What's changed?

Conferences, expos and business events are no longer eligible for funding.

We’ve added a special category to the Community Events Grants for the 2025 Christmas season.

Key dates

Community Events

Notification to applicants: 28 January 2026

Community Events Christmas 2025

Notification to applicants: Within 6-8 weeks of application closing date.

Grant Guidelines

To confirm the eligibility of your organisation and activity, please read the grant guidelines before applying.

Who can apply?

To apply for this grant, you must be one of the following:

• incorporated not-for-profit organisation
• unincorporated group with an auspice
• registered charitable organisation
• business
• individual operating as sole traders (with an active ABN)
• school or learning institution (only for non-curriculum-based activities that primarily benefit the wider community).

What can you apply for?

Operating expenses to run events advertised to the public and expected to attract 300 or more attendees.

This grant has two categories.

1. Community Events

Events staged from 1 February 2026. For example:

• Agricultural shows
• Community festivals
• Food and wine festivals
• Music events
• State or national sporting events
• Multicultural events (For smaller events, please consider the Community Strengthening Grants).

2. Community Events Christmas 2025

Christmas events staged in November and December 2025.

• Christmas carols
• Christmas activations

How much can you apply for?

The total amount of funding available for Community Events Grants is $200,000.

Up to $160,000 is available for Community Events Grants and up to $40,000 is available for Christmas 2025 grants.

Applicants may ask for up to $10,000 for a Community Event grant, or up to $10,000 for Community Event Christmas 2025 Grant.

How to apply

• Read the grant guidelines.
• Check you are an eligible applicant.
• Check your activity is eligible.
• Get in touch with us - please discuss your activity with us before applying.
  Contact Events Services team on 5272 5029 as soon as possible to give us enough time to discuss your idea before the closing date.
• Collate your supporting documents.
• Answer the questions in the application form.
• Don't forget to hit the submit button.

We recommend saving your progress every 10–15 minutes. If your computer is inactive for 20 minutes, your session will time out.

2025-26 Community Events Grants Information Session

On 7 August 2025, the 2025-26 the Community Events Information Session was held.
Here is the presentation.