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Grants and Funding

Participation Grant Program

Delivering inclusive, high quality sport and physical activity programs to help tens of thousands of Australians get active

The Sport Australia Participation Grant Program (the Program) will invest in innovative new programs that bring communities together and help more Australians enjoy the social, personal and health benefits participating in community sport and physical activity can deliver.

Grants range from $50,000 to $450,000 to support eligible organisations.

National sporting organisations, national sporting organisations for people with disability and national physical activity providers are eligible to apply. Clubs are not eligible to apply as primary grant applicants, but are encouraged to talk to their state and/or national bodies to express their interest in the Program.

Objectives

The Program aims to support new or modify or extend existing projects which:

  • address barriers to sport and physical activity, noting that COVID-19 has impacted many Australians
  • increase participation in sport and physical activity through the provision of inclusive and high-quality sport and physical activity experiences
  • build awareness of the benefits of being active through sport and physical activity.

Information session

On Tuesday 14 September, an optional information session on the Participation Grant Program was held for eligible organisations.

Video Transcript

Important dates

  • Applications closed: 2pm AEDT Friday 8 October 2021
  • Notification of outcomes and funding announcements: From November 2021

Grant streams

Three funding streams are available:

  • Stream 1 – grants between $50,000 and $250,000 to support national physical activity programs across at least three Australian states or territories.
  • Stream 2 – grants between $50,000 and $450,000 to support national sporting organisation programs across at least three Australian states or territories.
  • Stream 3 – grants between $50,000 and $450,000 to support national sporting organisation program partnerships across at least three Australian states or territories.

Program eligibility

To be eligible to receive funding through the Participation Grants Program, applicants must satisfy the following criteria:

Stream 1 – National physical activity program
Applicants must be a national physical activity organisation and a national/peak non-government organisation [not a national sporting organisation (NSO), national sporting organisation for people with disability (NSOD) or their member organisations].

Stream 2 – National sporting organisation programs
Applicants must be a Sport Australia recognised NSO or NSOD.

Stream 3 – National sporting organisation – Program partnerships
Applicants must be a Sport Australia recognised NSO or NSOD, working in partnership with other Sport Australia recognised NSOs or NSODs.

Read the Program Guidelines for information about eligibility.

Who is not eligible as a primary grant applicant?

You are ineligible to apply as a primary grant applicant if you are a:

  • for-profit organisation
  • a regional or state/territory association (although applications can be developed in partnership with national body)
  • a local club
  • a local council
  • an organisation that has been operating with a not-for-profit status for less than 12 months
  • an individual, partnership or trust
  • a school or university, or
  • a Commonwealth, state or territory government agency or body (including government business enterprises).

How to apply

Before you apply, please read the Program Guidelines to make sure you understand all relevant requirements.

Note: Only one application is allowed per Primary grant applicant per stream.

All applications must be submitted online during the funding application period. No late submissions will be accepted after the application closing time.

To apply, you must:

  • submit an online application form via SmartyGrants
  • provide all the information we need to assess your application
  • consider all eligibility and selection criteria and ensure you have addressed the relevant criteria.

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