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Community Grant Round

Community Grant Round: Re-design

The Foundation has redesigned the Community Grant Round, formerly referred to as the Main Grant Round, in line with its 2025-28 Strategic Plan. This shift includes an increase in multi-year partnerships, drawing on trust-based philanthropy principles, alongside a continued commitment to single year grants for a diverse range of community initiatives.

There is now a dual application approach, including:

  • Invite only process for multi-year grants
  • Open competitive process for single year grants (General Grants)

All 2026 multi-year grant applicants have already been invited to apply and have a different application process and timeline.

General Grants include two grant types;

  • Small Grants valued at between $1,000-$15,000
  • General Grants valued at between $15,001-$50,000

For further information on this change, please see the following News Article.

2026 Community Grant Round – Opening 1st December

The Geelong Community Foundation 2026 Community Grant Round will open for single year applications on 1st December. Applications will be accepted for activities that align with the Foundation’s four grant streams.

  • Food and Emergency Support
  • Health, Resilience and Connection
  • Education and Employment; and
  • Environment and Sustainability

For more information on eligible grant activities, click here.

Applicants can apply for grants that support organisational activity, new and existing program delivery, new and existing projects and capacity building initiatives. Grant funding can be used for operational, salary and capital expenditure, or a combination of these. Grant funding cannot be used for expenses that have already been incurred.

Activities must be delivered within the City of Greater Geelong, Borough of Queenscliffe, Surf Coast Shire and Golden Plains Shire. All activities must be delivered within a 1-year period, from 1 July 2026-30 June 2027.

Applications can be submitted for grants between $1,000 and $50,000.

Information Session – Tuesday 9th December 1pm

There will be an online Information Session via Zoom on Tuesday 9 December, 1:00pm-2:00pm. In this session we will go through Grant Eligibility, Key Dates and the Application Forms, providing greater detail around what we are looking for in an application.

Zoom link to be provided on 1st December.

Small Grant Applications

Applications for grants of $1,000 – $15,000 should be completed on the Foundation’s Small Grant Application Form. Applications for small grants require less information than larger applications.

Applications for small grants will support one-off activity for a period of one-year only.

General Grant Applications

Applications for grants of $15,001- $50,000 should be completed on the Foundation’s General Grant Application Form.

Applications for general grants will support activity delivery for a period of one-year only.

Grant Eligibility Requirements

  • Only one application per organisation can be submitted
  • Grant applicants must be endorsed as either a Deductible Gift Recipient 1 (DGR1) or Tax Concession Charity (TCC) or have a confirmed auspice arrangement with an organisation that has either DGR1 or TCC status.
  • Grant applicants (or confirmed auspice organisation) must be registered with the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission (ACNC) with current and up-to-date reporting on the ACNC register.
  • Auspice organisations are eligible to auspice one application in addition to their own application.
  • Organisations that are predominantly funded by state government are ineligible to apply. i.e. public hospitals and public schools.
  • The grant application must be for the delivery of an activity within the City of Greater Geelong, Borough of Queenscliffe, Surf Coast Shire and Golden Plains Shire.

If you are unsure of your status, please contact Charlotte Walker, Program and Impact Manager on 0478 435 236 or grants@geelongfoundation.org before you commence your application.

Key Dates

  • Applications open Monday 1 December 2025
  • Applications close 11:59pm Sunday 1 February 2026
  • Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in early-May 2026
  • Funding will be provided in June 2026 following the receipt of an executed grant agreement
  • Successful applicants will be invited to attend the Foundation’s Annual Grant Reception on Thursday 28th May 2026
  • Grant delivery period: 1 July 2026 – 30 June 2027

Grant Assessment

Grant Applications will be reviewed by staff of the Foundation and the Foundation’s Grants Committee. Applications will be assessed in line with the Foundation’s grants criteria and scoring matrix and will be prioritised for funding based on the need in the community and the intended impact of the activity.

Organisations may be required to present their case for funding at a face-to-face interview with members of the Grants Committee.

All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application in mid-May 2026.

Application Forms and Instructions

2026 Community Grant Round Application Instructions

To apply for the 2026 Community Grant Round, you will need to complete the online application form. The Small and General Grant online application forms will be available on 1st December.

Before you complete the application form you should review the Grant Agreement Terms and Conditions to ensure that your organisation will be able to comply with the requirements of the grant.

Small Grant Application

To apply for a Small Grant between $1,000- $15,000 complete the online Small Grant Application Form.

General Grant Application

To apply for a Grant between $15,001- $50,000 complete the online General Grant Application Form.

We recommend that you download the Word version of the Grant Application Form and prepare your response within the Word document. You will then be able to cut and paste your answers from the Word version into the online application form when you are ready to submit.

Small Grant applications are required to include a Budget and General Grant applications are required to include a Budget, Activity and Risk Work Plan.

Please refer to the Grant Application Guidance Documents for tips on how to respond to each question in the Application Forms and Budget spreadsheets.

If your organisation does not have DGR1 or TCC status you will need to have an auspice arrangement in place. To apply for the grant and you will need to upload an Auspice Confirmation as part of your application.

If you require any further information or would like to discuss your grant application, please contact Charlotte Walker, Program and Impact Manager on 0478 435 236 or grants@geelongfoundation.org.

Please note – the Foundation requires you to contact Charlotte Walker prior to commencing an application to ensure it is eligible and aligns with the Foundations’ grant streams and funding priorities.

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