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

paper house and paper cut family balancing on swing with money bag with loan inscription on green

Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity – No Interest Loans Scheme

paper house and paper cut family balancing on swing with money bag with loan inscription on green

Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) provides access to fair and safe loans up to $3,000 with no interest, fees or charges. NILS helps eligible Australians purchase household items such as whitegoods as well as car repairs, medical and dental costs, housing (rent and bond) and education costs.
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Car salesman gave the keys to the customers who signed the purchase contract legally

Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity – No Interest Loans Scheme for Vehicles

Car salesman gave the keys to the customers who signed the purchase contract legally

Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS) for Vehicles program helps eligible individuals and families to purchase an eligible vehicle (car, motorcycle, scooter or boat) for essential everyday use by providing access to fair and safe loans of up to $5,000 with no interest, fees or charges.
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Kid hands holding coins in a jar together as saving concept for family or education

Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity - Saver Plus

Kid hands holding coins in a jar together as saving concept for family or education

Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The Saver Plus program helps eligible participants develop life-long savings habits through a matched savings program that provides online financial education training, guidance and support over a 10-month period to reach a savings goal.
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Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity - Financial Counselling and Capability Sector Support

image of creative team working project

Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
Financial Counselling and Capability Sector Support provides national services to support a high-quality, high-functioning financial counselling and financial capability sector.
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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

Businessman pointing at a graph with a pen, another using a calcuator

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

image of saving stack coins money concept graph chart

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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Women with headset on, working on a laptop

Financial Wellbeing and Capability Activity - National Debt Helpline

Women with headset on, working on a laptop

Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The National Debt Helpline is a national telephone and website service that provides access to financial counselling. These services support eligible people to address their financial problems through the provision of information, advocacy and negotiation.
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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

image of a group volunteers working

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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National Justice Reinvestment Program Round 3

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Grant Category

Indigenous Communities

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Attorney General’s Department
The National Justice Reinvestment Program aims to reduce contact with the criminal justice system and incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and young people through support for place-based and community-led justice reinvestment initiatives across Australia.
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image of sheep in a field

Future Drought Fund Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Program Round 2

image of sheep in a field

Grant Category

Drought

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
The Program provides $40.3 million for projects that contribute to improved drought and climate resilience for farmers through innovative, evidence-based trials to support adoption and transformational change. Eligible applicants can apply for $3 million up to $8 million for the 6-year program.
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Future Drought Fund Resilient Landscapes Program

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Grant Category

Drought

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
These grants will allocate up to $40m (GST exclusive) over 6 years to 2029–30 for new projects between $2m to $6m. Projects will demonstrate practices, technologies or approaches to improve landscape function and ecosystem services, manage natural resources, and build drought and climate resilience.
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Crisis and Transitional Accommodation Program open now

Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) – Crisis and Transitional Accommodation Program (CTAP)

Crisis and Transitional Accommodation Program open now

Grant Category

Housing and Homelessness

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The CTAP is a capital works program funding the building, remodelling or purchase of new or expanded crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children experiencing family and domestic violence (FDV) and older women at risk of homelessness.
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Marking (First World War) Private Graves Grants Program

sad woman cemetery holding bouquet roses

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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