Council is always interested in hearing from local community groups and organisations who would like to partner with Council and discuss any ideas or visions they have for the region. Council may provide assistance with sourcing external grant funding including with assisting with your preparation of a grant application where applicable. We endeavour to provide community groups with advice on grant programs that meet their needs as they become available.
Grant Guru / Grant Funding Finder
Never miss a grant opportunity again by signing up with Grant Funding Finder!
Council has partnered with one of Australia’s most powerful grant search engines to bring to local businesses and organisations a FREE one stop search engine for business, event and community grants. Grant Funding Finder gives you access to one of Australia’s most comprehensive and up to date funding databases, making grants accessible and easy to find.
Grant Funding Finder features advanced filtering which allows you to narrow down your search by activity, industry, and current & future grants to suit your needs. The website also has other invaluable information and tips for making grant applications.
Community Grants Open:
Limerick Wind Farm Round 3 grant
Application open: Wednesday 1 July 2026
Application closes: Monday 31 August 2026
As part of our commitment to providing local benefits to communities, Stromlo Energy is running an early sponsorship program during the project development phase. As part of our commitment to providing local benefits to communities, Stromlo Energy is running an early sponsorship program during the project development phase.
Local groups, schools and clubs are invited to apply for sponsorships or grants as part of the program. Grants of up to $5,000 are available. There will be two sponsorship rounds per year during project development.
What sponsorship is available?
Financial support is available for opportunities which benefit local communities surrounding the project. This includes health and social welfare, safety, environment, education, youth projects, sport and recreation, arts and culture and economic development.
How to apply
Before submitting an application, please read the Community Sponsorship Guidelines.
You can apply for funding via our online form or by email.
To apply by email, send your completed form to: [email protected]
Download and fill in the Sponsorship Form
Local Sporting Champions
Application open: Wednesday 1 July 2026
Application closes: Monday 31 August 2026.
Grants for competitors, coaches and officials aged 13-18 participating in state, national and international championships.
The Local Sporting Champions (LSC) program provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors who meet any of the below age guidelines.
- Participants turning 13-18 attending state championships
- Participants turning 14-18 attending state or national championships
- Participants turning 15-18 attending state, national, or international championships
If successful, applicants will receive $500-$750 towards the cost of attending their championships.
- Base Grant: $500
- Applicants travelling 800km – 1999km to their nominated championships: + $100
- Applicants travelling internationally or greater than 2000km to their nominated championships: + $200
- Applicants residing in a rural electorate: + $50
How to apply
Click HERE to apply all Guidelines can be found here
2026 Rabo Community Hubs Grant
The Rabobank Community Fund is offering another 10 x $10K grants again this year to support improvements to rural community hubs and halls across regional Australia.
Applications are now open, closing 30 August 2026.
Museums & Galleries of NSW – Dobell Exhibition Grant | GrantGuru
Overview
This program aims to support high quality exhibitions that speak to a broad audience across NSW. It assists in expanding appreciation for the visual arts, the proposed exhibition should be supported by innovative public and education programs that creatively engage both artists and the community.
The program also aims to promote and encourage the development of audiences for visual art, provide support for associated educational and community programs and recognises the artist’s involvement as critical to this process.
One grant of up to $40,000 (excluding GST) are available.
Applicants may only submit one application per round.
Eligible Activities
Eligible activities include:
- Artist and/or external curator fees (including commissioning fees)
- Education and public program development and delivery costs
- Photography, design and printing
- Writers fees
- Framing, packing and crating of works for display and tour
- Purchase of technology or equipment for display and tour
- Research costs including travel, per diems and accommodation (representing no more than 10% of the grant)
- Marketing and promotion of the exhibition and associated programs
Project must commence after 1 January 2026 and conclude by 31 December 2027. Will consider outperforming arcDUG status. Proposed touring projects may extend beyond this date.
Who Can Apply ?
Eligible applicants include publicly funded regional galleries and cultural centres in NSW. This refers to a facility that is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of a community and its cultural development, and whose primary purpose is to acquire, conserve, research, communicate or exhibit works of art, craft or design.
The gallery does not need to be a local government facility and can be any not-for-profit exhibiting space that fulfills the following criteria:
- The gallery is to be accessible to the public at regular and/or specified times, meet professional facility standards and be owned, administered or operated by a body not constituted for financial or commercial gain.
- Its programs and activities are to be managed by at least one professional staff member with relevant tertiary qualifications and experience.
