2025-2026 Volunteer Grants

Supports the work of community organisations that rely on volunteers by removing barriers to volunteering and promoting awareness of volunteering opportunities.

*PLEASE NOTE: Expressions of interest are now open and closing dates vary, depending on your local area. Please check with your local Federal Members of Parliament's (MP) office for specific closing dates and for details on how to submit an expression of interest. Organisations nominated by their MP will be invited by the Department of Social Services to fill out an application form in May 2026.*

The Volunteer Grants Activity is an element of the Families and Communities Program, which aims to strengthen relationships, support families, improve wellbeing of children and young people, reduce the cost of family breakdown and strengthen family and community functioning.

Grant funds can be used by community organisations under one or more of the following:

Category 1:
- Purchase communication or insurance items that will benefit any of a community organisation’s volunteers

Category 2:
- Purchase items or services for the main purpose of supporting a community organisation’s volunteers from the following cohorts:
-> Adults whose volunteering activities support children’s development and wellbeing.
-> Children (under 18) as a means of supporting their development.
-> First Nations People.
-> Newly arrived migrants (within the last 5 years) who are not citizens.
-> People with disability (within the meaning of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)
-> Unemployed people who are volunteering to increase their capacity to engage in employment.
-> Veterans and Australian Defence Force members.
-> Women experiencing or at risk of experiencing gender-based violence or isolation to assist them to overcome that gender-based violence or isolation.
- Fund volunteer-run activities within the community organisation for the main purpose of supporting:
-> Children’s (under 18) development and wellbeing and/or parents/carers to develop the skills necessary to ensure a child’s development.
-> First Nations People.
-> Newly arrived migrants (within the last 5 years) who are not citizens.
-> People with disability (within the meaning of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) to participate in any aspect of life.
-> People who are unemployed to increase their capacity to engage in employment (for example, through training or access to existing employment services).
-> Veterans or Australian Defence Force members.
-> Women experiencing or at risk of experiencing gender-based violence or isolation.
-> Women experiencing gender-based discrimination or disadvantage by addressing: gender-based disadvantage in sport, gender-based discrimination in emergency services roles, gender-based disadvantage in rural and remote areas, gender-based disadvantage and discrimination in trades, gender-based disadvantage in the form of food insecurity.
-> Eliminating racial discrimination and promoting understanding, tolerance and friendship amongst racial or ethnic groups through the following: activities that provide anti racism training and promote cultural safety, multicultural art events and other cultural events such as traditional dance and theatre, language classes designed to encourage social cohesion and promote interracial harmony, programs that connect international students with local volunteering opportunities, multicultural sporting events that promote the participation of teams and players from diverse backgrounds, community events that celebrate Harmony Week and/or International Day for the Elimination of Racial discrimination.

Funding totalling $66,665 (GST exclusive) will be available in each of the 150 Federal electorates. All grant funds are to be used for activities which take place in Australia.

Only not-for-profit organisations that have a minimum of 40% of volunteers working for their organisation can apply.

Supports the work of community organisations that rely on volunteers by removing barriers to volunteering and promoting awareness of volunteering opportunities.

• The objectives of Volunteer Grants are to:
• - Help not-for-profit community organisations to support the efforts of Australia’s volunteers
• - Encourage, support and increase participation in volunteering.
• The intended outcome of the activity is to strengthen community functioning by increasing participation in volunteering.

You must be one of the following entity types:
- Company
- Cooperative
- Corporate State or Territory Entity
- Incorporated Association
- Indigenous Corporation
- Non-corporate State or Territory Entity
- Non-corporate State or Territory Statutory Authority
- Statutory Entity
- A not-for-profit community organisation associated with, but not legally part of, a Local Council
- Unincorporated association.