Search Grants & Funding

The NSW Government has established the ARC - Community Participation Stream 2, with funding of up to $25 million available to increase liveability and social cohesion of communities through greater participation in community activities.

The objective of the Community Participation Stream is to increase liveability and social cohesion of communities through greater participation in community activities that contribute to the wellbeing, social or economic participation of residents.

Eligible projects that can be supported by a Community Participation grant will increase participation in the type of community activities that contribute to the wellbeing, social or economic participation of residents, to achieve the program objective at 1.3. and can include:

• new and improved infrastructure and/or activation of under-used assets
• new or expanded services or programs, that increase access to, or improve the diversity of community activities and cohorts that can participate
• addressing barriers to participation, improving the amenity of activities with facilities, childcare (creche), increased safety, supervision and/or transport.

Projects must be able to meet the project delivery timeframe listed in the Key Information.

The ATSE Traditional Knowledge Innovation Award celebrates STEM research and development by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or communities which is based on, or significantly incorporates or builds on, Traditional Knowledge. The Award acknowledges and recognises an individual, team, community, or organisation respectfully and successfully applying Australian Traditional Knowledge in contemporary innovation contexts.

The winning nominee will receive a cash prize and medal.

The Award criteria are:

• Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous innovation: The nominee demonstrates achievement of excellence or impact in any STEM field by incorporating, applying or innovating Traditional Knowledge to address a contemporary issue, problem or challenge. This may include (but is not limited to) academic research, applied research or practice.
• Application of the Traditional Knowledge innovation: The work or innovation of the nominee has achieved or has a clearly articulated a likely path to achieve, success in translation from Traditional Knowledge (knowing) to contemporary practical application (being, doing) within a STEM setting. Contemporary practical application may, but does not have to, include pathways to commercialisation. The work or innovation of the nominee has potential to improve or has improved understanding and awareness of Traditional Knowledge and its modern value.
• Ways of working: The nominee builds meaningful, trusting, respectful and equitable relationships, through the process of sharing and weaving Traditional Knowledge with modern knowledge practices. The work or innovation of the nominee has positive impact and actual or anticipated benefit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and/or communities. This may include, but is not limited to, intellectual property ownership, royalties/commissions/other payments, community health and wealth-building, improved opportunities for educational and career advancement.

 The award is open to: 

• An individual, team (pair or small group), community, organisation (the ‘nominee’) who are Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
• If the work is in collaboration as part of a respectful partnership with another, or non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, individual, team, community or organisation, then that collaborative partner may become a co-applicant. No more than one co-applicant is permitted.
• Who demonstrates excellence, innovation and impact in any STEM field where they have applied Traditional Knowledge in a modern innovation context.
• And demonstrates that they have advanced the understanding and awareness of Traditional Knowledge through modern innovation.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nominees are required to attest to the authenticity of the Traditional Knowledge, including, where possible, identifying the Peoples who are Traditional Custodians, and the moral and intellectual right of the individual, team community, or organisation to build on and apply the Traditional Knowledge.

One award is available per year to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individual, team (pair or small group), community, organisation, for up to one nominee who may or may not have a co-applicant. Co-applicants will be recognised as award winners but will not receive any medal or financial award. No individual, team, community, or organisation can receive more than one ATSE Award in any one year.

Better Futures Grants provide $50,000 per year for two years to support organisations optimising opportunities for primary school aged children experiencing disadvantage to learn. 

The focus is on primary school aged children (5-12 years) experiencing education disadvantage: students from low socio-economic backgrounds, First Nations students, students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those living in regional and remote locations. 

Eligibility Criteria 

• Endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient Status Item 1 (DGR1).  
• Registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC).  
• Organisation has an annual gross revenue between $1M and $5M.  
• Can provide recent financial statements (organisations with annual revenue above $3M need to provide audited statements, signed by the auditor).   
• Proposed program is located in Australia.  

