Home » Grants offered for Australia Day community events

Grants offered for Australia Day community events

Daniel Bouwmeester October 20, 2023 2 min read

Not-for-profit community groups are welcome to apply for funding to host Australia Day 2024 events, under the National Australia Day Council (NADC) grants program.

Since NADC’s launch in 2021, its Australia Day Community Events grants have helped deliver more than 1,000 community events, from Welcomes to Country to citizenship ceremonies, morning teas, and multicultural festivals.

Grants are available to all local councils, state government bodies, and not-for-profit organisations, including service clubs like Rotary and Lions.

Submissions close on 31 October 2023.

Blair MP Shayne Neumann said Australia’s local government and community sectors played a vital role in Australia Day.

“Event hosts can apply for a fixed grant of $10,000 to deliver events on Australia Day that use the NADC’s ‘Reflect. Respect. Celebrate. We’re all part of the story’ messaging,” Mr Neumann said.

Promoting inclusion

The National Australia Day Council aims to make these events more inclusive and improve Indigenous community engagement.

“Applicants that collaborate with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities [can] apply for an additional $5,000,” Mr Neumann explained.

“[This could be] through things like Welcome to Country and smoking ceremonies, storytelling, and cultural performances.”

“They offer a great opportunity to learn more about our local history, and to embrace the cultures of local First Nations peoples.

“Applicants also need to demonstrate their event would be inclusive of, and accessible for, people living with a disability.

“[Examples include] having Auslan interpreters, ramp hires, accessible amenities or providing quiet spaces,” he said.

*^{Blair MP Shayne Neumann is encouraging community groups, like Karana Bellbowrie Rotary (pictured here, earlier this year), to apply for grants. Image: Shayne Neumann.}*

“A truly inclusive Australia Day means ensuring all Australians feel welcome to attend.

“Finally, applicants are encouraged to support local businesses and communities through the planning and delivery of the event,” Mr Neumann said.

Organisations who received an Australia Day 2023 community grant are eligible to apply again, Mr Neumann said.

Grants will be awarded to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis until the funding pool is exhausted.

For more information, see https://www.australiaday.org.au/2024-grants or email grants@australiaday.org.

Centre launches toward a healthier community

Daniel Bouwmeester

Daniel was born in a mining town in New South Wales to Dutch and Welsh immigrants, before relocating to Logan City, where he attended Canterbury College for twelve years. He pursued his passion for music by completing a first-class honours degree at the University of Queensland (UQ), and later signed with a local record label. He has travelled the world from a young age, including a student exchange in rural France, a job working the ski lifts in Colorado, and visits to the islands of the South Pacific. After a six-year career in market research, Daniel returned to UQ to complete a Bachelor of Journalism and Arts dual degree, majoring in political science. His varied experiences at home and abroad have contributed to a passion for spreading good news while defending the truth buried inside complex societal paradigms.