norfolk Island, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands, and Heard and McDonald Islands.
• The grave must be unmarked as per the definition outlined in section 2 of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.
• The veteran at rest within the grave must have:
•  lived in Australia at the time of enlistment
•  seen active service in the First World War between 10 August 1914 and 21 August 1918 with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, the Australian Imperial Force or the King Edwards Horse
• been assessed by the Repatriation Commission and been found ineligible for official commemoration by the Government.
• You have appropriate permission to alter the grave (see section 4.2 of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines).
• You have a formal quote from an authorised provider for the total cost of the marker. 

PCFA’s 2027 Community Grants Scheme offers affiliated Prostate Cancer Support Groups the opportunity to apply for funding to deliver local projects that raise awareness, strengthen outreach and connect more men and families with support.

The scheme supports PCFA’s mission by helping Support Groups increase visibility, engage local communities, and deliver practical activities that encourage early detection and ongoing support.

Applications are invited from affiliated PCFA Prostate Cancer Support Groups. Individual grants are capped at $5,000 and may support one or more of the following purposes:

1. Community events that build prostate cancer awareness, promote your Support Group locally, support community engagement or include fundraising

2. Awareness-building activities that educate the community about prostate cancer, such as using the Life Force Presentation.

3. Essential marketing items such as banners, business cards and branded tablecloths that help promote your group and its affiliation with PCFA.

The Print Disability Services Program (PDSP) contributes to the priorities of Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-31, to ensure that information, including printed information, is inclusive and accessible for all Australians. 

Under this grant opportunity, funding will be available for up to 4 years. 

The purpose of this grant opportunity is to support organisations to produce print material in alternative formats for people with print disability who are unable to read standard print with ease due to vision impairment, a physical disability or a learning disability. 

Funding under the PDSP is to produce digital masters of print material, to reflect current and emerging technology and to ensure accessible and the highest quality material is available to the end user. The availability of this material may be provided directly through the organisations selected to provide the output in the variety of appropriate print disability accessible formats or via another eligible organisation that provide the materials to the consuming print disability individual, at no charge to the person.

Created in honour of Tessa and Chrysanthy Mallos, whose generous bequest to ABFNSW has made this opportunity possible, this grant is offered to aspiring artists and arts workers from underrepresented groups, seeking a career in the arts industry.

The grant is open to NSW residents with a confirmed place at any accredited tertiary training institution in Australia, whose primary course of study is within a performing arts stream. Undergraduate, post-graduate and some vocational diploma courses are all applicable. Students undertaking courses in performance, theatre production, technical theatre, stage management, directing, design and writing are eligible to apply.

First Nations, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse, people with disability or who are d/Deaf are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Mallos Training Grant has no affiliation with any training institution and is intended to support students with relocation and/or living costs while undertaking their studies.

Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW will work with We The Industry and other industry professionals to select recipients. We The Industry will provide additional support to recipients through mentoring services throughout their training.

Available Grants

Grants will be awarded on an annual basis. Recipients may receive support to cover the length of their training, or a one-off amount to support them through one year of study. Grants are available to students commencing a new course and to students entering 2nd or 3rd year study.

In 2027, one student entering into the first year of a minimum 3-year course will be provided with a total grant of $45,000, to be distributed at regular intervals throughout the period of study.

Additional one-off grants of between $5,000 and $10,000 will be made available to students partway through their study or undertaking post-graduate study to support them during the year.

Recipients will also be given the chance to work with a We The Industry Mentor throughout their training. Through close consultation with each grant recipient, We The Industry will identify a working arts professional to provide mentorship services in the first year of study. Students can expect to meet with their mentor bi-monthly in this first year, with the hopes of building a relationship that will outlast the program. With a mentor by their side, recipients will have access to an important and current industry perspective that will give context to their training and help equip them for a successful career in the arts

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for this grant, applicants must:

1. Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident

2. Be a resident of NSW at the time of application (or will be a resident of NSW throughout the course of their training)

3. Have a confirmed offer of a place at an accredited tertiary training institution (to be provided after notification of shortlisting to the program)

4. Be able to demonstrate how this support would allow them to undertake/continue their study

Recipients of the 3-year grant will only receive payments in Years 2 and 3 if continuing their course of study

The Mobile Preschool Funding Program’s objectives is to improve the affordability, quality, and accessibility of preschool education for children in regional and remote NSW, where access to centre-based preschools can be limited.

The program funds providers of mobile preschools to reduce fees, support quality uplift, incentivise increased enrolment and attendance, and drive improved outcomes for children, and recognises the additional costs and unique challenges associated with achieving universal access in regional and remote NSW.

The program operates on a calendar year, from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026.

Funding is designed to support quality uplift in preschool education and drive outcomes for children aged 3-5 in the developmentally significant years before school. Funding objectives are closely linked with ensuring equitable access for eligible children:

• Children from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background
• Children from low-income families
• Children with disability and/or additional needs
• Children living in regional or remote areas of NSW
• Children who are at risk of significant harm (from a child protection perspective).

Parents, guardians and carers receiving Family Tax Benefit can apply for an Active and Creative Kids voucher for each eligible child.

The $50 voucher is available twice a year to use towards sport, creative and cultural activities.

Voucher 2 – 2025: Available now

• Apply for and use the voucher by 14 July 2026

Voucher 1 – 2026: Available now

• Apply for and use the voucher by 31 December 2026

Note:

• Vouchers must be used with a registered activity provider.
• If you have 2 vouchers that have not expired, you can use them together for a combined value of $100. Each voucher can only be used once.

The Event Development stream supports events that have previously received the maximum funding permitted through the Flagship Event stream and can present a comprehensive strategy for future growth that includes the continued development of its tourism potential to drive overnight visitation to the event.

The Event Development stream will offer one-off grants of up to $50,000 (ex GST) to events in Regional NSW to support key strategic growth initiatives that will have a direct impact on increasing overnight visitation to the event. A clear strategic rationale will be required for all initiatives together with a justification for the amount requested.

Types of projects funded under this grant

The Event Development stream provides funding to support initiatives that will have a direct impact on increasing overnight visitation to the event. A clear strategic rationale will be required for all initiatives. Activities that may be eligible for funding include:

• Promotional activities with a measurable overnight visitation outcome (e.g. promotions with a unique call to action)
• Cooperative marketing activities with the tourism industry (e.g. the development and promotion of packages to the event that include accommodation or access to other tourist attractions)
• Costs associated with implementing robust visitor research methodologies
• Infrastructure costs associated with encouraging extended stays (e.g. additional hire costs to extend the event an extra day)
• Costs associated with the delivery of an improved visitor experience (e.g. grandstands, information services, facilities)
• Costs associated with developing broader accommodation options or the delivery of temporary accommodation (e.g. shuttle buses to neighbouring towns, implementation of home hosting programs, creation of temporary camping grounds)
• Consultancy fees for marketing, PR, digital or event management specialists provided there are clear and measurable outcomes that demonstrate an improvement on existing activities.

Event Development funding is not intended to replace previous or other event funding. Grants funds must be expended on the initiatives described in the application.