Useful Links

If you have any trouble going to any of these websites directly –

  • either copy and paste them into the search engine you are using, or
  • take the department identification only and search for the particular information you want once you get onto the site.
Government funding

GrantsLINK www.grantslink.gov.au
GrantsLINK is a Commonwealth government sponsored website designed to help you to find suitable and relevant grants for your community projects from the many Commonwealth, state and territory government grants that are available.

Arts Queensland www.arts.qld.gov.au/funding/gritty-places
Australia Council for the Arts www.australiacouncil.gov.au
Australian culture and recreation www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/

Australian Film Commission www.afc.gov.au
Community engagement www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au;

Community renewal www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au

Environment & Heritage www.environment.gov.au
Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal www.frrr.org.au;     www.regionalaustralia.gov.au
Gambling Community Benefit Fund www.gcbf.qld.gov.au
Playing Australia, Festivals Australia, Visions Australia www.arts.gov.au
Queensland Arts Council (including Regional Arts Fund) www.qac.org.au

Information and advice on seeking grants, grants database, fundraising products and packages www.ourcommunity.com.au including:

  • Grants Resources which include the Easy Grants Newsletter, a comprehensive source of grants information; Winning Grants Funding in Australia, a step-by-step guide aimed at increasing your chances of winning grants; and the Top 50 Grants in Australia Books in a wide range of categories. www.ourcommunity.com.au/grantsresources
  • Raising Funds Packages which include the Raising Funds Newsletter, a bi-monthly fundraising information service; and two books, How to Find Money Fast - 50 Great Ways to Raise up to $5,000 and the new Complete Community Fundraising Handbook - How to make the most money ever for your community organisation. www.ourcommunity.com.au/rfpackages.

Blueprint for the Bush under the Strengthening Rural Communities Strategy:

  • ‘Our Place, Our Future’ – resourcing rural capacity initiative’. (There is up to ,20,000 of funding for both planning phases and implementation phases of a project that fits the guidelines). The following projects would be legitimate areas for application according to this readers mining of the documentation:
  • Cultural planning for organisations or communities as a whole. (Roma Shire Council had a successful project called Celebrating Life where creative activity is being used as part of cultural planning).
  • Community cultural development projects (like skills development workshops, artists in residence programs to create new performance works or art work that engage communities and contribute to their identity). Such projects are an investment in safer communities because neighbours learn to work together, identify commonalities and understand differences.
  • Creative Streetscaping as an investment in livability. Engaging an artist on the team from the very inception of such projects will always enhance the outcome.
  • Public art which creates a sense of place and enhances livability.
  • Festival and event management. The project management component is where it is often most needed and this frequently ends up being voluntary instead of a paid position on which economic outcomes as well as creative ones can be built.
    www.dlgpsr.qld.gov.au
General grants and further resources

Philanthropy
Philanthropic trusts or foundations are also a potential source of support.  A philanthropic trust or foundation is generally a perpetual trust designed to make grants to charities or to carry out charitable purposes.  They can be government initiated or founded by individuals, groups, communities or corporations. They attract tax deductible donations which are invested in perpetuity to provide a permanent and hopefully increasing source of funding. Generally, each year the income earned is made available for distribution in the form of grants to not-for-profit or charitable entities or individuals.  
Examples include:

  • The Myer Foundation www.myerfoundation.org.au  or 03 9207 3040
    makes grants across Australia for general charitable purposes in accordance with a vision to improve peoples’ lives in lasting and positive ways. The Sidney Myer Fund supports the arts, and seeks to play a critical role in upholding the integrity of the arts community within Australia by supporting artistic initiatives that often fall outside other funding agendas
  • The Sony Foundation Australia www.sonyfoundation.org.au
    provides significant support to a variety of youth-related charity projects and organisations
  • The Telstra Foundation www.telstrafoundation.com or 1800 208 378. 
    A program devoted to enriching the lives of Australian children and young people and the communities in which they live, with two main programs:
    • the Telstra Foundation Community Development Fund; and
    • the Telstra's Kids Fund. Each fund has its own guidelines to support a diverse cross section of the community.

Philanthropy Australia is the peak body for philanthropic trusts and foundations. It provides a range of information products and services for organisations looking for funding. www.philanthropy.org.au

Centre for Philanthropy & Non-Profit Studies, QUT - www.bus.qut.edu.au

Granted www.granted.org.au provides free reviews of funding submissions for community organisations. Granted focuses on helping organisations that aim to make a positive social or environmental impact but which have limited resources to seek funding. A key aim of Granted is to build capacity within community organisations. To this end, Granted does not write submissions or draft content themselves. Instead, they provide a fresh perspective, comments on the strengths and weaknesses of submissions and suggestions for improvement.

Scholarships database www.grantsearch.com.au

Over 850 Australian cultural websites www.acn.net.au/grants

A single access point to a full range of opportunities www.artsinfo.net.au 

Young Australians www.youngaustralians.org

Film www.qpix.org.au; www.actf.com.au; www.sbs.com.au

Regional Tourism www.regionaltourism.com.au

Partnerships www.partnerships.gov.au

www.vichealth.vic.gov.au for a Partnership Analysis Tool

Arts and business partnerships www.abaf.org.au 

Asset Based Community Development www.community-problem-solving.net

Visual arts websites on www.anulib.anu.edu.au

A reciprocal links directory for Australia www.aussielocal.com.au/arts1.htm

Craft information, materials and resources  www.craftaus.com.au

New Zealand sites on www.zeroland.co.nz or www.creativenz.govt.nz