LGBTIQA+ Organisational Development program

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.