The annual Disaster Recovery Quick Response Grants program has been established to assist any Indigenous corporation whose property has been directly affected by a declared natural disaster, such as a flood, bushfire, or cyclone.

What assistance is available?

The amount of each grant will be determined following an assessment of the immediate recovery efforts required and the costs of these efforts but is capped at $20,000 (GST excl) for each individual organisation.

Who is eligible?

Indigenous corporations (incorporated) may be eligible for assistance through the program if:

• Their property is within a State or Territory declared natural disaster area.
• They require immediate assistance to make their property safe to access.

The Artists’ Benevolent Fund provides one-off emergency assistance to Australian practitioners in the visual arts, craft or design sector experiencing a crisis that significantly affects their ability to continue their practice.

The Fund offers grants of $2,000 to help artists stabilise their situation following an unexpected disaster or catastrophic event.

The Fund operates entirely through donations and has very limited resources. Because of this, NAVA is not always able to assist every artist who applies.

The Carbon Capture Technologies Program aims to accelerate the research, development and demonstration of novel and emerging carbon management technologies to address Australia’s hard-to-abate emissions and residual emissions. Grants will be offered to pilot and demonstration projects that capture, utilise and remove CO2 and have the potential to create new, low-emissions or net-zero industries.

Examples of eligible technologies, include but are not limited to:

• novel or emerging carbon capture and/or utilisation for hard-to-abate sectors
• novel or emerging carbon removal technologies such as
• direct air capture
• enhanced rock weathering
• biomass carbon removal and storage, including durable sequestration of carbon in biochar
• mineral carbonation technology, such as capturing carbon in building and other materials.

Conventional and land-based approaches that leverage natural biological systems, without technological intervention, are not eligible. This includes:

• afforestation/reforestation,
• peatland or wetland restoration
• agroforestry are excluded from this program.

The objectives of the program are to:

• accelerate the development of emerging priority CO2 capture, utilisation, and removal technologies
• support research, development and demonstration to advance technological and commercial readiness of novel or emerging carbon capture, utilisation and removal technologies in hard-to-abate industries such as cement, chemicals and steel
• demonstrate verifiable permanence of CO2 sequestered via a range of utilisation applications
• support capability development in novel or emerging carbon removal technologies.

You can apply if you:

• have an Australian business number (ABN)
• are registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST)

and are one of the following entities:

• an entity, incorporated in Australia
• an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust where your trading activities:
  • form a sufficiently significant proportion of the corporation’s overall activities as to merit it being described as a trading corporation; or
  • are a substantial and not merely peripheral activity of the corporation
• an Australian state/territory Government agency or body
• a corporate Commonwealth entity.

The purpose of the Building Fund Small-Scale grant opportunity is to provide capital grants to build new or expand existing services in areas of need. The grant opportunity will enable successful providers to expand service delivery in areas where there is undersupply of ECEC. It will also target investment to improve early childhood development outcomes and socio-economic factors.

Under this opportunity, funding is available for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and National Law approved NFP providers with a track record of delivering high quality ECEC services and demonstrated capability to build National Law and Regulation compliant Centre-Based Day Care (CBDC) services. Funding is also available to NFP organisations, including local councils, to modify buildings to facilitate the provision of in-venue Family Day Care (FDC) by a high quality provider in areas where no ECEC is available.

Funding will be for ECEC capital works only. This includes new buildings or expansions provided it creates new or additional ECEC places in areas of need. Grantees cannot use funding for service delivery. Applicants will be required to outline their business case for managing the ongoing viability of service delivery of these new or expanded services.

Funding under this grant opportunity is not available to facilitate or support the ongoing operational costs of ECEC service delivery. However, grantees may be eligible to apply for operational funding under the Supplementary Operational Support Funding Grant opportunity, open to applications from March 2026 to June 2029, under which operational funding will be available from 2026-27 to 2029-30. Recipients of capital grants will not be guaranteed operational funding.

