Grants and Opportunities
RDA Northern Rivers seeks to support the Northern Rivers business community by featuring available grants and opportunities for the benefit of our local economy and community. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of the grants that are available, instead it is a list of featured grants, primarily for organisations.
There are many more grants available and we have provided some useful links below to help you find them. RDA Northern Rivers can support your application through access to regional data, application assistance and support letters.
Need some guidance to help write your application? RDA Northern Rivers Successful Grant Writing Toolkit provides a step by step guide to help you write winning grants.
RDA Sydney are host to two grant writing webinars that provide more insight into the grant writing process. You can access the recording of the first webinar here and download documents from both webinars on the Successful Grant Writing Toolkit page.
What’s on this page?
COVID-19 Grants and Support
Grants closing in December 2024
Grants closing January 2025
Grants closing in February 2025
More grant opportunities
Awards, Scholarships and more
Where to find grants
COVID-19 Grants and Support
The NSW Government has a range of financial support available for businesses and industries affected by the COVID 19 pandemic. Information is available from the NSW Government website.
A complete list of grants, loans and financial assistance available to NSW businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is available on the Service NSW website.
Workplace Legal Advice Program
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s Workplace Legal Advice Program provides eligible employers and employees with independent legal help to deal with workplace issues arising from the coronavirus outbreak.
Grants closing in December 2024
Energy Consumer Australia Participation Grants
Participation Grants provide up to $15,000 to enable residential or small business consumer advocacy by participation in current or forthcoming government, regulatory, or industry decision-making processes, or for small, targeted research projects – Closes 31 December 2024
Rural Procedural Grants Program
This program offers grants to Rural Generalists (RGs), rural General Practitioners (GPs) and eligible locum GPs for approved professional development, subsidising costs to maintain and enhance procedural and emergency medicine skills tailored to their location and community needs – Closes 31 December 2024
Grants closing in January 2025
Regional, Rural and Remote Home Care Workforce Support Program
The purpose of this grant opportunity is to focus on building the home care workforce in regional, rural, and remote locations (Modified Monash Model to 7 areas) where workforce shortages are the most acute by providing funding for an additional 4,000 Personal Care Workers (PCWs) to be engaged in these regions – Closes 6 January 2025
ASEAN-Australia Centre: 2024-25 Grants
The ASEAN-Australia Centre welcomes applications in line with the Centre’s objectives and strategic pillars in the priority areas of creative industry exchange initiatives, cultural initiatives, and projects focused on practical efforts to strengthen Southeast Asia literacy in Australian business, government, the education and training system, and the community – Closes 10 January 2025
National Justice Reinvestment Program – Round 3
The objective of this grant opportunity is to support the development and delivery of community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led justice reinvestment initiatives across Australia – Closes 13 January 2025
Active Transport Fund
The aim of the program is to encourage an increase in active transport through the upgrade of existing and construction of new bicycle and walking pathways across Australia – Closes 13 January 2025
Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships Grant Opportunity Guidelines
School leavers and career changers who enrol full-time in initial teacher education programs commencing in the first semester/study period of 2025 may be eligible for up to $40,000 from the Australian Government to support them in their studies – Closes 13 January 2025
Sponsorship Grants for Student Science Engagement and International Competitions 2025
This grant opportunity provides organisations, such as schools and community groups, with funds to sponsor a student or group of students to participate in STEM engagement events, activities and competitions that are hosted in-person or online, within Australia or overseas – Closes 14 January 2025
Australia-Indonesia Institute Grant Program
The Australia-Indonesia Institute grant program aims to: increase public awareness of Australia in Indonesia, and of Indonesia in Australia, and the importance of the bilateral relationship; develop partnerships in areas of shared interest in the bilateral, regional and global context; and increase Australians’ capacity to effectively engage with Indonesia and Indonesians’ ability to effectively engage with Australia – Closes 14 January 2025
National CQR Automation and Innovation Capacity Building Grants
The National Clinical Quality Registry Program aims to improve the quality of health care and ensure better health outcomes for Australian patients. It is also designed to reflect the key priorities of the National Clinical Quality Registry and Virtual Strategy 2020-2030 – Closes 16 January 2025
ASEAN-Australia Young Women Entrepreneurs’ Exchange Program
the ASEAN-Australia Centre welcomes applications to design and deliver a four-year ASEAN-Australia Young Women Entrepreneurs’ Exchange Program – Closes 17 January 2025
Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 – National Disability Conference Initiative 2025–26
This grant opportunity provides grants to conference organisers to assist people with disability to participate in nationally focused, disability-related, conferences held in Australia – Closes 28 January 2025
Youth Empowerment Program
The Youth Empowerment Program will provide funding to organisations for programs for youth aged 10 to 17 who are engaged in, or at-risk of becoming engaged in, criminal and/or anti-social behaviour – Closes 28 January 2025
