Funding to celebrate culture, improve leadership skills, or assist with lifelong learning

This grant focuses on cultural integrity. This is where a society supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aspirations. It helps to build respectful, fair, and sustainable communities.

Individuals can get a grant of up to $5,000 and organisations up to $10,000.

Projects must take place in the ACT and can include:

• Community Awareness: activities or projects that promote wider community awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
• Collaboration: activities, programs, or projects for the benefit of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
• Cultural Milestones: activities, programs or projects that mark important cultural milestones or celebrations. These include but not limited to National Sorry Day, Mabo Day, or NAIDOC Week.
• Performances: cultural performances activities, programs, or projects.

This grant focuses on Community Leadership. This is where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people:

• have a strong voice
• are decision makers on issues that affect them
• lead in the achievement of positive life outcomes.

Individuals can get a grant of up to $5,000 and organisations up to $10,000.

Leadership Grants aim to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or community organisations to undertake learning activities to enhance their leadership skills and abilities. This is to better equip themselves to lead and engage within the ACT on behalf of their communities and/or organisations.

Applications in this category can be for projects or initiatives:

• that build leadership capability for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• that strengthen the governance of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Organisation
• to participate in the local and national parliamentary processes linked to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the ACT. Such as, initiatives to support training programs that will empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to aspire to government leadership.

This grant focuses on lifelong learning. This is about respecting the preservations of the world's oldest living cultures which enhances social inclusion and empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to fully engage in lifelong learning and positive generational experiences.

Individuals can get a grant of up to $5,000. Organisations are not eligible in this category.

The intention of the Scholarship Grants is to attend recognised training courses so that you can either gain employment, achieve a career change or a promotion in your current career. You can use grants in this category to cover enrolment or course fees for adult education.

This grant can fund IT equipment to support adult learning up to a threshold of $1,000. We won't consider applications for IT equipment if the applicant has received IT funding in grant rounds in the previous two years (2023 and 2024).

We won't grant funds for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people enrolled in primary, high school or college.

Organisations can apply if they:

• are a non-government, legally incorporated entity, or support by an incorporated auspicing organisation
• are a registered not-for-profit or a charitable organisation
• can demonstrate that the program, project, or activity will be of benefit to ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and must demonstrate a strong connection the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community
• have no overdue acquittals.

Individuals can apply if they:

• are over the age of 18 years old,
• reside in or have a connection to the ACT or surrounding regions through education or work. They must provide a copy of an ACT or NSW Driver's License or Proof of Identity Card, or proof of residency stating their current address. As defined in the Canberra Region Local Industry Participation Policy, the Canberra Region includes the area comprising the Australian Capital Territory and the New South Wales Member Councils including:
  • Bega Valley
  • Eurobodalla
  • Goulburn-Mulwaree
  • Hilltops
  • Queanbeyan-Palerang
  • Snowy Monaro
  • Upper Lachlan
  • Yass Valley
• are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person
• have no overdue acquittals.

Following the eligibility check, a Grant Assessment Team will assess all eligible applications.

The Grant Assessment Team includes:

• a chairperson
• 2 other assessors.

We appoint Grant Assessment Team members based on their knowledge of the issues faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and will consist of at least 2 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Grant Assessment Team members will assess your application with the information you provided against the grant’s selection criteria.

If you have been successful in other recent grant rounds, the assessors may consider this during their assessment if we receive a high number of applications. This is to ensure fairness across all applicants.

All decisions on whether to award, or the amount of, a grant is at the sole discretion of the Community Services Directorate.

Successful applicants must enter into an Agreement. This will be by a Letter of Offer with the Community Service Directorate for the grant we are providing funds for. The Letter of Offer will include:

• how to accept an offer
• details on the grant amount
• the purpose or activity for which we have given the grant
• the term of your funded activity for which you must expend the grant amount in full
• how to acquit your grant funds when you have completed the project.

