National Service for non-offending family members of child sexual abuse perpetrators
As part of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021–2030, the Australian Government intends to open a 3-year grant opportunity to establish Australia’s first national support service for non-offending family members of child sexual abuse perpetrators.
This grant opportunity establishes the delivery mechanism for funding previously announced under the National Strategy and is reflected in the 2026–27 Budget.
The grant opportunity will deliver a National Service that provides non-offending family members support at the time of crisis and through ongoing periods of adjustment, recovery and healing. Non-offending family members will be able to access safe and inclusive support through a range of service channels, including a national helpline and an online peer support forum.
The successful grantee will also promote shared learning and practice development, advocate for non-offending family members and be committed to raising broader community awareness.
Grant Opportunity Guidelines and other supporting documents will be published on GrantConnect when the grant opportunity is open for applications.
Last updated:
Coming soon: electronic newsletter for community sector
Subscribe now to our new fortnightly newsletter, Community Sector News.
Community Sector News will deliver news and information to the community services workforce, helping you stay up to date with the work we are doing and how it may affect your organisation, clients and communities.
Community Sector News will broadcast key updates when they matter most, including:
program/reform updates, guidance notes and implementation timelines
upcoming consultations, no‑cost webinars, workshops or sector briefings
grants, submissions, surveys and milestones
new resources, fact sheets, toolkits and case studies
other important and time-sensitive information for the sector.
Get news from the department delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe to the DSS newsletter before the first edition by visiting www.dss.gov.au/subscribe.
Last updated:
Have Your Say: The Community Grants Hub Customer Satisfaction Survey 2026
The Community Grants Hub Customer Satisfaction Survey 2026 is just around the corner, and we’re looking forward to hearing from you. Each year the Community Grants Hub invites grant applicants and recipients to share their experiences with us through our annual survey.
Over the coming weeks, invitations to participate will be emailed directly to grant applicants and recipients. Each invitation will include a link to a short, easy-to-complete questionnaire that shouldn’t take more than 10minutes to complete. All responses are completely anonymous and not linked to your organisation. Choosing to take part in the survey will not affect your current or future funding, grant assessments or any interactions with the Hub or Department of Social Services.
This annual survey is an important way for us to understand your experience with the Community Grants Hub. Your feedback helps shape future enhancements to our services, systems and processes. When you receive your email invitation, we encourage you to take a few minutes to complete the survey. Your contribution plays a key role in strengthening how we support the community through grants.
Thank you in advance for your time and for working with the Community Grants Hub.
The Australian Government invites applications for Farm Business Transition Program Round 2.
The program assists sheep producers who have actively participated in the live sheep export by sea trade since 1 July 2020 to transition by developing business plans and adopting alternative farming systems and practices. Grant funding will:
• support the development of business plans tailored to individual farm business circumstances, and/or
• incentivise increased on-farm adoption and uptake of alternative farming systems and practices identified in these plans.
Funding of up to $75,000 (GST exclusive) per applicant is available across both rounds and requires a 1:1 cash co‑contribution (up to 50% of eligible costs; no in‑kind).
Costs incurred before a grant agreement is executed or before the agreed start activity date are not eligible for funding.
Round 1 applicants: If you received $75,000 (GST exclusive) in Round 1, you are not eligible for Round 2. If you received less, you may apply for the remaining balance for different activities. Unsuccessful applicants may reapply.
Final Grant Opportunity Guidelines and supporting documents will be published on GrantConnect when applications open.
Last updated:
Livestock Transport Industry Transition Program Round 2
The Australian Government invites applications for Livestock Transport Industry Transition Program Round 2.
The program assists livestock transport businesses with a demonstrated connection to the live sheep export by sea trade since 1 July 2020 to transition to other transport-related activities. This includes businesses that invested in the transport of sheep and export-related goods (e.g. feed, bedding, water systems, veterinary supplies, handling equipment).
Grant funding: can support planning, advice, training and asset modification or purchase.
of up to $40,000 (GST exclusive) is available per applicant across both rounds.
Requires a 1:1 cash co-contribution (up to 50% of eligible costs; no in-kind). Costs incurred before a grant agreement is executed or before the agreed activity start date are not eligible.
Round 1 applicants: If awarded $40,000 (GST exclusive) in Round 1, you are not eligible for Round 2. If awarded less than $40,000 (GST exclusive), you may apply for the balance for different activities. Unsuccessful applicants may reapply.
The final Grant Opportunity Guidelines and other supporting documents will be published on GrantConnect when the grant opportunity is open for applications.
Last updated:
Game On: Teaming up for climate action
The Game on: Teaming up for climate action program will deliver $35.262 million over 2 funding rounds and will run over 3 years from 2026–27 to 2028–29. The program was announced as part of the Support for the Net Zero Plan.
The program will provide support for up to 500 community sports clubs, helping them upgrade their facilities to be more climate resilient and energy efficient.
