Volunteer Grants Now Open!

Expressions of interest are now open for the 2024-25 round of the Federal Government's Volunteer Grants program!

Volunteers are the backbone of so many of our wonderful community organisations, and these grants will provide a way to support these amazing individuals and programs.

As per usual, grants between $1,000 to $5,000 are available.

However, there are changes that have been made to the Volunteer Grants program. Please read the following information carefully.

There are two categories for Volunteer grants: 

• Category 1: for communications and IT items (such as laptops, phones, payment devices and software), and paying for insurance premiums.
• Category 2: for items and services that support the development and well-being of children and young people under 18. 

Category 1 will be useful for groups who need help with the costs of modernising their operations and to cover key costs, including insurance premiums and internet bills. Enabling organisations to utilise funds for items and services that support online communication can reduce the administrative burden associated with many forms of volunteering.

Category 2 focuses on young volunteers and activities that support children’s wellbeing and development. This category includes many of the expenditure types that will be familiar from previous rounds of Volunteer Grants, such as first aid training, fuel costs, whitegoods, appliances, sports equipment, and promotion of volunteering.

For more information, visit the grant guidelines: https://www.grants.gov.au/Fo/Show?FoUuid=5dfb2962-c6ac-4d8b-995d-5de87cfb24f3

Eligibility: 

• Must be a not-for-profit organisation
• Have a minimum of 40% of volunteers working for your organisation
• Be an Australian Business Number (ABN) or be willing to provide a statement by Supplier form (reason for not quoting an ABN). Please refer to the Australian Tax Office website for further information

Please note that, according to the timeframes set by the Department, funding for successful applicants is not expected to be available until July-August 2025. Therefore, any expenditure detailed in your EOI must relate to items or activities that can be purchased or undertaken after this period. Please ensure your Expression of Interest is planned with this timeline in mind.

Please note submissions of expressions of interest will close on Tuesday January 21 5:00 pm. 

If you have any questions or would like assistance in expressing your interest, please contact my office on (03) 9416 8690 or at [email protected]