Main Assessment Criteria
The main assessment criteria include:
- Artistic merit and quality
- Audience engagement
- Viability
Please refer to the Guidelines for the complete list of the assessment criteria.
Restrictions
The following are ineligible for funding:
- Existing staff fees.
- Development of art prizes or awards or permanent displays/exhibitions.
- Applicants who have outstanding acquittals from other Museums and Galleries of NSW grants.
NAB Foundation Community Grants closes 14 September 2026
Community Grants | NAB Foundation – NAB
Australian communities are being hit harder by natural disasters more often. It takes many hands to get communities back up and running after a disaster and to build resilience for the next one.
That’s why the NAB Foundation Community Grants program provides funding of up to $25,000 for local projects that help communities withstand and recover from natural disasters.
NAB Foundation Community Grants support community-led projects that relate to the following categories:
Training and planning
Educational workshops, practical and strategic planning that help communities prepare for a natural disaster.
Community Recovery
Programs to enhance community connection, resilience and wellbeing post natural disaster.
Environment and wildlife
Restoration of damaged vegetation and habitat, and rehabilitation of injured wildlife.
Equipment and Infrastructure
Tools, equipment and infrastructure improvements that help communities withstand natural disasters or recover in their aftermath.
Read more about our previous grant recipients.
How to apply for a Community Grant
The NAB Foundation Community Grants program runs across two rounds in 2026.
Round 2: Opens from 17 August to 14 September, with funding awarded in December 2026.
To apply, visit the NAB Foundation Community Grants portal. The portal provides access to the application form when a grant round is open.
Please contact [email protected] if you have any further questions, or if you would like to be notified when we are open for applications again.
Biala Windfarm Community Fund 2026/2027
Upper Lachlan Shire Council advises that applications for Funding via the Biala Wind Farm Community Fund are now open and will close at 5.00pm on Friday 9 October 2026.
The Biala Wind Farm Community Fund aims to support local initiatives that benefit the Upper Lachlan Shire area via projects and initiatives proposed by members of the community. Applications are being sought for projects that are run, administered or implemented through registered or incorporated not for profit organisations that contribute to neighbouring communities within 20kms of a wind turbine at Biala Wind Farm. Applications will be considered and assessed based on the merits of the individual applications.
The Guidelines and Application Form are available below:
Applications may be submitted by post to: PO Box 42, Gunning, NSW, 2581 or emailed to [email protected].
For more information, please call Council on (02) 4830 1000 or email [email protected].
Alex Waldron, Chief Executive Officer
Royal Agricultural Society of NSW – RAS Foundation Rural Scholarships
RAS Foundation Rural Scholarships
Students in regional areas often have to relocate in order to study, leaving behind the support of family and friends and feeling torn between their education and their obligations. Fortunately, assistance in the form of a RAS Foundation Rural Scholarship can help ease some worries and allow greater freedom to more regularly visit home and lend a hand. Our Rural Scholarship program goes a small way to ensure students from regional areas can chase the same education dreams as students from metropolitan areas. Applications for the 2027 Rural Scholarships are now open and will close on Monday 5th October 2026.
Who can apply?
Rural Scholarships are available to support individuals in NSW and the ACT, who demonstrate a passion for rural communities and commitment for any career that will ensure the future success of rural and regional NSW and the ACT.
Applicants for a Rural Scholarship must:
- Be enrolled in or applying for study in any accredited tertiary course including Vocational Educational Training (VET) courses at an approved Australian education provider. This includes university, TAFE or college.
- Demonstrate a desire to contribute to the future of rural and regional NSW.
- Demonstrate how a scholarship would assist them in achieving their education or training goal.
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
- Be school leavers having completed a minimum of year 10. Students completing school-based apprenticeships and traineeships are not eligible to apply.
What type of courses qualify?
There are no restrictions on the types of courses that qualify, and you could be studying anything from physiotherapy, teaching and medicine to agriculture, horticulture, vet nursing or metal fabrication.
There is no age limit for applicants, and you can be studying at university, college or TAFE. However, applicants all have one thing in common – a desire to play an active part in the future of rural and regional NSW or the ACT.
The Veolia Mulwaree Trust’s third funding round of 2026 is now open
The Veolia Mulwaree Trust’s third funding round of 2026 is now open.
Applications for both the grant and donation programs will close at 5pm on Wednesday, 16 September 2026.
For further information please call the Veolia Mulwaree Trust office on 4822 2786 or click here for information and application forms.