Growing and Professionalising the Cyber Security Industry Program
This grant program will provide $1.9 million in funding to design, promote and pilot a professionalisation scheme for Australia’s cyber security workforce – Closes 29 January 2025
NSW Heritage Grants
Heritage funding is available across 4 categories: Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, Activating State Heritage, Caring for State Heritage and Local Government Heritage – Closes 30 January 2025
Grants closing in February 2025
Care Leavers, Stolen Generations and First Nations Forgotten Australians Aged Care Awareness and Education Campaign
This grant opportunity will provide up to $2,000,000.00 (GST exclusive) over four financial years from 2024-25 to 2027-28 across two funding streams to develop and deliver awareness and education campaigns about Care Leavers, Stolen Generations survivors and First Nations Forgotten Australians to aged care providers – Closes 3 February 2025
Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program
The program is designed to provide funding for projects that promote appreciation and understanding of the experiences of service and the roles that those who served have played, and to preserve, add to the sum knowledge on, or provide access to information about Australia’s wartime heritage – Closes 5 February 2025
Regional Economic Development and Community Investment Program
The Regional Economic Development and Community Investment Program is open to initiatives that promote regional economic development and support employment creation and retention – Closes 20 February 2025
Strong and Resilient Communities Activity – Inclusive Communities Round 4 Grants
Strong and Resilient Communities Activity – Inclusive Communities grants will support the social and economic participation of vulnerable and disadvantaged people in their communities by providing funding that supports young people, people with disability, women and people who are unemployed – Closes 20 February 2025
Supporting People with Cancer Round 16
Supporting People with Cancer is an annual grant program that funds projects aimed at reducing the impact of cancer and providing better support for people affected by cancer – Closes 20 February 2025
National Intelligence Postdoctoral Grants
The National Intelligence Postdoctoral Grant (NIPG) program sponsors unclassified academic research designed to achieve Australian Government objectives for research and innovation in national intelligence and security – Closes 21 February 2025
Critical Technologies Challenge Program Round 2
This program provides consortia with funding to develop quantum technology solutions or a component(s) that contributes to a solution for market-led challenges of national significance – Closes 26 February 2025
MVP (Minimal Viable Product) Ventures 2024-2025
The MVP Ventures Program supports startups and innovative SMEs in the product lifecycle between early-stage research and mature investment opportunities, through grants to drive the commercialisation of highly innovative and new products – Closes 28 February 2025
Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) First Nations – Delivery Grant Opportunity – Round 2
The SEE Program includes two distinct but complementary streams to support LLND skills training in metropolitan, regional, and remote areas – Closes 28 February 2025
More grant opportunities
Export Market Development Grants
The EMDG program provides grants to Australian small and medium enterprises and their representative bodies to market and promote their goods and services globally, and undertake export training – Closes when all funds expended
‘Lights on Door Open’ Stipend Program
The ‘Lights on Door Open’ stipend program aims to support eligible organisations, reduce the burden of constant fundraising, and allow them to focus on collections, maintenance, and best practices – Closes when all funds ($226,000) expended
Addressing Critical Psychology Shortages – Postgraduate Psychology Incentive Program – Round 2
The Postgraduate Psychology Incentive Program aims to support higher education providers who have created additional postgraduate psychology places in courses which lead to general registration and can lead to relevant areas of practice endorsement – Closes 11 March 2025
Documentary Producer Program
The Producer Program supports the production and completion of one-off documentaries and series for distribution across broadcast, festival, theatrical, digital, XR and online platforms – Closes 13 March 2025
News Media Relief Program
The News Media Relief Program (the program) will support the sustainability of Australian news publishers in the face of significant disruption to the media sector – Closes 31 March 2025
On Farm Connectivity Program Round 2
The objectives of the program are to extend digital connectivity and take advantage of advanced farm tech, enhance primary producers’ capacity to take up digital agriculture solutions and support access to new communications equipment – Closes 30 April 2024
Mobile Black Spot Program Round 8
The Mobile Black Spot Program is an Australian Government initiative that invests in telecommunications infrastructure to improve mobile coverage and competition across Australia – Closes 30 April 2024
Creative Australia Arts Project Grants
This program funds a range of activities that deliver benefits to the arts sector and wider public, including national and international audiences and communities – Closes 4 March 2025 for projects beginning after 1 June 2025
Electric Vehicle Fleets Incentive – Kick Start
This fixed incentive funding option of the electric vehicle fleets incentive is designed to support eligible organisations to test electric vehicles in the early stage of their fleet transition and has a streamlined option for smaller fleets – Closes 30 June 2025 or when funds are exhausted
Elsa Dixon Aboriginal Employment Grants
Promoting diversity, innovation and service responsiveness in the NSW workforce, the Elsa Dixon Aboriginal Employment Grant subsidises the salary, development and support costs of Aboriginal employees in public service agencies and local government authorities – Closes 30 June 2025
