Previous grant programs

Our multicultural grant programs recognise and support our multicultural communities.

This page summarises grants that are currently providing services to support multicultural communities. For information on historical grant opportunity guidelines and previous funding recipients, search GrantConnect

Multicultural Peak Body Project Funding

Through this open-competitive grant opportunity, multicultural peak bodies have been engaged to work with the Australian Government on:

strengthening Australia’s multicultural capacity
promoting a greater understanding and acceptance of Australia’s
- inclusive national identity
- civics and citizenship
- multicultural and multi-faith diversity.

The following 3 national multicultural peak body organisations were successful in each receiving $1.2 million over 4 years from 2024-25.

Organisation	Priority area
Australian Federation of Ethnic Schools Associations (AFESA) Community Languages Australia	Capability and capacity building in the community languages sector
Welcoming Australia	Capability and capacity building for multicultural grassroots organisations
The Social Policy Group	Support community consultation multicultural policy

For more information on the Multicultural Peak Body Project Funding grant opportunity, see GrantConnect Archived Grant Opportunity – GO7343.

Multicultural Grassroots Initiatives – Round One

The core purpose of the Multicultural Grassroots Initiatives grants program is to enhance the capacity of multicultural community-led grassroots organisations. This helps to foster a cohesive multicultural Australia by:

increasing understanding of racial, religious and cultural diversity
fostering integration through an increase in social participation by culturally and linguistically diverse Australians
fostering a sense of community and belonging among culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Round One

Round One of the Multicultural Grassroots Initiatives program saw more than $6.6 million allocated to 132 projects across Australia.

Successful organisations received funding ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 over 2 years from 2024–25. The funding supported:

multicultural celebrations
community amenity upgrades
social and intercultural programs.

For more information, see GrantConnect Archived Grant Opportunity – GO7200.

Round Two
For more information about Multicultural Grassroots Initiatives - Round Two, see Grant programs.

Community Language Schools Grants

The Australian Government funded approximately 600 community language schools, helping over 90,000 students learning 84 different languages.

Successful community language schools received funding ranging from $6,600 to $33,600 over 2 years.

This funding:

strengthened the social inclusion and prosperity of Australia’s successful multicultural society
connected young Australians to the languages of their parents, grandparents and broader communities
supported young Australians to participate in a broader range of jobs in an economy closely linked to a diverse global market.

The funding also enabled community language schools to expand the delivery of language education to more school-aged children, including pre-schoolers.

For more information, see GrantConnect Archived Grant Opportunity GO6432.

For about the new Community Language Schools Grants Program, see Grant programs.

Local Multicultural Projects Program

The Australian Government funded 61 community organisations under the Local Multicultural Projects program.

Successful organisations had an opportunity to contribute to an integrated and cohesive multicultural Australia. They supported both newly arrived migrants and multicultural communities to:

actively participate in Australian society and local civics
embrace Australian values and abide by Australian laws
have social networks that cross ethnic and religious groups
feel welcomed and supported by the broader Australian community.

Successful grant applicants used their grant funding to support the integration or capacity building of recently arrived migrants and multicultural communities. This included festivals, sporting events and art projects. Grant funding also provided support for:

minor fit outs to existing community spaces
extensions or upgrades of existing community spaces and amenities resulting in improved access
increased lighting, security or fencing, enhanced mobile and online amenities.

You can find grant recipients, projects and funding information at GrantConnect.

Fostering Integration Grants program

The Fostering Integration Grants program facilitated the participation, integration and social cohesion of both recently arrived migrants and multicultural communities in Australia.

The program did this through:

encouraging the social and economic participation of migrants
developing various skills and cultural competencies to integrate into Australian social, economic and civil life
building community resilience
promoting and encouraging the uptake of Australian values and liberal democracy
amplifying the value of Australian citizenship
promoting a greater understanding and acceptance of racial, religious and cultural diversity
addressing issues in Australian communities that show potential for, or early signs of, low social integration.

Fostering Integration Grants 2022 round

The 2022 round of the Fostering Integration Grants program saw $5.6 million allocated to 83 projects across Australia.

The approved grants demonstrated the active role of community organisations in supporting migrant and multicultural communities. These organisations helped migrants to develop various skills and cultural competencies. These skills helped with integration into Australian social, economic and civil life. They also helped to build community resilience.

Examples of successful grants included projects focused on:

female empowerment and leadership to increase economic participation and employment outcomes for migrant women
building skills and employment opportunities for multicultural youth
supporting a series of community events
a festival to connect community members, and share cross-cultural understandings with the wider local community.

Many of the organisations that received funding are multicultural community organisations. These organisations already work directly with their community and have a strong understanding of their integration challenges.