FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Grants

Helps communities act on issues of current concern for young Australians, as identified by youth at the annual Heywire Youth Summit in Canberra.

FRRR and our donor partners collaborate with ABC Heywire to help empower communities and young people to take action on issues that matter most to them, as identified at the annual Heywire Regional Youth Summit.

The Heywire Youth Summit provides an opportunity for young people from across Australia to collectively identify issues that have impacted them growing up in remote, rural and regional Australia.

The Heywire Youth Innovation Grants provide up to $10,000 for communities to act on these issues by developing local projects that respond to these issues.

Through these grants, this program aims to:
- Make remote, rural and regional Australia a better place to grow up for young Australians
- Put young people at the centre of decision making about issues affecting them within their community
- Strengthen young people’s connections to their community, by providing an avenue for organisations to engage well with youth.

Grants of up to $10,000 are available for communities and young people across Australia to design local solutions addressing the six issues identified at the Heywire Summit.

Applicants are require to submit a brief Expression of Interest (EOI). EOI’s will be shortlisted by the young people who identified these issues at the Summit. Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to submit a full application.

Note, issues that projects can respond to through the 2026 Heywire Grants program will appear on the FRRR website after the Heywire Summit in February.

Priority will be given to projects that are either:
- Youth-led projects
- Partnerships between youth and community organisations
- Youth participation in projects that strengthen the connection to their community.

Funds will be available to deliver initiatives that address one of the six issues identified at the Heywire Summit. A broad range of charitable projects are considered under this program, including:
- Delivering or providing activities, events, programs, and services;
- Purchasing or hiring equipment and materials;
- Community infrastructure projects;
- Organisational capacity building;
- Community resource development.

Helps communities act on issues of current concern for young Australians, as identified by youth at the annual Heywire Youth Summit in Canberra.

To apply, you must meet the following criteria:
- Applicant organisations must be a not-for-profit organisation with either an Incorporation Certificate and/or an ABN
- Project must be for charitable purposes and offer clear public benefit
- Not-for-profit organisations with or without DGR-1 endorsement are eligible
- Organisations can submit one application per grant round
- Projects must address a local issue distinctive to your community.
- Projects must take place in regional Australia, as defined by ABC Heywire – that is, outside of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth or Sydney
- For program purposes, youth is generally defined as ages 12-28.