Australia Day Grants

For details on who can apply and the types of projects that will or will not be funded, read the guidelines.

• Australia Day Grant Guidelines 2026(PDF, 2MB)

Assessment Criteria

• Scoring Matrix(DOCX, 41KB)
• Scoring Matrix(PDF, 111KB)

Child Safe Standards

• Child Safe Standard direct contact checklist(DOCX, 64KB)
• Statement of Commitment to Child Safety(DOCX, 61KB)
• Short guide to the Child Safe Standards(PDF, 6MB)

Planning

• Making Your Project More Inclusive Checklist(DOCX, 53KB)

Smarty Grants

• Help guide for applicants(PDF, 5MB)

1. Make sure you have reviewed the current Australia Day Grant Guidelines in the section above.
2. Contact Council's Community Projects Officer to discuss your project idea. Call (03) 5422 0216 or email grants@mrsc.vic.gov.au
3. All applications must be completed using the SmartyGrants platform. If this is your first time using Smarty Grants, you will be prompted to register before beginning your application. Once your application is complete, you will receive an automated email acknowledging successful submission.

If you would like assistance, call us on (03) 5422 0216 or email grants@mrsc.vic.gov.au

Apply Now

Note: decisions regarding allocations of community grants may take up to 8 weeks.

We understand that sometimes things don't go as planned. Call us on (03) 5422 0216 or email grants@mrsc.vic.gov.au if:

• your contact details change or the key contact for the project changes
• you are unable to continue with the project
• you need to make a variation or seek an extension to the project as planned in your application. You will need to complete a variation/extension request form and this will need to be approved by Council before any changes are undertaken.

Once you have delivered your project, you will need to complete a Project Acquittal Report. This is available via the SmartyGrants platform.

The report includes:

• a summary of the benefits, challenges and learnings of the project; and
• a summary of the grant expenditure and any remaining grant funds (if applicable);
• promotional and marketing activities undertaken, including examples of the recognition of Council's financial support, photo evidence of the project and any media coverage.

Please note: If you have been auspiced for the purposes of your grant, the acquittal report will need to be signed off by the Treasurer of the Auspice and the Treasurer of the Applicant Organisation.