The Australian Government is providing funding of up to $20 million over 4 years from 2025-26 to 2028-29 for the African Australian Communities Program. This is to help African Australian communities further their participation, integration, and sense of belonging in Australia and enhance community cohesion.
This program is designed to provide support in the following six focus areas:
- Youth programs that support Australian African youth to participate in Australian society or re-engage following experiences in the criminal justice system.
- Mental health programs, particularly in light of the high suicide rate among Australian youth. For further information, access the
Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia.
- Employment services and employment opportunities that are culturally appropriate and tailored to the specific needs of African Australians.
- Family programs that provide, for example, parenting support and support for survivors of domestic and family violence.
- Establishing projects to better enable grassroots African Australian community organisations to engage with government. This includes advocating to government on the needs of their community and the provision of services and funding.
- Access to mainstream services in a culturally appropriate manner, such as
Centrelink or
Medicare.
The program consists of two funding streams:
Stream 1 will provide $16 million over four years from 2025-26 through multiple closed non-competitive grants rounds. We will invite African-led organisations and other organisations with proven capacity to deliver projects for African Australian communities to apply for funding.
We will consult with key stakeholders to identify initiatives that maximise outcomes by complementing state government investments.
Round 1. The first closed non-competitive grant round under Stream 1 was finalised in October 2025, which provided Village Support Limited $4 million over 4 years from 2025-26. The funding will expand the African Village project in Queensland. This project gives early support for at risk young African Australians through locally designed activities for individuals, families and schools. For more information, see GrantConnect Grant Opportunity View - GO7764.
Round 2. In May 2026, 16 organisations were offered $5.4 million in funding for projects providing support to African Australian communities in Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria. For more information see GrantConnect Grant Opportunity View - GO80109.
Round 3. A further closed non-competitive grant round under Stream 1 of the program will open for applications in 2026. Round 3 will deliver support in New South Wales as well as further support in Western Australia and Victoria and will be administered through a closed non-competitive grant opportunity, expected to open in mid-2026.
For the closed non-competitive grant rounds, we will invite eligible organisations to apply through a letter of invitation.
Stream 2 will provide additional funding from 2026-27 through an open competitive process. The funding will help community-led grassroots organisations build capacity and providepractical support to address local community issues. Stream 2 is expected to open for applications in late 2026.
