Search Grants & Funding

The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are an annual program aimed at recognising the incredible dedication, effort and community service of our state’s volunteers, volunteer leaders and volunteer teams. The Awards program has grown to become one of the largest celebrations of volunteering in Australia.

Awards are presented in the following categories:

• Young Volunteer of the Year
• Adult Volunteer of the Year
• Senior Volunteer of the Year
• Volunteer Team of the Year
• Emergency Volunteer of the Year
• Volunteer Leader of the Year
• Not-for-Profit Voluntary Governance Award

All nominees must: 

• Reside in NSW, and be involved in volunteering as either a volunteer or a Leader of Volunteers. Volunteering is time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain. 
• Individuals must have been involved during the previous 12 months (July 2024-May 2025) with a legitimate not-for-profit organisation, community group, or other entity which engages volunteers in a safe and legal manner, such as schools or government agencies. 

The 2-Year Multi-year funding aims to support both new and established arts and cultural organisations to develop ways to strengthen and grow the NSW arts and culture ecology, create innovative artistic content and products, and drive positive social outcomes for NSW citizens.  

Applications in 2025 will provide funding for a two-year period, from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027 inclusive. 

Who can apply

Funding Request by eligible organisation types: 

• Arts and cultural organisations that have not previously received annual or multi-year organisational funding from Create NSW can apply for $60,000 up to $100,000 per year.
• Established arts and cultural organisations that have previously received annual or multi-year organisational funding from Create NSW in 2022/23, 2023/24 or 2025 can apply for $60,000 up to $200,000 per year.

Funding requests must:

• not be more than 80% of program costs
• be realistic and supported by the application and budget 
• be commensurate with the level of programming

Note: If your organisation is successful in achieving multi-year funding, you cannot apply for any additional ACFP project funding.

To be eligible to apply, your organisation must demonstrate all the items below:

• be based in NSW unless approved by Director Arts, Create NSW.
• be a not-for-profit arts and cultural organisation, service organisation or LGA with a primary purpose of arts and cultural activity
• have an ABN (Individual business units and entities of LGAs, such as art galleries and performing arts centres, are eligible to submit applications on their own behalf if they have their own ABN. If the business unit or entity does not have its own ABN, the application must be submitted by the LGA on behalf of the business unit)
• have operated as a legally constituted entity – and can demonstrate delivery of arts, cultural or creative programs or services - for a minimum of one year at time of application
• be able to address and deliver on at least one of the ACFP priorities
• include an independent financial contribution of at least 20% (including in-kind) of the grant application
• have an annual turn-over in the applicant's most recent financial year greater than $30,000 (including Create NSW Grant/s but excluding Create Infrastructure and COVID funding)
• if working with First Nations artists and/or communities, confirm you adhere to Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property policies and procedures and Create NSW Aboriginal Cultural Protocols when working with First Nations artists and/or communities

This initiative is an action of the Moree Plains Economic Development Strategy and is designed to boost the liveability and visitation of the shire, inspiring, engaging and uniting our communities through local events.

The Event Partnership Program is designed to support and expand a range of local events. Local event organisers can apply for a one-off maximum payment of up to $10,000. Council has allocated $20,000 toward this program to help foster and promote local events in the region.

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.

There are four rounds for 2025:
Term 1, 2025 - Opens Monday 21 October, 2024 and closes Friday 8 November, 2024
Term 2, 2025 - Opens Monday 17 February, 2025 and closes Friday 7 March, 2025
Term 3, 2025 - Opens Monday 12 May, 2025 and closes Friday 30 May, 2025
Term 4, 2025 - Opens Monday 4 August, 2025 and closes Friday 22 August, 2025

The Gordon Darling Foundation is a perpetual public charitable trust, established in 1991 to "support Australia-wide, activities of importance in the Visual Arts."

The Foundation can only provide funding to Public Institutions in Australia. Applicant organisations must have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. Individuals wishing to apply for funding for projects must partner with a Public Institution which then takes on responsibility for the project.

Funding may be provided for:

• catalogues and publications:
  • that are scholarly, with well-researched new information.
  • that provide a permanent record of an exhibition, collection, or work of an artist or movement.
• professional education initiatives, including individual professional development.
• collection management initiatives, including database development, digitisation and conservation.
• research projects leading to the recognition and publication of material of significance.
• internationally known speakers for symposia.

Each year, Thrive Community Grants provide smaller, local charities with one-off grants of up to $50,000 to assist children and young people to connect with friends, family and the community, participate in activities that build resilience, develop new skills, enrich lives, and create a sense of belonging. Their support is focussed on children and young people experiencing discrimination and disadvantage.

