What’s in the 2024-25 federal budget for your grantseeking organisation?

Funding highlights for community groups and social sector services included:

New, additional and reallocated funding

• an additional $1.9 billion in concessional loans to community housing providers to deliver new social housing
• $1.7 billion to establish the Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund, which will include a range of funding for Australia’s transition to renewable energy
• $777 million over five years from 2023–24 for a new Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program to create up to 3,000 jobs in remote Australia, including $188.7 million over four years from 2024–25 for a Community Jobs and Business Fund to support community development and employment. The investment will replace the Community Development Program.
• $756.4 million over five years from 2023–24 to establish a Leaving Violence Program (LVP) to provide financial support for victim-survivors of intimate partner violence, which will be available for applications in July 2025
• $700 million in concessional loans and grants for crisis and transitional accommodation, redistributed from the National Housing Infrastructure Facility at the 2023–24 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook
• $165.7 million to establish a Defence Industry Development Grant program for Australian defence industry businesses
• $100 million over four years from 2025–26 for an Active Transport Fund to support the construction and upgrade of bicycle and walking paths
• $76.2 million over five years from 2023–24 towards a new voluntary prison-to- employment transition program for First Nations people, including grants to support job creation opportunities
• $55.6 million over four years to launch the Building Women’s Careers program to help women to access training in clean energy and construction and promote workplace culture change
• $37 million over three years from 2025–26 for a new Scaling Success program to expand Future Drought Fund projects that have demonstrated successful outcomes
• $36 million over four years from 2024–25 for the Future Drought Fund Communities Program to support social resilience and the mental wellbeing of farmers and communities. The Funding Centre team understands this will flow into the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal’s (FRRR’s) Small Networks Grants Stream 1 and Stream 2
• $15 million over four years from 2024–25 to partner with First Nations people and communities to support connection to Country through the management of drought and climate risks
• $14.2 million over two years from 2024–25 to improve community safety in Alice Springs and surrounds
• $14 million over two years from 2024–25 to establish a new grant program for peacekeeping activities
• $8.6 million in 2024–25 for a Revive Live program to support Australian live music venues and festivals and improve accessibility and inclusion at live music events
• $4.7 million over three years from 2024–25 to establish a $100 million Outcomes Fund, which will focus on positive outcomes for families and children, preventing cycles of disadvantage, barriers to employment, and housing

Continued and extended funding

• Extension of the Energy Bill Relief Fund, with $872 million allocated in 2025–26
• $138 million to boost funding for emergency food relief and financial support, including funding for the National Emergency Management Agency
• $67 million over four years from 2025–26 for the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program, which provides small grants to kickstart drought resilience plans
• $62.9 million over two years from 2024–25 towards the Sporting Schools Program, which funds Sporting Schools Grants
• $60.3 million over six years from 2024–25 to continue and expand the Long-Term Trials Program to test drought and climate resilience and adopt drought resilience innovations
• $45.5 million over three years from 2024–25 to extend the current Community Development Program (CDP) provider arrangements from 31 October 2024 to 30 June 2025, when a new remote employment services program will replace the current CDP provider arrangements
• $27 million over three years from 2024–25 to extend targeted support for refugee and migrant women experiencing domestic and family violence, as part of the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) Program
• $17 million over two years from 2024–25 towards the Local Sporting Champions and Local Para Champions programs
• $12.8 million over four years from 2024–25 to extend the Indigenous Youth Connection to Culture program which aims to improve mental health outcomes for First Nations youth
• $11.6 million over two years from 2024–25 to continue support for Men’s Sheds and existing national men’s health research and data collection initiatives
• $10.5 million over two years from 2024–25 towards the Participation Grants program
• $10 million in 2024–25 for the National Australia Day Council to deliver community grants for Australia Day events
• $500,000 over three years from 2024–25 to continue to support the ABC Heywire program, which works with FRRR to administer the Heywire Youth Innovation Grants

It's still unclear when or how this money will trickle down to not-for-profits and community groups, but we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for grant updates relevant to Funding Centre members.

In the meantime, log in to your Funding Centre account to sign up for alerts to be among the first to know where the money is flowing, to search for grants, and to manage your grant applications using the dashboard tool.

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