LGBTIQA+ Organisational Development program

Two streams of funding, offering grants of up to $20,000 or $40,000, to support LGBTIQA+ organisations and groups seeking to build their capacity and strengthen their long-term viability. Status: Closed

Who can apply: Not-for-profit groups

Funding: $1 - $40,000

The LGBTIQA+ Organisational Development program strengthens Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ communities by supporting LGBTIQA+ organisations and groups to grow their crucial work.

Eligible organisations and groups are invited to apply for grants of up to $20,000 under Stream 1 or grants of up to $40,000 under Stream 2 to:

build their capacity, including through staff training and development opportunities
better serve diverse LGBTIQA+ communities across Victoria
fortify their long-term viability by planning for the future.

Information sessions

To help you with the application process, the Equality Programs team hosts 3 free online information sessions.

Two sessions will be general information sessions. They will provide an overview of the program and information on how to apply.

The third session is for unincorporated groups applying with an auspice. The auspice information session will include:

a brief overview of the program
auspice and project organisation responsibilities
a demonstration of how to apply with an auspice.

Attend an information session

Apply now via our Grants Gateway

Guidelines

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Program objectives

This year, the LGBTIQA+ Organisational Development program focuses on:

supporting the internal operations of LGBTIQA+ organisations and groups to:

develop
build
strengthen. This will lead to a strong and more sustainable LGBTIQA+ sector.

Organisations and groups funded through this program must show the positive impact their organisation’s activities have on Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ communities. The proposed activities must deliver against at least one of the following 5 program objectives.

Capacity building

To build organisations and equip their people with:

knowledge
skills
processes
resources.

Sustainability

Support strategic planning by LGBTIQA+ organisations and groups. This includes support to form partnerships with similar and aligned organisations, to:

achieve mutual goals
promote long-term viability
reduce reliance on external funding
increase ongoing capacity.

Accessibility and inclusion

Support LGBTIQA+ organisations to improve inclusive practices that engage diverse and intersectional LGBTIQA+ people. Funding priority is for LGBTIQA+ organisations that focus on working with:

Aboriginal and First Nations people
people with disability
culturally and linguistically diverse people
faith-based communities
asexual communities
trans and gender diverse communities
intersex people
LGBTIQA+ people from low socio-economic backgrounds
seniors and older people
bi+ communities
communities in the following areas:

outer suburban
peri-urban
regional
rural.

Expansion

Enable the growth of core operations into new locations with a focus on regional and rural communities.

Improve processes to support meaningful engagement with diverse and intersectional LGBTIQA+ communities.

Governance

Strengthen organisational governance to make sure organisations are stable and secure to respond to the needs of LGBTIQA+ communities. This includes formalising the structure of a board or management committee.

Funding available

The total available funding is $400,000.

Eligible LGBTIQA+ organisations, groups and businesses may apply for funding under one of two program streams.

The streamed funding approach supports organisations with different levels of experience. It also gives new organisations greater opportunity to access funding.

Note: This is a competitive grant round. Not all applicants are successful. So, we may also give less than the requested amount to successful applicants.

What types of activities will be funded?

The following are examples of activities that the program could fund:

develop plans, for example:

strategic
business
marketing
fundraising

develop and deliver engagement plans across diverse LGBTIQA+ communities
identify new income streams to increase business growth
develop or deliver community engagement plans and strategies (including online delivery), in the following areas:

regional
rural
peri-urban
cross-border
outer suburban

advice from consultants or subject matter experts, such as:

legal
business
financial
fundraising

undertake research with practical applications to benefit Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ communities
employment of fixed-term contract staff engaged to deliver the proposed project (see note below)
create or strengthen partnerships to leverage resources and opportunities with other organisations
training and development of staff, volunteers and board members. This training must directly benefit the organisation and improve knowledge. It may include:

organisational planning
policy review
governance
leadership and management
financial management
fundraising
volunteer management
marketing
social media
website development
advertising

activities relating to:

forward planning
skills development
institutional knowledge management

buy or upgrade office equipment to support the organisation’s expansion or sustainability
support for an organisation or group to apply for and get:

incorporation status
charitable status

attend conferences or training in Victoria that provides benefits to the:

organisation
group
communities they engage

auspice fees (no more than 10% of the total funding request). Note: You may request reasonable administrative and project management costs for work directly associated with carrying out your proposed activities. This is at a maximum of 50% of your total funding request. You can’t use these costs for business-as-usual duties. Such as:
operational costs
program staff costs.