The objectives of the grant opportunity are to increase:

• the number of NFP CBDC services and ECEC places in areas of undersupply in a timely manner;
• the number and capacity of services delivered by quality, NFP providers in the sector; and
• children’s participation in ECEC in areas of need.

Consistent with commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the grant opportunity also aims to support availability of high quality and culturally safe ECEC for First Nations children, families and communities to ensure children thrive in their early years.

This initiative provides free and independent financial counselling to eligible farmers, fishers, foresters and small-related enterprises who are experiencing, or at risk, of financial hardship.

This program is ongoing and is subject to regular and open approaches to market. Funding rounds and approaches have been continually reviewed and adjusted over the years to improve the performance of the program and drive efficiencies to support structural adjustment in the agricultural sector in times of financial hardship.

The objective of the program is to support structural adjustment through transitioning clients out of immediate financial crisis or concerns, assessing business viability to make informed decisions about the future of the business and improving financial wellbeing and resilience through building clients’ financial knowledge and skills, and by referring clients to other professional services.

The ultimate outcome is financially capable agricultural, fishing and forestry businesses that are profitable, financially self-reliant and resilient. Grantees drive these changes through case management and effective and efficient client engagement.

A key performance indicator for the program is that a minimum of 80% of clients receiving services are case-managed and on exiting the service have come to a better understanding of their financial position and have met their goals to make an informed decision outlined in the program outcomes and objectives listed in the program logic.

To be eligible, you must be one of the following entity types:

• Company
• Cooperative
• Incorporated Association
• Indigenous Corporation.

If you are applying as a Trustee on behalf of a Trust , the Trustee must be one of the eligible entity type as listed above.

To be eligible you must be a legal entity with an Australian Business Number (ABN), have or are able to create an account with an Australian financial institution and be capable of entering into a legally binding and enforceable grant agreement with the Commonwealth.

The Australian Training Awards are the peak national awards that showcase best practice in vocational education and training (VET).  The Awards recognise and celebrate excellence and are an important mechanism for promoting the benefits of VET.

Winners from each state and territory training awards compete for a national award title. Direct entry is also available for some award categories.

Categories include:

Individual

• The Outstanding Achievement in the VET and Skills Sector Award (Direct Entry)
• Australian School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Vocational Student of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Trainee of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Apprentice of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Excellence in Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice Award (Direct Entry)

Business

• Small Employer of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Large Employer of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Australian Apprenticeships Employer Award (Direct Entry)
• Industry Collaboration Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Innovation in VET Award (Direct Entry)

Registered Training Organisation

• Small Training Provider of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• Large Training Provider of the Year Award (State/Territory Entry)
• School Pathways to VET Award (Direct Entry)

The award recognises research in the physical and biological sciences, allowing interdisciplinary and sociocultural research that could straddle the social sciences and humanities, by outstanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PhD students and early- and mid-career scientists. It aims to support their research and/or the expansion and growth of their research networks and international knowledge exchange through visits to relevant international centres of research.

Awards will be for up to $20,000, with additional support provided to attend the Academy's biennial Science at the Shine Dome event.

The purpose of the Collier Charitable Fund is to continue the legacies of Alice, Annette and Edith Collier by striving to improve the lives of Victorians and other Australians by assisting those in need.

The Wills of the Collier sisters stipulate the areas to be funded and the proportion of income to be applied to each of the areas. The support provided focuses on Victorians in some instances, and in other instances it encompasses the wider Australian community.

The following provides an overview of the areas that are funded for the wider Australian community.

• Progressing Education & Training 
in Australia

  Funding in this area aims to progress education and training in Australia. The Will refers to "Public Educational Purposes in the Commonwealth of Australia". The area of public education and training is broad and the Fund supports schools, universities, research institutes and vocational training bodies.

• Furthering Faith and Religious
endeavours in Australia

  Funding in this area aims to further faith and religious endeavours in Australia. The Will refers to "Religious Purposes in the Commonwealth of Australia".