They invest in charities that support the direct involvement of children and young people to:

• Foster individual learning and interests through education, training or skills development
• Develop independence, engage in society and join the workforce
• Create connections and build relationships with others
• Feel they belong to a wider community, social or cultural group
• Build resilience, self-awareness and confidence
• Have the practical things they need to participate and develop as active members of the community
• Have a positive sense of identity and culture
• Have a say about things that matter to them

Eligibility

1. Your organisation is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR-1 status) and registered with Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC).
2. Your organisation can provide recent, audited financial statements, signed by the auditor. Those with annual revenue less than $500,000 are exempt from requiring an auditor’s report.
3. Your organisation has an annual gross revenue of less than $5 million.
4. Your organisation receives less than 60% of its annual revenue from federal, state or local government funding, where income is above $1million per annum. This is not applicable for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations or income derived for provision of NDIS services.
5. Your proposed initiative is located within NSW/ACT/QLD/WA.
6. Your organisation is not currently funded with a grant from Westpac Foundation. 

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.

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)

If your organisation has made a positive difference to the health, safety and wellbeing of its stakeholders, you are encouraged to recognise this achievement at Australia’s leading health and safety awards platform. Regardless of whether your safety initiative is big or small, if it has led to continuous improvement in performance, we want to hear about it. With ten categories for which to submit nominations there is a category for everyone.

The awards are open to any Australian operating business, organisation, alliance or individual in the public or private sector, with a workplace health and safety initiative that complies with one of the ten categories:

• Best Continuous Improvement of a WHS Management System
• Best Solution of a WHS Risk (Small to Medium Business: 1 - 199 employees)
• Best Solution of a WHS Risk (LARGE Business: 200+ employees)
• Best WHS Training Program
• Best Communication of a Safety Message
• Ian Chisholm Award for Best Individual WHS Achievement
• Best Safety Leadership Program/Initiative
• Best Health & Wellbeing Program
• Best Return & Recovery at Work System
• Best Solution for Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work
• Best WHS Commercial Product or Service Innovation

Creative Australia is introducing a new national Giving Day to the Arts, taking place on Thursday 23 October 2025.

This program is designed to support and enable a collective action by artists and arts organisations to fundraise on one national day – increasing the visibility of arts philanthropy and encouraging greater generosity in support of the arts.

Through creating a nation-wide groundswell, the introduction of the Giving Day to the Arts aims to elevate the public value of the arts in the consciousness of everyday Australians and increase donor engagement in support of Australian creativity.

The initiative will provide micro-grants to artists and small to medium art organisations (of less than $5 million operating budget) to support the creation of digital content for fundraising campaigns across a 12-hour public campaign.

In addition to the micro-grants, the program also offers a series of free online fundraising workshops and coaching sessions, accessible to artists and arts organisations of any size, to support the engagement and capability of artists and arts organisations to attract private investment. These workshops are specifically designed to develop knowledge and confidence and maximise fundraising success in delivery of a giving day.

Who can apply

Applicants to the micro-grant opportunity must meet the following criteria:

• be a practicing Australian artist or a small to medium-sized arts organisation, active in fundraising for an arts and cultural project, cause or activity, with an annual operating budget under $5 million
• be a legally constituted entity (with an ABN)
• be 18 years or older
• be based in Australia and are carrying out the majority of their arts activity or practice within Australia
• work within one or more of the following artforms: First Nations Arts, Music, Visual Arts, Literature, Dance, Theatre, Emerging and Experimental Arts (EEA), Community Arts and Cultural Development (CACD), and Multi-Arts
• demonstrate capacity to deliver a fundraising campaign
• demonstrate fundraising capability, including a minimum delivery of one fundraising campaign in the last 3 years (01 July 2022/ 30 June 2023 – 01 July 2024/ 30 June 2025)
• active social media accounts (minimum activity of at least 12 months).

This grant opportunity is available under Program 1.1 – Jobs, Land and Economy of the IAS. The IAS provides grant funding for activities that address areas of need for First Nations peoples that align with targets agreed under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (CtG). 

The Indigenous Rangers Program (IRP) Expansion Round 2 is an open competitive grant round. 

The IRP supports First Nations people to manage Country in accordance with the objectives of Traditional Owners, and to build career pathways in cultural and natural resource management.

Indigenous Rangers use traditional knowledge and cultural practices, and Western science, to manage land, river and sea Country and deliver environmental, cultural, social and economic development outcomes for First Nations communities. 

For the IRP Expansion Round 2, up to $165 million (GST exclusive) is available over 3 years (1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028) to create up to 500 full time equivalent ranger positions, equating to over 800 ranger jobs. Should further funding for the IRP Expansion Round 2 be made available, the NIAA may use this additional funding for this grant opportunity.

To be eligible you must:

• provide evidence of cultural authority and legal access to land included in your application (for more information see section 4 of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines (GOGs))
• complete and attach the Engagements, Activities and Budget Template (for more information see section 7 of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines (GOGs))
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• where relevant, be registered for the purposes of GST
• have an account with an Australian financial institution
• be one of the entity types specified in section 4 of the GOGs.