The objectives of the program are:
support up to 500 community sports clubs to decarbonise their operations and reduce energy bills through energy efficiency, electrification and climate resilience upgrades
increase awareness and understanding of energy efficiency, electrification and climate adaptation activities among sports club members and their communities
support emissions abatement to contribute to Australia’s target to reduce emissions to 62-70% below 2005 levels by 2035.
Please note that the draft Grant Opportunity Guidelines have been updated since they were published on 7 April 2026.
Final Grant Opportunity Guidelines and other supporting documents will be published on GrantConnect when the grant opportunity is open for applications.
The delivery of the program will also be supported by Program Support Providers, to be engaged by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (AusTender Reference ATM_2026_6047).
Last updated:
Updates to the DEX Protocols and the DSS Program Specific Guidance
What is changing to the DEX Protocols?
The Data Exchange Protocols (the protocols) provide practical information for managers and front-line staff to help them integrate the Data Exchange data definitions and requirements into existing service and administrative practices. The protocols are used by all organisations accessing the Data Exchange, except for organisations delivering Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP).
The protocols were updated with a new version effective from 1 March and are available on the DEX website. The key changes in this version are:
Client Data: Organisations must request collection of client-level data from clients directly receiving services.
Community Sessions: Have been defined as sessions attended by large groups in the community where services are not delivered directly to individuals e.g. community information sessions, running a stall at s community fair. Organisations may continue reporting aggregated/ unidentified attendance for community sessions.
Privacy: Wording has been simplified and includes an updated privacy notice.
Standard Client/Community Outcome Reporting (SCORE) Reporting: Guidance has been updated for clarity and readability.
Specific details of these updates are outlined in the protocols Section 13 -Version History.
What else is changing to the DEX reporting for DSS-funded organisations?
In addition to the updates to the protocols that apply to all DEX users, there are further reporting changes specifically for organisations funded by the Department of Social Services (DSS). These changes streamline data reporting across DSS programs, ensuring consistent information is collected for all client-facing activities.
From 1 March 2026, most DSS-funded organisations delivering client-facing services will report:
Priority Requirement client and service details
Outcomes using the Standard Client/Community Outcomes Reporting (SCORE) and
Group activity data twice a year (at a minimum), like a census.
This recent webinar covers the changes happening in DEX reporting, basic manual data entry in DEX and reports available to organisations showing the data they have uploaded in DEX.
Useful resources about Standard Community/Client Outcomes Reporting (SCORE) are also available at the Data Exchange website.
Technical support is always available through the DEX helpdesk at [email protected]. Your Funding Arrangement Manager can also assist with general grant support.
Last updated:
2025–26 Volunteer Grants Round
Volunteer Grants support the work of community organisations that rely on volunteers by removing barriers to volunteering and promoting awareness of volunteering opportunities.
Grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 will be available to assist eligible not-for-profit community organisations that rely on volunteers. Grants can be used to purchase communication or insurance items and/or purchase items for the main purpose of supporting volunteer cohorts and volunteer-run activities as specified in the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.
The 2025–26 Volunteer Grants will open for expressions of interest through Federal Members of Parliament (MP). Organisations are advised to read the Grant Opportunity Guidelines and contact their local Federal MP for details on how to submit an expression of interest.
Organisations nominated by their MP will be invited by the Department of Social Services to fill out an application form in May 2026.
Draft Grant Opportunity Guidelines have been published on GrantConnect with this Forecast Opportunity to facilitate access to the required information for organisations wishing to express interest in the round.
Last updated:
Community Language Schools Grants Program – Extension Round
The Australian Government is investing $25.6 million, over 4 years from 2025–26, to the Community Language Schools Grants (CLSG) Program.
The Program includes 2 streams of funding.
Stream One will provide funding to community language schools to support the costs of program delivery, professional development and teacher training, and to develop new online teaching material to boost enrolments.
Stream Two will support more students to become fluent in Asian languages through to years 11 and 12.
The CLSG Program – Extension Round grant opportunity will be provided under Stream One. It also is an extension of the previous CLSG Program which commenced in 2023–24.
The grant opportunity will be open to community language schools that have not received funding under the previous CLSG program.
Grant Opportunity Guidelines and other supporting documents will be published when the grant opportunity is open for applications.
Last updated:
Community Language Schools Grants Program – Fluency in Asian Languages Round 1
The Australian Government is investing $25.6 million, over 4 years from 2025–26, for the Community Language Schools Grants Program.
The Program includes 2 streams of funding.
Stream One will provide funding to new and existing community language schools.
Stream Two will be delivered in 2 rounds to support more students to become fluent in Asian languages through to years 11 and 12.
This grant opportunity forms part of Stream Two of the Program.
The objectives of the grant opportunity are to develop initiatives that will:
support Australian secondary students to build fluency in an Asian languages
enhance Asian cultural and language literacy to take advantage of economic opportunities in Australia’s region
enable the participation of young Australians in a broader range of jobs in the global market.
Organisations involved in or supporting language education in Australia will be eligible to apply for the grant opportunity.
Register your interest in participating in an information session for this grant opportunity by emailing: [email protected].
Grant Opportunity Guidelines and other supporting documents will be published when the grant opportunity is open for applications.
