Natural Resource Management Funding

For the latest information on funding opportunities for weed management and natural resource management, visit the website of Natural Resource Management, or see below for a quick summary of each of the funding bodies.

National Heritage Trust (NHT) funding programs

Natural Resource Management funding

Non-NHT Funding/Grants available

useful websites for searching for grants
grants offered by the Australian Government
funding and grants on offer
sponsorship
awards and prizes

Please note: some of the funding sources listed below are not currently open – you will need to access the associated websites for opening/closing dates and detailed information.

Useful websites for searching for grants

Grantsearch

Grantsearch is Australia's original and most comprehensive funding database, with approximately 3,000 sources of financial support for:

study
travel
research
business and professional development
the arts
sport
community projects

Entries detail $8billion distributed to 18,000 recipients each year. Grantsearch is the only funding service to actively seek sources from:

all levels of government (Federal, State and Local)
universities
foundations
the private sector
overseas sources specifying Australian applicants

Grants offered by the Australian Government

GrantsLINK will help you find it.
Grants Calendar (NT Government)

Guide to Community Grants

The guide provides:

Links to selected sources of Commonwealth, State and Territory financial assistance to community groups
A selection of links to non-government organisations which may provide community grants
Links to commercial services providing grant information via subscription. The guide does not include links to scholarships, fellowships or research grants

Funding/Grants on Offer

EnvironmenNT Grants

The EnvironmenNT Grants will be made available to community groups and individuals annually to address a wide range of environmental issues including biodiversity protection and environmental education.

The grant scheme has two components:

Operational Grants: to provide operational support for non-government environment organisations
Individual Project Grants: to provide support for individual projects put forward by the community that seek to:
- Mitigate environmental impacts
- Improve environmental quality
- Promote conservation
- Increase environmental awareness

Only one funding cycle will occur annually; therefore, advertisement and processing of proposals for Individual Project grants will be simultaneous with ads/processing for Operational Grants.

The total funding pool for this program will be $460,000 per year. Operational Grants will be negotiated annually upon application. Individual Project grants will not be capped but applicants are encouraged to keep applications within $10,000. Grants in excess of this amount will be considered where projects have exceptional merit.

National Innovation Grants

The National Innovation Grants are still being finalised for approval, call maybe in August. Targeted at individuals/groups looking at innovation in sustainable agriculture/production, gaps in research, new technologies, research to practise. Up to $150,000, needs matching funding.

Defeating the Weeds Menace

Recent limited call for WONS weeds and Sleeper Weeds lists, national priorities.
Will likely be a new call in October. For further information, please contact Alice Beilby on Tel: 89738107.

Community Water Grants

General information about the Community Water Grants programme can be found on the Australian Government Natural Resource Management web site. It will be important that projects:

are community orientated and have public benefits
involve practical on-ground works to save or protect water resources
comply with relevant planning, health and environmental regulations and or guidelines

Community Benefit Fund

Community Benefit Fund Grants are generally for amounts up to $5,000 and are available from the Fund to approved non-profit Territory-based organisations to help them in the provisions of services that benefit the community.

Funds are distributed on a biannual basis and may be applied to approved activities which do not fit within other government funding programs, but have the potential to improve the well being and lifestyle of Territorians.

Volunteer Small Equipment Grants 2004

Volunteer Small Equipment Grants will provide up to $5000 to help community organisations purchase equipment that directly supports volunteers whose work contributes to benefiting families and communities.

Bundaberg Rum Bush Fund

Landcare and other community groups, tackling water quality projects, are invited to apply for a Bundaberg Rum Bush Fund grant (between $1,000 - $5,000). Landcare Australia and Bundaberg Rum will assess proposals, based on environmental and community merits, and allocate grants each year.

Grant applications must address water quality issues within the local area. This may be within a river, lake, stream, creek, or as part of the wider catchment.

Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities Program

The CERF will support environmental research that does not qualify for assistance under other Government programmes and will:

Only fund programmes that have a strong public good focus and can demonstrate a strong public good outcome
Provide support for research that requires high levels of collaboration and input from several disciplines
Encourage research in areas of special strength or need, particularly within the National Research Priority "an Environmentally Sustainable Australia"

Register for updates

Please register online to be kept informed of updates via email.

Online registration form
Information for applicants

Expressions of interest for CERF funding will be sought once programme guidelines are released, and this is expected to be early in the second half of 2005. Important dates, further information for applicants and downloadable forms will be available on this web site.

Indigenous Heritage Programme

The Indigenous Heritage Programme provides Indigenous organisations or not-for-profit bodies with up to $100 000 (GST inclusive). Individual Indigenous applicants are generally eligible for funding up to $5 000. The Australian Government has made $3.3 million available through the Indigenous Heritage Programme for 2005-2006 to support projects that identify, conserve and promote the Indigenous heritage values of places.