The NIAA will not accept your application unless you:

• have rectified any issues of previous non-compliance with existing Commonwealth agreements to the satisfaction of the Commonwealth, or be in the process of rectifying any issues of non-compliance with existing Commonwealth agreements to the satisfaction of the Commonwealth
• are financially viable to the NIAA’s satisfaction

For organisations that operate with, or represent, multiple Traditional Owner groups across multiple locations, one application must be made per project/activity. Each project or activity representing different and distinct Traditional Owner groups and locations will require separate applications and will be assessed separately.

A Mental Health Month project or event is a great way to encourage awareness of mental health, and social and emotional wellbeing in your community. It can decrease stigma, and empower people to seek help, for themselves or others.

Each year, Wayahead extends over 30 small grants of either $500 or $1000 to community groups and organisations across NSW, facilitating the initiation of Mental Health Month projects or events.

Please be advised that grant applications must align their event dates with Mental Health Month (October), enhancing the significance and impact of the program.

Grant Categories

• General Grant
  The General Grant category encourages individuals, groups or organisations to propose projects or events that promote mental health awareness and dialogue. It supports initiatives aligned with the current years theme, providing funding and partnering with Wayahead to enhance their impact within communities.
• Youth Grant
  The Youth Grant category invites young people, individuals, youth-focused groups or organisations to propose projects or events promoting mental health awareness among peers during Mental Health Month. Recipients align with the current years theme and partner with Wayahead to amplify the impact of their initiatives within communities.
• CALD Grant
  The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Grant category encourages individuals, groups or organisations addressing CALD communities to propose projects or events promoting mental health awareness and support. Recipients align their initiatives with the current years theme and partner with Wayahead to enhance the impact of their events.
• LGBTQIA+ Grant
  The LGBTQIA+ Grant category welcomes individuals, groups or organisations focusing on LGBTQIA+ to propose projects or events promoting mental health awareness and support within the community. Recipients align their initiatives with the current years theme and partner with Wayahead to enhance the impact of their efforts.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Grant
  The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Grant category welcomes individuals, groups or organisations focusing on Indigenous communities to propose projects or events promoting mental health awareness and support. Recipients align their initiatives with the current years theme and partner with Wayahead to support the impact of their efforts within these communities.

The Community Energy Upgrades Fund Round 2 will provide matched funding of up to $2.5 million of eligible expenditure for energy efficiency and electrification upgrades for local governments to deliver reduced energy bills and emissions from local government-owned and/or operated facilities. The program will also support the Commonwealth led National Energy Performance Strategy (NEPS).

The objectives of the program are to support:

• the Government’s broader efforts to reduce emissions and improve energy performance, and contribute to Australia meeting its emission reduction targets of 43 percent by 2030, Net-Zero emissions by 2050, and 82% renewable electricity generation by 2030
• local governments to decarbonise their operations and reduce energy bills through energy efficiency and load flexibility upgrades, and electrification of their existing facilities
• the improvement in energy performance necessary to more easily utilise renewable electricity and improve system reliability.

The intended outcomes of the program are:

• reduced energy bills and emissions from local government-owned and/or operated facilities
• installed energy efficiency, load flexibility and electrification technology that is commercially available
• improved capability of local governments and the wider community to implement energy upgrades and electrification projects in their existing facilities
• increased capacity of domestic supply chains and labour force to support significant future investment in energy efficiency upgrades
• improved workforce skills in delivering and operating energy transition projects.

The program will deliver $100 million over 2 funding rounds and will run over 4 years from 2024-2025 to 2027-28.

You can apply if you:

• have an Australian business number (ABN)

And are one of the following entities:

• a local government body
• a joint local government body (as defined in section 14 of the guidelines).

The National Carers Week Grants (NCW Grants) will form part of Carers NSW’s state-wide plan to celebrate and  recognise carers during National Carers Week.

The primary objective of the NCW Grants is to assist local carers support groups /organisations to run their own National Carers Week events or activities within NSW.

National Carers Week Grants assist carer support groups or organisations to host an event or activity to celebrate carers as part of National Carers Week (NCW).

National Carers Week will be held from Sunday 12 October to Saturday 18 October 2025.

The Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Small & Vital 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.

Grants up to $10,000 are available for a broad range of grassroots, community-led initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities that strengthen local people, places and climate solutions, with a preference for smaller communities (populations under 15,000).

FRRR’s Small & Vital program supports thriving, resilient, and sustainable remote, rural and regional communities across Australia. In particular, priority will be given to projects that:

• Support communities to implement generational transition;
• Invest in outback, remote, and less resourced communities;
• Build capacity and resourcing for a just and equitable energy transition;
• Support First Nations-led initiatives that strengthen culture, country, economic participation, and reconciliation.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and assessed quarterly.