• Aiding OTHER Australian Charitable Causes
  Funding in this area aims to aid other Australian charitable causes. The Will refers to "the Relief of Poverty in Australia, the Australian Red Cross, the Education of children of deceased or incapacitated Sailors, Soldiers, or Airmen and any other charitable purposes". This area provides scope to fund areas not specifically identified in the Will.

The general funding practices currently adopted by the trustees are:

• To encourage organisations to seek funding that meets their own priorities, not those that may be thought to be favoured by the trustees.
• To be broad and flexible in their approach, within the scope of the focus areas.
• To fund a variety of organisations and initiatives rather than to make very large grants to fewer organisations.
• To be open to making limited multi-year grants.
• To be open to supporting organisations in collaboration with other grantmakers to maximise impact and eliminate duplication.
• To be open to supporting organisations that collaborate with other like-minded organisations to maximise impact and eliminate duplication.
• To be supportive of applications to build organisational capacity. This may include:
  • staff costs
  • staff training
  • costs to improve effectiveness through the use of technology, and
  • developing strategic capacity.

• Where funds available permit, being open to out-of-round applications for emergency relief or genuinely urgent matters.
• To limit each organisation to one application per sub-Fund.
• To limit the number of larger grants. The average grant over recent years has been in the $30,000 to $35,000 range.
• From time to time to make grants on the Trustees’ own initiative.
• Not to support the following applications:
  • initiatives that only benefit an individual or an individual's family
  • that seek contributions for the corpus of another grant making organisation.

Per capita grants help cover school operating costs such as teaching materials, staff wages and new equipment for community language schools. The amount of the grant is based on the number of students who have enrolled in your community language school.

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.

The Qantas Regional Grants program offers $2 million in support to Australian-based communities and projects that are looking to benefit our country's regional areas.

The Qantas Regional Grants judging panel will determine the successful applicants each year. The panel will examine all eligible entries and select applicants that they determine best meet all the criteria below.

1. The extent to which the applicant directly services a regional community need and demonstrates a measurable socioeconomic impact.
2. The extent to which the applicant can maximise local community benefits in regional Australia with the Qantas Regional Grants Program funding.
3. The extent to which the project or activity will celebrate and highlight the work of the applicant and help boost the profile and strength of the applicant for the future.
4. The ability of the applicant to demonstrate innovation in their project strategy, goals and mission, and how these align to improving their service offering and increasing regional impact.

The Royal Freemasons Benevolent Institution (RFBI) Benevolence Grant Program supports community-led initiatives that help improve the health and well-being of older people, particularly in areas where RFBI operates. It will run from July 2026 to June 2030.

Australian charities and not-for-profit organisations that can enter into a legal agreement and hold an Australian bank account are welcome to apply. Those not eligible for a grant include individuals, unincorporated groups, government agencies and overseas organisations.

Funding can be used for operational or service‑delivery costs that directly support the project, including staff time.

RFBI can fund up to 80% of project costs. Applicants are asked to contribute at least 20% through either financial or in-kind support. This helps strengthen the long-term sustainability of projects.

Co-funding supports shared ownership and helps ensure projects have a strong foundation beyond the grant period. The program focuses on charities and not-for-profits that are best placed to deliver community-level outcomes, complementing existing government funding pathways.

The Community Heritage Grants (CHG) program supports community organisations to look after Australian cultural heritage collections. Since 1994, this program has provided more than $8.9 million dollars in funding to over 1650 projects across Australia.

CHG is open to non-profit, incorporated organisations. The program has a strong focus on supporting local groups with limited funding who would benefit from access to professional cultural heritage expertise. Applications from Indigenous and multicultural organisations are encouraged.

The annual round offers cash grants of up to $20,000. The first two stages support organisations to work with heritage practitioners to:

• Explain the meaning and value of their collections (a significance assessment)
• Outline the condition of their collections and create a plan to manage it (a preservation needs assessment)

In the third and final stage, organisations can apply for funding to:

• Undertake conservation and collection management activities as recommended in the preservation needs assessment

Funding is also available for:

• Collection management training projects