Notifications & Alerts

Scam Alerts

Possible scam alert

The Department of Social Services (DSS) has recently received reports of an email scam where a scammer posing as a representative of the department has emailed members of the public offering a $120,000 grant under the Social Enterprise Development Initiative program. The scammer requests the victim’s contact details, and then sends through a false ‘grant certificate’ to notify them they have been selected, which includes a falsified signature of a senior department officer. To gain access to the payment, victims are then told they need to pay a $250 fee to unlock a debit card. 

If you are contacted by one of these scam attempts, do not provide any personal or financial information. 

Scams and how to report them

If you are concerned that a phone call, SMS, voicemail or email claiming to be from the ATO, the Community Grants Hub or the Department of Social Services is not genuine, do not reply to it. We encourage you to:

  • report the scam to the National Anti Scam Centre on the Scamwatch website
  • you can also report it to the relevant government department using the contact details on their website
  • for scams relating to the Department of Social Services contact the fraud reporting hotline on 1800 054 312, or email the fraud mailbox at fraud@dss.gov.au
  • contact the ATO on 1800 008 540.

If you have already provided information or are concerned that a crime has or may be committed, please immediately contact the police, your bank or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) if it relates to your passport details.

It is important to know that Departmental officers at the Department of Social Services do not:

  • cold call members of the public to promise grant funding
  • contact members of the public through social media or email to offer grant opportunities.  Legitimate grant opportunities are published on GrantConnect. Legitimate grants will never require the recipient to pay a fee to access the amounts, and debit cards are not used to disburse grant payments
  • contact members of the public seeking personal information, such as bank details, passport or license numbers.

It is a serious matter to impersonate a Commonwealth public official. It may even be a criminal offence carrying a penalty of imprisonment in some circumstances.

Further advice on scams and information on where to get help if you think you have been scammed is available from the National Anti-Scam Centre Scamwatch website.

If you think you have been scammed, find out where to get help.

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Open Grants

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Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 - National Disability Conference Initiative 2025-26

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Grant Category

Services for People with Disabilities

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The National Disability Conference Initiative provides funding of up to $10,000 to conference organisers to help people with disability participate in nationally focused, disability-related, conferences held in Australia.
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Carbon Farming Outreach Program Integrated Approaches to Building On-farm Emissions Knowledge: Gap Analysis

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Grant Category

Farming

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
This grant opportunity is available to Rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) to undertake a comprehensive Gap Analysis of publicly available, commodity specific information relating to emissions reduction, emissions intensity and carbon sequestration.
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Assistance Grants - Access to Industry Priority Uses of Agvet Chemicals 2024-25 (Round 10)

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Grant Category

Farming

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
The grant program aims to improve access for industry-identified priority uses of agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemicals.
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Veteran Wellbeing Grants (VWG) Program 2024-25

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Grant Category

Veterans

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Targeted competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Veteran's Affairs
The VWG Program is a funding opportunity that is advertised annually for 12 month grants. The VWG Program’s intent is to support Australian veterans (veterans).
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Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foresty

Phase out of Live Sheep Exports by Sea - transition support: Enhancing Market Demand Grants Program - Round 1

Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foresty

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
The program is available for projects that explore opportunities to maintain and develop interstate and international markets for Australian sheep products, as well as diversify Australian agriculture and food markets in the Middle East and North African region. The program will provide grants for projects that: demonstrate broad support across relevant industry stakeholders and demonstrate application or benefit across industry/ies nationally; provide research and analysis products (for example, market and consumer analyses); strengthen business relationships for the benefit of the Australian sheep industry or Australian agriculture and food industries nationally.
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Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity - Financial Wellbeing Hubs

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Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
Financial Wellbeing Hubs provide integrated, co-located financial wellbeing services, including financial counselling, financial capability and emergency relief services, and access to microfinance products, with a focus on supporting people to increase their financial literacy and longer-term resilience.
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Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity – Commonwealth Financial Counselling and Financial Capability

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Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The Commonwealth Financial Counselling and Financial Capability program provides free, confidential and non-judgmental financial counselling and financial capability services, including information, advice and advocacy to eligible people experiencing financial difficulty.
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Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity - Financial Counselling for Gambling

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Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
Financial Counselling for Gambling services provide specialised Commonwealth Financial Counselling services in targeted locations to support eligible people experiencing financial stress or hardship as a result of gambling harm.
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Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity - Food Relief

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Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services

The Food Relief program aims to increase Commonwealth-funded Emergency Relief providers’ access to a cost-effective supply of food and material aid, for provision to eligible clients experiencing financial crisis.

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Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity - Emergency Relief

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Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services

The Emergency Relief program provides immediate financial or material aid to eligible people in financial stress or hardship and who have limited means or resources to help them alleviate their financial crisis.

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Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA) grant program

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Grant Category

Scientific Research

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Targeted competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
The Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA) supports the government’s strategic advancement of biosecurity risk analysis by providing expertise in risk analysis techniques and the development of associated methods, protocols, tools and procedures.
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Forestry Industry - Support Plantation Establishment Round 3

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Grant Category

Agriculture

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Demand-driven

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
This grant supports the establishment of new long rotation softwood and hardwood plantation forests and assists the sector to respond to the projected growth in demand for domestically sourced timber resources, contributing to Australia’s carbon emissions reduction commitments.
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Marking (First World War) Private Graves Grants Program

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Grant Category

Veterans

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Demand-driven

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Veterans' Affairs
Throughout Australia, individuals and groups are working to identify private unmarked graves of First World War veterans and marking these graves to recognise their service. This grant program contributes to the cost of establishing a grave marker on currently unmarked private graves.
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Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program

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Grant Category

Commemorative

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Veterans’ Affairs
The Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program aims to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australia’s defence personnel in wars, conflicts and peace operations, and their families.
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Expansion of the Community Child Care Fund-Restricted (CCCFR) non-competitive grant opportunity (for specified services)

Grant Category

Indigenous Education

Closing Date & Time

AEST

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Education

The CCCFR expansion program aims to establish new early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in mainly remote and very remote areas to increase participation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in culturally appropriate ECEC.

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