As your local MP, I'm committed to our community. I want to do everything I can to make sure volunteer and community organisations are funded and supported. This is especially important during a cost of living crisis.
That's why every year, I donate part of my salary to support local community groups and their projects — and why I’m always excited to partner with the Commonwealth’s Department of Infrastructure to help community organisations deliver critical social infrastructure across our city.
The Stronger Communities grant is primarily aimed at delivering new buildings, infrastructure or utilities, upgrading existing ones or paying for new furniture, motor vehicles, ICT or AV equipment. It cannot be used to pay for salaries, training, operational expenses or the purchase of land or buildings.
Expressions of interest for Round 9 of Stronger Communities will close on Monday 10 February 2025. You can complete your expression of interest at stephenbates.com.au/grants25.
Selected applicants will be informed by my office on Friday 14 February and will be required to submit a grants application through a second web portal.
I nominate projects based on expressions of interest. Final decision on awarding grants sits with the Department following submission of the grants application and review of selection criteria. An invitation to submit a grants application does not guarantee your grant will be successful.
You can read the full eligibility criteria and process on the Department’s website: business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/stronger-communities-programme-round-9
What I’ll be looking for to shortlist
To make sure these grants go to the groups who need it most, I’ll be looking for these in applications:
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How your project delivers positive outcomes for residents of the Division of Brisbane. These outcomes might be social, environmental, economic or community benefits.
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Your organisation’s annual income is under $200,000.
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If your organisation has received another grant from a federal MP in the last three years.
Eligibility criteria
The Department sets strict eligibility criteria for the Stronger Communities grants. I’ve tried to summarise these criteria below and in my form but please read the full eligibility criteria on the Department’s website to make sure you meet the requirements.
The Department set a long list of acceptable objectives that projects can contribute towards — but in brief, your project needs to primarily address one of these criteria to be eligible for funding:
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Supporting local tourism, history or heritage
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Empowering First Nations people and celebrating First Nations culture
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Building native gardens, memorials or ecologically appropriate landscaping
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Upgrading a community organisation's ICT, AV or web functionality
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Providing public library facilities, or free co-working, community or maker spaces
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Delivering renewable energy infrastructure, energy efficiency upgrades or emissions mitigation
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Upgrading existing infrastructure to be more accessible or family friendly
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Installing toilets, changing rooms, or water stations at sporting grounds or public spaces
There’s also a separate list of eligible and ineligible outcomes for funding. Even if your project responds to one of the above objectives, it also needs to be constrained to a smaller list of eligible outcomes to be successful.
To be successfully funded, you must only ask for funding to cover these eligible outcomes:
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Planning, designing or building new community infrastructure
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Maintenance or upgrades to existing community infrastructure
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Purchasing furniture, ICT equipment, AV equipment or motor vehicles
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Upgrading websites, CRMs or other ICT systems or buying software licences
Your project will not be funded if your application requests funds for:
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Governance or business as usual expenses including salaries, supplies or operating costs
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Training, education or professional development
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Feasibility studies, investigations or speculative planning
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Purchase of land or existing buildings
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Where the project contributes to a private or commercial venture
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Where the project improves private residential property
There are also other eligibility criteria you must meet to be eligible. In brief, these criteria are:
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Your organisation must be not-for-profit. This might include charities, community groups, associations, clubs or informal networks. You could represent a parents and citizens committee, a Scout or Guide group, an advocacy group or much more.
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The project demonstrates value for money.
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Your project reflects one of the acceptable objectives above.
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Funds are only used for planning, designing or building new community infrastructure, the maintenance or upgrades to existing community infrastructure, purchasing new furniture, ICT equipment, AV equipment or motor vehicles or paying for upgrading websites, CRMs or other ICT systems or buying software licences.
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Funds are not used for the usual running costs of an organisation, feasibility studies or the purchase of land or existing buildings or any other ineligible outcomes above.
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Your grant request is for between $2,500 and $20,000 (GST exclusive).
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Your project’s total cost must be less than $50,000. Your project may be a discrete component of a larger project.
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Your project begins after 1 March 2025 and concludes before 30 December 2025.