Search Grants & Funding

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. 

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 Rehabilitation Appliances Program (RAP) provides aids, equipment and modifications to help eligible veterans to live safely and independently.

The RAP supplies items (such as aids, equipment and modifications) to clients to:

• help them with an assessed clinical health care need
• minimise the impact of their disabilities or dysfunction
• improve their quality of life
• enable them to live safely and with independence
• facilitate their participation in the community
• be an adjunct to their health treatment or a rehabilitation plan.

 The RAP National Schedule of Equipment (RAP schedule) lists the aids, equipment and modifications that are available. These fall into the following broad categories:

• assistive listening devices and tinnitus devices
• speech and communication devices
• low vision appliances (non-optical)
• cognition and memory devices
• swallowing and feeding appliances
• bathing, toileting, continence and personal hygiene products
• diabetes products
• assistance dogs (psychiatric assistance dogs, guide dogs, hearing assistance dogs and mobility assistance dogs)
• alarm system / communication appliances/assistive listening devices
• respiratory home therapy devices, including oxygen and positive airway pressure machines, beds and related appliances
• chairs and other supports
• Lifting devices
• adaptive household appliances to help with doing everyday things around the house mobility devices to help with moving around, such as a walking frame, knee walkers, manual wheelchairs, electric scooters and wheelchairs
• orthoses and prostheses
• footwear not obtained through the Medical Grade Footwear Program
• rehabilitation exercise and treatment machines
• palliative care appliances
• home modifications – non complex
• home modifications – complex
• stoma appliances

 Clients may be eligible for the RAP if they have an assessed clinical need and either a:

• Veteran Gold Card
• Veteran White Card and the equipment is for an accepted condition

Further eligibility criteria applies to some items.

The Australian Government is inviting eligible organisations to apply for grant funding under the Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program (STS program).

The objective of the STS Program is to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australia’s service personnel who served in wars, conflicts and peace operations, including National Service personnel, and their families.

The intended outcome of the STS Program is to provide funding for projects and activities that:

• promote appreciation and understanding of the experiences of service, and the role of service personnel
• preserve, add to the sum of knowledge on, or provide access to information about Australia’s wartime heritage.

1. Community Grants

Grants up to $10,000 are available for projects and activities that:

• are focused on the local community
• commemorate the service and sacrifice of local community members
• are primarily accessed by the local community.

2. Major Grants

Grants between $10,001 and $150,000 are available for major commemorative projects and activities that are significant from a national, state, territory and/or broader regional perspective. These projects may include the construction of new war or peace memorials where none currently exist, as well as additions to existing memorials.

If your project relates to restoring or changing a memorial or other commemorative artefact, there may be heritage and conservation considerations.

Eligibility:

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

• Company
• Cooperative
• Corporate State or Territory Entity
• Incorporated Association
• Indigenous Corporation
• Local Government
• Non-corporate State or Territory Entity
• Non-corporate State or Territory Statutory Authority
• Partnerships 
• Person
• Sole Trader
• Statutory Entity
• Unincorporated Association – only for Community Grants (up to $10,000).

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