Previous recipients

Find successful previous grant recipients.

What types of activities will not be funded?

The program will not fund:

activities that don’t align with the program’s objectives
competitions, commercial (for-profit) or direct fundraising activities or events
activities or costs already funded by another Victorian government program
ongoing staffing costs, including:

staff contracted for periods longer than the project timeframe
operations/administrative costs for business-as-usual activities

direct lobbying or activities that promote or held for a party-political purpose
personal living expenses
expenses not related to the activity outlined in the application
leasing buildings or land
buying capital infrastructure
buying food or beverages
festivals and related costs such as:

venue hire
travel
catering

activities conducted outside of Victoria (not including activities that are supporting cross-border communities)
Rainbow Tick accreditation or LGBTIQA+ competency activities
travel costs (regional and rural applicants may receive a limited exemption)
overseas and interstate:

conferences
training
study tours

honours or master’s degrees, or courses funded through a government-funded scheme
advertising or marketing for activities, initiatives or events not funded through these grants
retrospective funding for activities that have already started or completed.

How to apply

Step 1: Organisations can apply through the department’s Grants Gateway(opens in a new window)

Step 2: Consider the assessment criteria of your project.

Step 3: Attend an online information session to find out more and ask questions.

Step 4: Discuss your application with a member of the department. Email equality-grants@dffh.vic.gov.au to set up a time.

Step 5: Complete your application and submit by 5 pm Tuesday 31 March 2026.

Note: To ensure a fair process, we don’t accept applications after the closing date.

Assessment criteria

All applicants must address the following assessment criteria. Regardless of which funding stream you are applying for.

Criterion	Weighting
Purpose and rationale	30%
Impact and engagements	35%
Project management	25%
Evaluation	10%

Assessment process

Step 1: After applications have closed. The Equality Unit will confirm that your organisation and proposed activities are eligible.

Step 2: An assessment panel reviews eligible applications. The panel scores applications against the assessment criteria outlined in this document.

Step 3: The assessment panel provides the Minister for Equality with funding recommendations.

Step 4: The Minister for Equality approves the funding recommendations.

Step 5: All applicants are notified of the outcome of their application by email.

Step 6: Applicants can request feedback.

The decisions of the Minister for Equality are final.

Funding conditions

The following conditions apply to all successful grant applicants. The grant recipient must:

enter into a Victorian Common Funding Agreement (VCFA) with the department. The VCFA will outline the terms and conditions of the funding
start funded activities after 1 June 2026
finish funded activities by 30 June 2027
spent funds on the project as described in the VCFA
return any unspent funds to the department
submit any variation to the approved project to the department for approval before implementation
have an appropriate level of public liability coverage. Where relevant, organisations must arrange Working with Children checks on staff and people aged 18 or older who come into regular, direct and unsupervised contact with young people.

Where funding supports the care, education, services or activities for children (under 18 years), the applicant must be:

a separate legal entity that can be sued in its own right in child abuse proceedings
appropriately insured against child abuse. This requirement improves the ability of child abuse survivors to bring a legal claim for compensation and ensure that successful claims can be paid.

LGBTIQA+ Organisational Development 2025-26 grant program guidelinesdocx292.38 KB

Updated 25 February 2026

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LGBTIQA+ Organisational Development program

Information sessions

Attend an information session

Guidelines

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Sustainability

Accessibility and inclusion

Expansion

Governance

Previous recipients

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