Regional Filming Fund
The Regional Filming Fund offsets costs associated with shooting in regional areas of NSW. Regional NSW is defined as all areas in NSW outside the Sydney Metro area – Closes 30 June 2025
Screen NSW Development Program
Screen NSW Development funding supports writers and producers to develop fiction or unscripted (documentary) and online projects with distinctive ideas and ambitious stories – Closes 30 June 2025
Cancer Patient Care Program
The Cancer Patient Support Program will support, one-off, time-limited activities that provide national leadership on emerging priorities across the cancer control continuum – Closes 1 August 2025
Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program – Phase 4
Funding under Phase 4 of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program is available from 1 July 2023 to support Eligible Funding Recipients to deliver priority local road and community infrastructure projects across Australia – Closes 30 June 2026
Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Worker Retention Payment
Funding to support a wage increase for all eligible ECEC workers – Closes 30 September 2026
Regional Australia Microgrids Pilot Program
In October 2020, the Australian Government announced the $50 million Regional Australia Microgrid Pilots Program (RAMPP) to support pilot demonstrations of microgrids in regional and remote areas – Closes 31 December 2026
Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) Rebate Program Round 2
The objective of the Program is to incentivise voluntary uptake of ADS-B equipment in Australian-registered aircraft operating under Visual Flight Rules and Instrument Flight Rules to improve safety and efficiency for Australian airspace users – Closes 31 May 2027
Bin Trim Equipment Rebates Program
Rebates up to $50,000 are being offered to cover up to 50% of the cost of small-scale, on-site equipment or technology that avoids, reduces, reuses, or recycles waste – Closes 30 June 2027
Lights on Doors Open stipend program to support volunteer-led museums and galleries
The ‘Lights On, Doors Open’ stipend program has been established to relieve the pressures faced by volunteer-led museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces in NSW – Closes when funds are exhausted
Export Market Development Grants – Round 4, Tiers 1, 2 and 3
The Export Market Development Grants program provides matched funding to eligible Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and representative bodies at different points in their export journey – Ongoing
Export Market Development Grants – Round 4, Representative bodies
The Export Market Development Grants program provides matched funding to eligible Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and representative bodies at different points in their export journey – Ongoing
National Cultural Heritage Account
The National Cultural Heritage Account helps to retain and protect Australia’s cultural heritage for future generations and provide public access to important objects that tell a story about our cultural identity – Ongoing
Resource Recovery Community Grants
Ballina Shire Council’s Resource Recovery Community Grant program provides financial assistance to encourage and assist individuals, organisations, and community groups in the implementation of waste minimisation and resource recovery for the benefit of our community – Ongoing
Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) First Nations – Scoping Grant Opportunity Guidelines
SEE First Nations is locally tailored, whole of community LLND skills training delivery to First Nations people through place-based grants – Ongoing
ECEC Workforce Professional Development and Paid Practicum
These grants are being made available to the Early Childhood Education and Care workforce to assist with educator retention and upskilling – Ongoing
Defence Industry Development Grants Program – Exports Stream
The objective of the program is to build the industrial base Australia needs to achieve Defence outcomes in areas of strategic priority – Ongoing
Defence Industry Development Grants Program – Sovereign Industrial Priorities Stream
The objective of the program is to build the industrial base Australia needs to achieve Defence outcomes in areas of strategic priority – Ongoing
Defence Industry Development Grants Program – Skilling Stream
The objective of the program is to build the industrial base Australia needs to achieve Defence outcomes in areas of strategic priority – Ongoing
Defence Industry Development Grants Program – Security Stream
The objective of the program is to build the industrial base Australia needs to achieve Defence outcomes in areas of strategic priority – Ongoing
Industry Growth Program: Commercialisation and Growth
Participants in the Industry Growth Program Advisory Service may apply for Commonwealth grant funding to support specific commercialisation and/or growth projects – Ongoing
Industry Growth Program: Early-Stage Commercialisation
The objective of the early-stage commercialisation grants is to help businesses to undertake the steps necessary to establish the commercialise viability of an innovative product, process or service, including steps to undertake feasibility and proof-of-concept through to prototyping – Ongoing
Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program: Precinct Development and Planning
The program will focus on a partnership approach, bringing together governments and communities to plan and deliver regional precincts that are tailored to local needs and have a shared vision in how the precinct connects to the region – Ongoing
Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program: Precinct Delivery
This program will bring together governments and communities to plan and deliver regional precincts that are tailored to local needs and have a shared vision in how that precinct connects to the region – Ongoing
Workforce Incentives Program (WIP) – Doctors Stream
The WIP – Doctor Stream provides medical practitioners with financial incentives to practice in rural and remote areas of Australia – Ongoing
Safework Small Business Rebate
