Seeding Strength Grants

You cannot apply for this grant if you are:

• An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person who works for a non-Indigenous organisation and is applying for these funds on their behalf
• You are not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

Priority will be given to grassroots and not-for-profit campaigns, projects, organisations and movements. We will also aim to fund a diverse mix (age, ability, location, gender, mobs) of people and projects, recognising that there are multiple layers of discrimination and injustice for intersectional mob. Please read the grant guidelines for further information on eligibility. 

Campaign, movement or project grants

• The shortlist: You’ll be notified if you have made it onto the shortlist. If you are on the shortlist, you’ll be invited to meet online with a member of the First Nations team to finalise a more detailed application (including a breakdown of budget & theory of change) with an accompanying video explaining your project / program. You will also be asked for two references from Elders, Traditional Owners and/or community members with cultural authority.
• Final decision: The panel will consider your application. You’ll be notified of the outcome of your application. If you are unsuccessful, there will be an opportunity for you to meet with the First Nations team to get more feedback
• If you are successful, the funds will be released to you.
  Reporting: There’ll be a reporting process, but we’ll keep it simple. We’ll tailor this to your needs.

Rapid Response

• Applications for Rapid Response grants are open all year round and the application process is streamlined. Submit an application via the Seeding Strength application form and we’ll make initial contact within a week, but allow a month for the turn around of funds if successful. We will aim to get them to you as soon as possible.

Grant recipients will be selected by a panel of three First Nations people from our First Nations Governance Group. These are all young mob aged under 35 years. You can read more about our First Nations Governance Group here.

We will prioritise:

• Grassroots and not-for-profit campaigns, projects, organisations and movements.
• Young mob aged 16–25.
• First Nations-led campaigns, movements and projects with limited existing funding or funding opportunities.
• Work led by people with lived experience of disability, LGBTQIA+ identity, the justice system, state care, the mental health system, climate change impacts and/or housing instability.
• We’ll also aim to fund a diverse mix of people and projects across ages, abilities, genders, communities, regional and remote areas, and states and territories.

Applications will be considered against our funding criteria, including your vision for change, potential impact, budget and accountability to community. For shortlisted applicants, we’ll help develop a theory of change.

Successful recipients will:

• Spend the funding on the initiative outlined in your application, over the agreed timeframe of 1–2 years, as documented in your grant agreement.
• Have access to governance and operational infrastructure support
• Have access to training sessions and coaching designed to equip you with essential skills for running blak, youth-led campaigns, movements and projects
• Be supported by the FYA First Nations team to submit a short evaluation report to demonstrate the impact of your work with the aim of securing ongoing sustainable funding for long term change.

If you don’t make the shortlist or your final application to the panel is unsuccessful, you can still get some feedback from our team on these documents for your next funding application.

If you have questions you can contact our First Nations team at [email protected]