• Australian Multicultural Action Network Incorporated  - $3,600 – Harmony Through Understanding: Fostering Cultural Integrity for Equitable Agreement & Unity in Respect
• Baringa Child Care Centre Incorporated - $10,000 - Ngunnawal Language Early Years Project
• Barnardos Australia – $10,000 – Connection Camp
• Beryl Women Incorporated - $9,955 – Beryl's NAIDOC Panel Event - Keep the fire burning!
• Canberra and District NAIDOC Aboriginal Corporation - $10,000 -, NAIDOC Family Day
• Community Services 1 – $3,500 – Cultural Safety Training
• Individual – $5,000 - Cultivating Wellbeing: Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Individuals & Communities in the ACT
• Individual – $2,500 - for a concert
• Individual – $5,000 – Country to Couture
• Individual – $1,500  – Master of Indigenous Business Leadership- Study Tour and Cultural Knowledge Exchange
• Individual – $5,000 –  Country to Couture
• Individual – $4,752 – Presentation - International Symposium Poetic Inquiry
• Individual – $1,500 - Cultural Grant, Healing Journey
• Onerwal Local Aboriginal Land Council - $10,000 -  Onerwal LALC Elders Support Program
• Sisters in Spirit Aboriginal Corporation - $10,000 - Empowering Aboriginal Women: Participation in Women's Conference
• Sisters in Spirit Aboriginal Corporation - $10,000 – Empowering Aboriginal Women: Learning and Development Initiative
• WhISPers Softball Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander - $10,000 - for a Community Cultural Fair
• whISPers Softball - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation – $10,000 – Let's Talk It Up
• Yeddung Mura (Goodpathways) Aboriginal Corporation – $10,000 – Public Speaking training for Yeddung Mura Staff

• Belconnen Arts Centre Incorporated - $10,000 - NAIDOC in the North
• Beryl Women Incorporated - $8,067 - NAIDOC Event - The theme for 2023 is "For Our Elders"
• Ginninderra Catchment Group - $9,500 - Sharing Ngunawal Knowledge: A Cultural Heritage video project
• Individual - $1,000 - IT equipment to support Glass2Textiles: product diversification
• Individual - $3,200 - Cultural competency for supervisors of Aboriginal People
• Individual - $5,000 - Leadership and Governance Development at Healing our Spirit Worldwide
• Individual - $5,000 - Supporting the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with Sensory Disorders
• Individual - $4,950 - Wallabindi Dreaming EP Launch
• Individual - $5,000 - For our Elders NAIDOC Week Fashion Show 2023 - In honour of Aunty Agnes Shea
• Individual - $5,000 - Culture talks program
• Karralika Programs Incorporated - $9,965 - Karralika Programs Cultural Support Program
• Khumburra Netball auspiced by Gilmore Church Incorporated - $9,920 - Khaamburra Netball Leadership Group 2023
• Lyons Early Childhood School Community Association Incorporated - $10,000 - Our Culture, Our History, Our Community
• Macquarie Primary School P&C Assn Inc - $9,768 - Connecting with Indigenous students and families workshops
• Mental Health for Mob Aboriginal Corporation - $10,000 - Mental Health for Mob Acknowledgement of Elders and their influence on Young People
• Ngunnawal Primary School Parents & Citizens Association Inc - $10,000 - Yarning Circle Community mural project
• Pearce Preschool Parents Association Inc - $3,850 - Wiradjuri Echoes cultural education workshops for Pearce Preschool
• St Vincent de Paul Society (Canberra / Goulburn) Incorporated - $8,715 - ACT Community Sector NAIDOC Week Event
• Valley Dragons Rugby League Football Club - $9,170 - Indigenous Round
• Weston Creek Woden Basketball Club - $10,000 - WCW Dodgers Ngunnawal Dreaming project
• Winyu ELS - YWCA Canberra - $4,000 - Yumalundi - Meeting place
• Woden Valley Child Care Association Inc - $8,600 - Language Development (understanding and learning Ngunnawal language)