Grants
Grant rounds in the Northern Rivers
The programmes Northern Rivers schools, P&Cs, clubs and community groups apply to: who is eligible, the cap, and when the next round closes.
- 19 programmes in the Northern Rivers
- 6 Oct the next to close
- 29 Sep last updated
The programmes that come around
A round that closes on the same date every year is one to plan for. Each is checked against the funder's own page.
“Are you eligible?” opens an email with the round filled in. Tell us who you are and what the money is for, and we will check before you write a word. Free.
NSW Government5
- Closes 6 OctNSW Office of SportAboriginal Sport for Respect Grant ProgramAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Opened 14 August 2026 and closes at 1:00 pm on 6 October 2026.
$3,000 to $25,000 for Aboriginal-led prevention activities delivered through sport. It is not a general club grant.
- Closes 7 OctNSW Office of SportLocal Sport Defibrillator Program (LSDP) 2026/27Are you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Opened 7 August 2026 and closes at 1:00 pm on 7 October 2026.
A defibrillator package worth up to $3,000, from a $500,000 pool. Eligibility depends on the postcode, and not every Northern Rivers postcode qualifies, so check the postcode list in the guidelines before you start.
- NSW Department of Communities and JusticeCommunity Building Partnership (CBP)Are you eligible?
Round dates and notes
The 2026 round opened 20 April and closed at 5:00 pm on 8 May 2026.
Grants of $10,000 to $100,000, with up to $450,000 available in each electoral district. Incorporated associations, P&C associations, councils and ACNC-registered trusts can apply. Outcomes for the 2026 round are due in January 2027. No date is published yet for the next round; the funder offers an alert sign-up.
- Once a yearNSW Office of Sport (Dept of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport)Local Sport Grant Program (LSGP)Are you eligible?
Round dates and notes
The 2026/27 round opened 27 July and closed at 1:00 pm on 24 August 2026.
Grants of $2,000 to $20,000 for incorporated not-for-profit grassroots clubs affiliated with a state sporting organisation. The 2026/27 round is closed and the next round date is not published. Applications go through the NSW Office of Sport's SmartyGrants portal.
- One roundNSW Department of Education (via Catholic Schools NSW and AISNSW)Preschools on non-government school sites programAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Opened 29 May 2026 and closes at 6:00 pm on 30 September 2026.
Up to $4 million for non-government primary and K-12 schools in high-growth areas. Sites are chosen through the grant authorities, so it suits only a few schools in the region.
Councils9
- Closes 7 OctRichmond Valley CouncilCommunity Financial Assistance ProgramAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Round 1 opens 1 September 2026 and closes 5pm on 7 October 2026.
Grants of $100 to $5,000, with about $40,000 available in each round. Community organisations and sporting clubs can apply. Round 2 opens in March 2027.
- Closes 31 OctClarence Valley CouncilCommunity Initiatives ProgramAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Round 1 opens 1 March and closes 30 April. Round 2 opens 1 September and closes 31 October.
Cash, rates and fee-waiver categories, plus a schools category of $100 for awards nights only. The average grant is about $1,000 and no maximum is stated. Each organisation can apply in one round a financial year. Applications go through the council's SmartyGrants portal.
- Closes 6 NovBallina Shire CouncilFestival and Event Support Program 2027/28Are you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Open now and closes Friday 6 November 2026. Funding starts 1 July 2027.
About $150,000 is shared across the events funded. It is aimed at larger events, so confirm the minimum event cost on the funder's page before you start. The per-event cap is not published.
- Closes 31 MayBallina Shire CouncilCommunity Donations ProgramAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Applications open 1 May 2027 and close 31 May 2027. Funding is awarded in July for 2027/28.
Up to $5,000 for community-based organisations, paid on a reimbursement basis. Your previous grant must be acquitted before you can reapply.
- Once a yearRichmond Valley Council and local clubsClubGRANTS Category 1 (Richmond Valley local committee)Are you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Applications open 1 February to 31 May each year.
Local clubs fund community organisations through the council's ClubGRANTS Category 1 committee. Applications open each year from 1 February to 31 May. The maximum is not published.
- Once a yearTweed Shire CouncilCommunity Grants Program 2026Are you eligible?
Round dates and notes
The 2026 round opened 1 June and closed at midnight on 30 June 2026.
$500 to $5,000 for incorporated not-for-profits, applied for through the council's SmartyGrants portal. Outcomes are announced in October and projects start from November 2026. The next round date is not published. Tweed also runs separate event sponsorship and environmental grants.
- Once a yearByron Shire CouncilCommunity Initiatives ProgramAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Applications are closed and the 2026-27 recipients were announced in August 2026. The 2025 round ran 7 April to 16 May.
Up to $5,000 for incorporated or auspiced community groups. Around 18 to 19 groups share about $57,000 each year. The next round date is not published.
- Once a yearByron Shire CouncilMayoral FundAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Applications closed 28 September 2026.
A small fund of $3,600 a year, with typical awards of $300 to $1,000. Most recent recipients were local public schools, at $300 each. No per-application cap is published.
- Open all yearBallina Shire CouncilResource Recovery Community GrantsAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Open to applicants all year.
For waste minimisation projects by organisations and community groups. The amount cap is not published, and the page does not name schools as eligible, so confirm before you apply.
Australian Government2
- Closes 19 JanAustralian Government (Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts)Stronger Communities Programme Round 10Are you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Round 10 opened 21 September 2026. Applicants must be invited by their federal MP. Application portal closes 5pm 19 January 2027.
Project completion by 31 March 2028.
- Once a yearAustralian Government (Department of Social Services)Volunteer GrantsAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
2025-26 round: EOIs through federal MPs (nominations closed 17 April 2026), applications invited May 2026. No 2026-27 round announced.
$1,000 to $5,000. Apply through your federal MP.
Foundations and community banks3
- Closes 31 DecClubs NSW / individual licensed clubsClubGRANTS (Category 1 and 2, local club rounds)Are you eligible?
Round dates and notes
No statewide dates. Each club or local committee sets its own round, and the funder's finder lists the live rounds by place.
Licensed clubs fund local groups through their own ClubGRANTS rounds, and each club or local committee sets its dates and amounts. The nearest close we have seen is 31 December 2026 (Seagulls Club, Category 2); the ClubGRANTS finder lists every live round by place. Maximum amounts are not published.
- Once a yearAustralia PostAustralia Post Community GrantsAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
2026 round closed 11:59pm 6 July 2026; outcomes announced September 2026. 2027 round not yet published.
Projects that improve community mental health and wellbeing. Incorporated not-for-profits. A separate disaster stream of up to $250,000 in total exists.
- Bendigo Bank (Community Bank network)Community Bank community grantsAre you eligible?
Round dates and notes
Each Community Bank branch runs its own rounds at different times of year.
Branch-level: amounts, dates and eligibility are set by the local Community Bank and published on its own SmartyGrants portal.
Announced recently
Rounds announced in the last few weeks, as the funders publish them, newest first.
Nothing announced this week.
Programme details are taken from each funder's page and checked by hand. Confirm eligibility on the funder's page before you start an application. Last checked 29 Sep 2026.