Grants of up to $5,000 are available. No matched funding is required.
Applicant organisations must have been incorporated before 16 March 2026.
The Program supports regular, smaller-scale hires - such as hire of meeting rooms or a venue for community activities, rehearsals, organisation meetings - primarily for organisation members.
Funding cannot be used to hire a hall or venue for festivals or other events, such as cultural festivals or celebrations, concerts or performances. Applications for festival and event support should be made to the Multicultural Festivals and Events program.
The Program does not support hiring private commercial facilities such as hotels, restaurants/cafes or function centres.
Funding is discretionary - there is no guarantee you will receive funding or the amount you request.
Funding priorities
The Victorian Government acknowledges the additional challenges faced by some communities and is committed to prioritising the following groups:
- applications from organisations located in rural and regional Victoria* (up to 20% of available funding).
- applications from organisations owned and managed by priority new and emerging communities (up to 30% of available funding). The priority new and emerging community eligibility refers only to the countries and ethnicities listed on our priority list **.
50% of the program budget is allocated for all other multicultural communities and any underused funding from the priority groups will also be made available to other organisations.
Applicants can claim funding priority status in the application form and DPC will check during assessment.
*Regional Victoria includes Barwon South West, Gippsland, Grampians, Hume and Loddon Mallee.
**The Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) has identified a prioritised list of new and emerging communities. Many of these communities are part of Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian Programs. The list comprises both countries of origin and ethnicities. To be eligible as a priority new and emerging community, the organisation must primarily identify with one of the countries or ethnicities on the list.
Supporting Community Diversity
The Multicultural Venues Program aims to support diversity among Victoria’s multicultural communities and encourage organisations to take an inclusive and intersectional approach. All applicants are encouraged to consider the diverse needs and experiences of community members including, for example, women, seniors, LGBTIQA+ people, youth, and children.
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