Grants and funding

Click here for more information about the Make it Happen Grants. 

You can subscribe to emails regarding future Council community grant programs.

Council provides funding assistance of $500 annually to support the ongoing operations of small incorporated not-for-profit groups that meet regularly to promote social connection. The grants are distributed to local groups such as seniors’ clubs and special interest groups. Funding can be used to support committee meeting costs, insurance costs, governance costs and other activities that support the running of the group.

Groups that meet the eligibility criteria can apply for the grant, with applications opening each November. If you miss this program, you may want to consider applying for a Make it Happen grant.

If you are interested to find out more, contact us at grants@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

2025 Small Group Operating Grant list of funded applications(PDF, 139KB) 

The Hobsons Bay Community Fund is a perpetual philanthropic fund established to benefit and strengthen the community of Hobsons Bay for now and future generations.

The fund provides grant opportunities, for more information visit Hobsons Bay Community Fund (hbcommunityfund.org.au)

Council supports opportunities for young people to reach their potential.  For information about scholarships for young people contact Western Chances through www.westernchances.org.au.

This is a $10 million government fund to support communities in Melbourne’s inner west during the construction of the West Gate Tunnel.

This provides funding for larger projects seeking over $100,000 that:

• deliver lasting benefits
• assist organisations to implement community infrastructure and capital equipment programs the improve community connections

More details can be found at our West Gate Tunnel Project webpage: click on West Gate Neighbourhood Funds (tab 3) 

The Hobsons Bay Grant Finder is a grant finding service for businesses, community groups and not for profits. This comprehensive and up-to-date funding database, makes finding and applying for grants easy.

Hobsons Bay Grant Finder portal

There are lots of resources available to support you to prepare to write a grant application. There are also lots of websites to locate potential grants or funding sources.

Resources to assist when writing a grant application:

Funding Centre Grant Help sheets – 
Tools, checklists and helpsheets to help you get grants ready, write sparkling applications, and help fund your next project.
https://www.fundingcentre.com.au/grant/help

The Funding Centre – grant writing tips: 
www.fundingcentre.com.au/help/writing-grant

The Funding Centre – sample answers for grant applications: 
https://explore.fundingcentre.com.au/help-sheets/answersbank

The Grants hub – grant application tips
Grant Resources — The Grants Hub

Philanthropy How to guide - Effective Grant-Seeking: 
www.philanthropy.org.au/seek-funding/how-to-seek-funding

Hobsons Bay Libraries – several publications are available that may assist with grant seeking and writing, e.g. Winning Grants Funding in Australia: 
http://libraries.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

Australian Sports Foundation
Fundraising Toolkit

Our Community - Australia's Centre for Excellence for the nation's 600,000 not-for-profits & schools, providing advice, tools and resources: 
http://ourcommunity.com.au

Other funding sources

Hobsons Bay Grant Finder - grant finding service for businesses, community groups and not for profits: 
grantguru.com/au/hobsonsbay

The Funding Centre – grants and fundraising hub (membership fee applies):
http://www.fundingcentre.com.au/

Bendigo Bank
https://www.bendigobank.com.au/branch/vic/altona-community-bank-branch/

Hobsons Bay Community Fund: 
https://www.hbcommunityfund.org.au

Grant connect - Australian government grants
Australian Government grant opportunities and grants awarded
GrantConnect

Victorian government grants and programs
Search grants and programs provided by Victorian government
Grants and programs

Online grants and funding courses available to local groups and clubs

Council is linking community groups with some handy online grant application courses to maximise chances of being successful when applying for grants. There is no charge for the first 40 Hobsons Bay community groups to complete the following courses (a saving of $55 per online course). So be quick!

The course should take about 45 minutes to complete. Once started the group/club has a 30 day window to finish it.

Course 1 - Where’s the funding?

This course will help you identify the many sources of income available to your organisation and help you build confidence to start drawing from each of them.

The result? Fewer burnt out volunteers, more successful events, a bigger donor database, and ultimately a stronger, healthier, more sustainable community group.

Course 2 - Win more grants

Around $80 billion is given out in grants across Australia each year. Is your organisation getting its share?

This course is designed for grassroots community groups that want to find out where to find grants and how to get them. With just a bit of know-how, and some newfound confidence, you’ll go from a grants novice to a grants go-getter!

Register here - https://www.ourcommunity.com.au/hobsons-bay

This link will take you to the Our Community website for registration and access to the courses.