Organisation eligibility

Who can apply

Your organisation must meet all four conditions below:

1. You must be an incorporated legal entity under one of the following:

the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic) registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria
the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
an Act of Parliament. You must provide a copy of the Act with your application.

2. You must have a current Australian Business Number (ABN) matching the organisation’s name in your application

3. You must be a not-for-profit demonstrated under one of the following:

registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
registered as an incorporated association with Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV). This entity type is considered not-for-profit.
registered as a company limited by guarantee with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
a social enterprise with a clearly stated purpose or mission related to supporting multicultural communities in Victoria.

Note: If you are not registered with the ACNC or if you are not registered with CAV as an incorporated association, you must attach a copy of your organisation’s constitution, rules or governance documents to your application to show your organisation’s not-for-profit eligibility.

4. You should have no overdue final reports from previous Victorian state government funded grants (including Multicultural Affairs grants) by 31 August 2026 for applications in Round 2.

If you are an unincorporated association or community organisation without an ABN, you can apply using an auspice. See Auspiced applications for more information.

Note: incorporated organisations are considered not-for-profit entities.

- For incorporated associations, co-operatives or organisations incorporated through other means go to Consumer Affairs Victoria.
- For a Company Limited by Guarantee go to ASIC Connect Online.
- For registered charities go to Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
- You can check your current grants in the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) Grants Gateway
- Any report marked as red is overdue. You must complete overdue reports before you apply.

Who cannot apply

The following organisation types are not eligible to apply:

unincorporated associations (unless applying with an eligible auspice)
state and federal government departments, agencies and sports regulatory bodies
individuals and sole traders
public companies limited by shares (unless they can prove they are not-for-profit)
commercial (for-profit) businesses
Local Government Authorities (LGAs), including LGA-managed, operated, administered and regulated trusts. LGAs can act as an auspice for an unincorporated organisation
registered public or private primary and secondary schools, preschools, TAFE institutes and universities. Community language schools are eligible and can act as an auspice for an unincorporated organisation
organisations that have not followed the rules of previous Multicultural Affairs grants
groups delivering projects that are the responsibility of another Victorian Government department
hospitals and health service organisations
organisations that already receive government funding for a multicultural event between 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.

Auspiced applications

You can apply using an auspice arrangement for the:

small and medium stream
large stream if you are
- a new and emerging priority community organisation or
- a rural or regional organisation.

An auspice organisation can support more than one application.

An auspice arrangement helps your organisation apply for a grant if you:
- are not incorporated or
- do not have an ABN.
To do this, you need an eligible organisation (called an auspice organisation) that agrees to support your organisation.
Your organisation is the grant recipient, and the auspice organisation manages the grant funding and responsibilities outlined in the agreement. A letter of support from the auspice organisation that clearly states they are auspicing your organisation must be included with your application.
If your application is successful, the auspice organisation:
- signs the funding agreement (Victorian Common Funding Agreement)
- communicates with the department on your behalf
- takes legal and financial responsibility for the grant
- receives and distributes the grant money
- makes sure your event or activities happen
- submits final reports and financial documents on time.

Use this chart to check whether your organisation can apply