Community Grants | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory

City of Darwin Community Grants offers two rounds each year.

The March round supports projects delivered between 1 July and 31 December of the same year, while the September round supports projects delivered between 1 January and 30 June the following year.

Our Community Grants Program supports community organisations carrying out one off, capacity building projects, activities or events in Darwin.

Each round has a total allocation of $50,000. Grants generally vary in amounts up to $10,000 to ensure support to the greatest number of projects and organisations.

Applications are submitted online through SmartyGrants.

For further information on the Community Grants Program, please refer to the City of Darwin Funding Guidelines.

If you would like to talk to someone about your project or your application, please contact the Community Development Officer on 8930 0560 or communitygrants@darwin.nt.gov.au

Who Can Apply

Funding is available for new projects and initiatives, not existing programs or operational costs.
Organisations must be incorporated or be auspiced* by an incorporated organisation for the purposes of this application;
Proposed activities must occur within the timeframe specified for each funding round; and
Activities must occur within the Darwin municipality.

*Auspice – if you are unincorporated or an individual you will need the support of an incorporated organisation to act as a sponsor, to be an intermediary for financial purposes. If required, please contact us for support in connecting you with a suitable organisation.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve applied for a grant before. Can I apply again?

Yes. However, you should only apply for funding if it is for a new initiative.

Can my organisation submit more than one application?

Yes, but it’s likely that only one will be funded.

How much money is available?

There is $150,000 in the Community Grants pool, with two rounds of $50,000 for community-based grants each year, and one round of $50,000 for community-based environmental grants.

What’s the maximum I can apply for?

The maximum grant amount is $10,000, but you may not receive that full amount.

Can I apply again for funding for a project that has previously received funding?

Only if you are applying for a new initiative as part of that project. Organisations can’t be funded for exactly the same initiative more than once.

Can I apply again for funding for a project that has previously been unsuccessful?

Yes, but call for some advice first so that you know why it wasn’t successful the first time. Sometimes projects are not successful because there too many good applications to fund them all and a slightly stronger application succeeds.

My organisation hasn’t sent in the acquittal (final financial report) from our last project. Can we still apply?

To be eligible for a new grant, your organisation needs to have sent in the acquittal. Please speak to the Community Development Officer if you have any questions about this.

Can I get funding for general expenses for my organisation?

No, grant funding is for the expenses of a project, not organisational costs, like insurance cover for example.

Can I apply for money for wages?

Yes, but only the wages for the project, for example, facilitator wages to run a workshop.

Can I apply for a grant as an individual?

No, these community grants are only available to not-for-profit organisations and groups.

When will I know if I have been successful?

All applicants will be notified by email within six weeks of applications closing.

Do you accept hand written applications?

No. We have moved to a new system and to maintain the integrity of the data, all applications will need to be submitted through this system.

What if I’m late with my application?

The system will not allow you to submit beyond the closing time and date. We cannot accept late submissions.

Can I get advice about what to apply for and what to write?

Yes, call the Community Development Officer on 08 8930 0560 or email communitygrants@darwin.nt.gov.au

The guidelines say that projects should be sustainable. What does that mean?

This means that projects either need to start and end during the funding period or that there is a way they can continue after the funding has been spent.

Past Grant Recipients

Round 2 Community Grants Program 2021/2022 Recipients:

Two Two One Mental Health Charity (GO! Nights Cultural Connection)
Darwin Men's Shed (Safer Machinery for Members)
Melaleuca Australia (Kushona Collective-Men Sewing and Sharing)
Hindu Society of NT (Hindu Food Festival)
Tangan (Tangan Building a Collective)
Corrugated Iron Youth Arts (Nitestreet 2022)

Total: $50,000

Round 1 Community Grants Program 2021/2022 Recipients:

Children's Integrated Management Services Ltd (Kitchen Garden Project)
Fannie Bay History and Heritage Society (History Mystery Tours - excursions into Darwin's past)
Chinese Community of Northern Australia Incorporated (Mid-Autumn Festival 2021)
MJD Foundation Ltd (MJD Foundation - NAIDOC Week Event)
Queensland Ballet (Queensland Ballet Community Regional Tour)
Tennis NT (Community Tennis Celebration Day: International Day of Persons With Disabilities)
The Scout Association of Australia Northern Territory Branch (1st Darwin Sea Scout Group) (2021 Aquafest - Scouts NT)
Football Northern Territory (New Flexible Women’s Football Programs)
Clubhouse Territory Inc. (Be-Inclusive Games Program (BIG) – 2021/22 - The Clubhouse Project – Community Hub supported by Clubhouse Territory and partners of the ‘Clubhouse Project’
NT Writers’ Centre Inc. (Graphic Novel Workshops for Darwin youth with Indigenous comic book artist Jonathon Saunders)
Environment Centre NT (Create from Waste Workshop Series)

Total: $50,000

Round 2 COVID-19 Response Grants Recipients:

Lakeside Drive Community Garden (Individual and Group Garden Plots)
St John Ambulance Australia (NT) Inc. (St John NT Cadet Youth Development Program - Connect Online)
The Royal Agricultural Society of the NT Royal Darwin Show (Virtual Mini-Series)
Northern Centre for Contemporary Art Inc. (Digital Adaptation of 2020 Portrait of a Teenage Territorian Exhibition)
Tracks Inc. Dead Singers Dance Society (A Bollywood Awakening)
Integrated disAbility Action (IdA) Inc. (Working Remotely and Safe Work Practices)
Variety the Children’s Charity NT (Christmas in July Santa Fun Run)
forrestPR (No-one Left Behind)
Scott Gooding, auspiced by Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre (Youth Theatre Project Pilot - We Are The Future)
Growing and Using Local Produce (Darwin Region Edible Calendar)
Kindness Shake (Kindness Space by The Kindness Shake)

Total $55,340.77

Out of Round Community Grants Program 2020/2021 Recipients:

Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation (NAIDOC Week Family Fun Day and NAIDOC Speeches)
Darwin Basketball Association (Wheelchair Basketball Exhibition Match)
Darwin Community Legal Service (Human Rights Art Exhibition - Rights on Show)
Deadly Enterprises (Deadly Cup Carnival)

Total $11,879.03

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