Multicultural Festivals and Events Program

Grants of up to $50,000 available to support multicultural festivals and events

Multicultural Festivals and Events Program

Status: Open, closes 17 April 2026

Who can apply: Not-for-profit groups

Funding: $5,000 - $50,000

About the program

The program funds community organisations to hold cultural festivals and events for Victorians.

There are two key objectives:

to help Victorians celebrate and preserve cultures, and share traditions
to encourage all Victorians to take part in cultural events and develop understanding and respect for different cultures

Funding available

The program offers grants of up to $50,000 to support activities that promote and foster social cohesion.

Over $1 million will be available through the Regional Multicultural Festivals and Events Fund. This fund supports multicultural community organisations to deliver events across regional Victoria.

There are 3 funding streams:

2026-27 Round 1 Timelines

Applications open Thursday 19 March 2026.
Applications close Friday 17 April 2026 at 3 pm.
The department will publish successful outcomes and notify applicants in:

June 2026 - for July to September 2026 events
September 2026 - for October to December 2026 events.

Information sessions

To support with the application process, recordings of the information sessions are now available below:

Program guidelines

Read or download the full program guidelines

Apply now

Submit an application

Guidelines

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Documents and templates

2026-27 MFE Program Frequently asked questions Word 608.58 KB (opens in a new window)

2026-27 Multicultural Festivals and Events Program - Application Form Guidance Word 707.02 KB (opens in a new window)

2026-27 Multicultural Festivals and Events Program - Project plan template Word 235.01 KB (opens in a new window)

2026-27 Multicultural Festivals and Events Program - Total Event Budget template Word 300.41 KB (opens in a new window)

2026-27 MFE Program Assessment Criteria Common Issues and Example Responses Word 495.67 KB (opens in a new window)

New and emerging communities priority list

The department has created a prioritised list of new and emerging communities.

Many of the listed communities have recently been or are currently part of Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Programs. The list comprises both countries of origin and specific ethnicities.

Organisations who are from these prioritised new and emerging communities will be eligible for reduced requirements under the 2026-27 MFE program. For more information on the reduced requirements see the Funding stream eligibility section in the program guidelines.

Priority list by country of origin or ethnicity:

Afghanistan
Assyrian
Burundi
Chaldean
Djibouti
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Hazara
Iran
Iraq
Kenya
Kurds
Liberia
Myanmar
Palestine
Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Pashtuns
Pasifika communities
Republic of Congo
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Tajiks
the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Timor Leste
Uganda
Ukraine
Uzbeks
Yemen. In the application form, the applicant organisation will be asked which community from the priority list their membership identifies with.

Organisations that do not align with the countries or ethnicities on the priority list are not eligible as a new and emerging community. Their application will not be assessed under these criteria.

The ‘new and emerging community’ criteria refers only to the countries and ethnicities listed on our priority list. A newly formed organisation is not eligible for the reduced application requirements unless they identify with one of the countries or ethnicities on the priority list above.