The Programme may also help identify places likely to have outstanding Indigenous heritage value to Australia suitable for inclusion on the National Heritage List.

Environmental Education Grants Program

The Environmental Education Grants Program funds activities which support the Australian Government's objective of improving the community's capacity to protect the environment.
To promote a coherent national approach to environmental education, and ensure that our efforts and investment are as effective as they can be, an important consideration in assessing proposals is the impact funding will have in acting as a catalyst for national change.
If you are interested in applying for funding in 2005 you should contact the Environmental Education Section on 02 6274 1290 or email a one page summary outlining your project's suitability for funding to ee@erin.gov.au before submitting an application.

Grants to Voluntary Environment and Heritage Organisations (GVEHO) 2005

The Minister for the Environment and Heritage, the Hon Senator Ian Campbell, has called for applications for general purpose grants from eligible environment and heritage organisations under the GVEHO programme.

Grants of up to three years are available to assist organisations to deliver services and/or projects contributing to:

the protection, conservation and/or rehabilitation of the natural environment; or
the protection and/or conservation of Australia's historic heritage.

Environment and heritage organisations meeting the eligibility requirements can apply for grants of up to $10 000 per year. However, grants of higher amounts will be considered in exceptional circumstances and where there is a demonstrated need.

Mitre 10 Junior Landcare Grants Program

Through the Mitre 10 Junior Landcare Grants Program, any school or organisation that would like to involve their students in landcare projects, in conjunction with local landcare groups, can apply for grants to assist them with the cost of their projects. The program targets major issues relevant to our natural environment. Schools and youth organisations located in the greater Melbourne metropolitan area can also access the Melbourne Water Young Watercare Grants.
Contact name: Rebecca Millard, Tel:03 9662 9977.

Threatened Species Network Community Grants

Managed by the Threatened Species Network, the Community Grants program encourages communities to take long-term responsibility for the ongoing health of our natural environment, specifically targeting the needs of species and ecological communities recognised as threatened by the Australian Government. Grants are provided for activities such as:

Habitat restoration
Weeding and feral animal control
Monitoring and surveying species populations
Fencing
Fire management

Applications for Round 8 of the TSN Community Grants Program are now open. Applications will close 5pm Friday 3 June 2005.

Sponsorship

Guide to Sponsorship and Fundraising (Landcare Australia)

The Guide to Sponsorship and Fundraising (Landcare Australia) document will help your group to work with sponsors in your area or to set up your ownfundraising campaign. You’ll notice that the document only refers to Landcare groups but the information applies equally to Coastcare and other care groups.

Corporate sponsorship for your group through Landcare Australia

Landcare Australia’s 50-odd corporate sponsors are often looking for specific projects to fund. Usually a sponsor will ask for either a specific area or theme. For example, Banrock Station Wines sponsors only wetland projects in partnership with Wetland Care Australia.

To identify appropriate projects for funding (Landcare Australia) usually asks Landcare or Coastcare support staff to find specific high priority projects to match sponsors’ requests. We also look through the projects that were assessed for NHT funding but were below the funding cut-off line. Over the years Landcare Australia has funded projects in rural and urban locations dealing with a range of Landcare and Coastcare activities.

You may find it useful to download Landcare Australia’s sponsorship kit which goes through the process of raising local sponsorship for group projects and will give you some tools to take a more proactive approach to raising sponsorship.

Awards and prizes

Australian Museum Eureka Prizes – Rewarding Outstanding Environmental Research

The 2005 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes offers awards in 4 categories:

Education
Innovation and Leadership
Research
Science Communication

Seven new prizes have been launched in 2005:

for leadership in business innovation - sponsored by the Australian Museum
for leadership in science - sponsored by the CSIRO
schools prize for agricultural journalism - sponsored by the Grains Research & Development Corporation
for photographic journalism in science, technology and the environment - sponsored by NewScientist (see Note below for special offer)
for bioinformatics research - sponsored by the NSW Ministry for Science and Medical Research
Sleek Geeks Science schools prize - sponsored by the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney
for research which replaces the use of animals or animal products - sponsored by the Sherman Foundation

Most prizes carry a cash reward of $10,000.

Banksia Foundation Awards

The Banksia Environmental Foundation is a national not-for-profit organisation that promotes environmental excellence, and as a consequence sustainability, by staging each year Australia's best known and most prestigious environmental award program, the Banksia Awards. Banksia also organises the Prime Minister's Environmentalist of the Year award and assists with State level award programs. It was founded in 1989.

Riverprize

More about the Riverfestival, Brisbane 2005

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