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 [email protected]
  • 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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Team building, support and business people with hands in a circle for partnership, collaboration an, Photos - Envato Elements

The PLACE Initiative: A Centre for Place Based Change 2025 - 2029

Team building, support and business people with hands in a circle for partnership, collaboration an, Photos - Envato Elements

Grant Category

Community Development

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The PLACE Initiative: A Centre for Place Based Change 2025 – 2029 is a joint initiative of the Australian Government and 5 philanthropic foundations that has been designed to address gaps in local capability for place-based work in areas such as staffing skills, sharing of good practice/evidence and, an ability to access and use data.
image of A diverse group of young business people walking a corridor in the glass-enclosed office of a modern, Photos - Envato Elements

Inclusion and Accessibility Fund: Australia's Disability Strategy (ADS) – Community Attitudes

image of A diverse group of young business people walking a corridor in the glass-enclosed office of a modern, Photos - Envato Elements

Grant Category

Services for People with Disabilities

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Targeted competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The Inclusion and Accessibility Fund aims to support grass roots efforts to create safe and inclusive communities by improving understanding and shifting mindsets in relation to disability, and barriers to inclusion of people with disability.
Pic of 4 hands holding each other

Justice Reinvestment in Central Australia Program - Round 3

Pic of 4 hands holding each other

Grant Category

Indigenous Communities

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Attorney-General’s Department
Successful initiatives under this opportunity will prevent and reduce Central Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ contact with the criminal justice system through place-based, community led measures to prevent crime, treat drug and alcohol misuse or address illegal drug use.
Australian Government crest and Attorney General’s Department

Native Title Anthropologist Grant Program 2025-2028

Australian Government crest and Attorney General’s Department

Grant Category

Indigenous Arts and Culture

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Attorney General’s Department
The program is part of the Government’s wider investment in the native title system. It aligns with Government commitments to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which sets out 4 Priority Reforms and 17 socioeconomic outcomes which aim to improve the lives of First Nations people.
image of a diverse happy group of people having fun outdoor

Strong and Resilient Communities Activity – Inclusive Communities (SARC – IC) Round 4 Grants

image of a diverse happy group of people having fun outdoor

Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The Strong and Resilient Communities - Inclusive Communities (SARC – IC) Round 4 grants aim to support vulnerable and disadvantaged people on pathways to self-reliance and empowerment through local, community-driven solutions that support them to participate socially and economically by providing grant funding for one-off, time limited projects of up to 2 years.
image of a young tree

Forestry Industry - Support Plantation Establishment Round 3 - Batch 2

image of a young tree

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.