A rebate provided through Safework NSW to support small businesses to purchase safety items to improve work health and safety – Ongoing
Producer Offset – Screen Australia
The Producer Offset is a refundable tax offset (rebate) for producers of Australian feature films, television and other projects – Ongoing
Made in NSW
Screen NSW’s Made in NSW Program is a five-year funding program to support the advancement of NSW as a production destination for feature films and major television drama programs – Ongoing
Return to Work – Phase 3
The Return to Work Program is for women who have been unemployed for one month or more and intend to return to work as an employee within 6 months – Ongoing
Advancing Renewables Program
Supports a broad range of development, demonstration and pre-commercial deployment projects that can deliver affordable and reliable renewable energy for Australian families and businesses – Ongoing
Screen NSW Development Program
Screen NSW Development funding supports writers, directors and producers to develop fiction or unscripted (documentary) and online projects with distinctive ideas and ambitious stories – Ongoing
Airservices Australia Enroute Charges Payment Scheme
The Airservices Australia Enroute Charges Payment Scheme (program) commenced on 1 January 2002 and was introduced against the background of the collapse of Ansett on September 12, 2001 to assist in ensuring the continuation of air services to regional Australia – Ongoing
Bridges Renewal Program and Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program
The Bridges Renewal Program (BRP) and the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program (HVSPP) are complementary programs designed to provide funding to State, Territory and Local Governments for projects which will upgrade and replace bridges to enhance access for local communities and facilitate higher productivity vehicle access (BRP) and increase the productivity and safety of heavy vehicle operations (HVSPP) – Ongoing
Employer Incentives for Apprentices
The Australian Government offers a range of incentives to employers who hire apprentices, ranging from additional support for identified skill shortages, adult Australian apprentices, Australian apprentices with a disability and wage subsidies – Ongoing
Indigenous Travel Grants
The Travel Grants program is designed to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers in travelling to key international and Australian events. Professional development is a key objective – Applications can generally be made at any time at least five weeks before the event
NSW Heritage Emergency Works Grant
These grants support the protection or repairs to declared Aboriginal Places, items listed on the State Heritage Register, or items with a current interim heritage order that have been damaged by unexpected events (such as an extreme storm or accident) and where your insurance does not cover this cost – Ongoing
Regional Event Fund – Event Development Stream
The Event Development stream supports the strategic growth of proven events that demonstrate a clear rationale for the continued development of its tourism potential – Ongoing
Support for Startups
An initiative under the NSW Government’s Jobs for NSW program to provides capital funding through investment to support growing businesses – Ongoing
Awards, scholarships and opportunities
Young Achiever Awards
Acknowledges, encourages and promotes the positive achievements of all young people aged 30 years and under – Closes 15 January 2025
Nuclear-Powered Submarines Technical Scholarships
Announced as part of the 2024-25 Defence Budget initiatives the Nuclear-Powered Submarines Technical Scholarships grant opportunity will fund one eligible applicant to co-design and manage a national scholarship program which will provide 3,000 two-year stipend scholarships of $5,000 each to domestic students undertaking undergraduate degrees in priority science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) study areas at Australian Universities – Closes 7 February 2025
Women in STEM Cadetships and Advanced Apprenticeships
The Women in STEM Cadetships and Advanced Apprenticeships Program aims to promote equality of opportunity in higher education, through increasing access to, and participation of, up to 600 employed women to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) – Onoing
Where To Find Grants
Government Grants
Australian Government
Grants & Programs is the assistance portal on the Australian Government’s business.gov.au site. The search feature provides access to over 600 grants that support business, local government and community. It includes incentives for research and development, support for small businesses, tax and duty concessions, and assistance for industries in transition.
GrantConnect provides centralised publication of forecast and current Australian Government grants and opportunities and grants awarded
Community Grants Hub is the Australian Government’s site for community-related grants. This can include grants for health, agriculture and landcare. Other sources of Australian Government grants
Department of Social Services
Department of Environment and Energy
Australia Council for the Arts
Screen Australia
Community Grants Hub
NSW Government
The NSW Business Grants support small businesses to hire new employees and expand their business.
Community Builders NSW is a program which provides funding for a range of services to strengthen communities and build their capacity and is provided by NSW Family and Community Services.
Other sources of NSW Government grants
Screen NSW
Create NSW
Arts NSW
Smarty Grants
Club Grants
Museums & Galleries NSW
Northern Rivers Regional Councils
Funding for a range of community projects is available through Northern Rivers local councils. Information about community funding programs can be found on council websites.
Ballina Shire Council
Byron Shire Council
Clarence Valley Council
Lismore City Council
Richmond Valley Council
Tweed Shire Council
Kyogle Council
Other Grant Opportunities
Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal
Australian Communities Foundation
Club Grants
Northern Rivers Community Foundation
Community Broadcasting Foundation
