Community Strengthening Grant 2026

PLEASE Note: applications for this category will close Saturday 28th February 2026. 

Community Strengthening Grant - for Groups - read more here

Funding up to $7,000 for projects that occur during FY 2026/27 between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027.

This funding supports community projects that benefit the Merri-bek Community and aim to address areas such as:
  • social inclusion and community participation
  • environmental sustainability
  • healthy and active living
  • creating vibrant spaces.

Funding will be prioritised for activities which support for residents from at least one of these communities:
   • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,
   • Children,
   • Migrant and refugee communities
   • People with disability,
   • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual plus, Transgender and gender diverse, Intersex, Queer, Asexual and Aromantic communities (LGBTIQA+),
   • Seniors (65+ years)
   • Women, Girls and Gender Diverse Communities
   • Youth.
Read the Guidelines for more information. Help Sheets Preparing your application and Completing the budget can be viewed on Councils website. 

What funding can cover?
• Temporary staff costs to implement the project (e.g. project worker, instructor etc.)
• Printing, advertising, translation, promotional activities
• Equipment or community venue/meeting room hire (up to $500)
• Costs to encourage participation (e.g. Transport, disability support, interpreters)
• Catering and refreshments (up to $300)
• Volunteer expenses
• Small equipment that is useful long term to the community and is needed for the project and aligns with the Community Grants Objectives (Up to $500)
• Communications, media, advertising and marketing.

Read more about this category on page 16 and 'What we won't fund' on page 6 of the Guidelines. 

Assessment timelines
• Once submitted and officers are comfortable all supporting documentation is appropriate for the application and funds requested, the application will be assessed against the criteria by a community assessment panel - read more: How we assess grants 
• Assessment Panel Recommendation will be presented to Council in May/June 2026 after such endorsement you will receive notification of the outcome.
• If approved for funding support, you will be required to submit a funding agreement. Payment made in accordance with Council's payment terms, 
• You may begin anywhere in this application form. Please ensure you save as you go.
• For queries about eligibility, guidelines or questions in the form, please contact us on 9240 1111 during business hours or email the grants officer - communitygrants@merri-bek.vic.gov.au;  and quote your application number.

Read more:
Applying for Community Grants
Support for Applicants
Auspice information - See Frequently Asked Questions

NAVIGATING (MOVING THROUGH) THE APPLICATION FORM

On every screen (page of the form) you will find a Form Navigation contents box, this links directly to every page of the application. Click the link to jump directly to the page you want.

You can also click 'next page' or 'previous page' on the top or bottom of each page to move forward or backward through the application.

SAVING YOUR DRAFT APPLICATION

If you wish to leave a partially completed application, press 'save and close' and log out. When you log back in and click on the 'My Submissions' link at the top of the screen, you will find a list of any applications you have started or submitted. You can reopen your draft application and start where you left off.

You can also download any application, whether draft or completed, as a PDF. Click on the 'Download PDF' button located at the bottom of the last page of the application form.

SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

You will find a Review and Submit button at the bottom of the Navigation Panel. You need to review your application before you can submit it.

Once you have reviewed your application you can submit it by clicking on 'Submit' at the top or bottom of the screen or on the navigation panel. You will not be able to submit your application until all the compulsory questions are completed and there are no validation errors.

Once you have submitted your application, no further editing or uploading of support materials is possible.

When you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your submitted application attached. This will be sent to the email you used to register.

If you do not receive a confirmation of submission email then you should presume that your submission has NOT been submitted.

Hint: also check the email hasn't landed in your spam or junk email folder.

ATTACHMENTS AND SUPPORT DOCUMENTS

You may need to upload/submit attachments to support your application. This is very simple, but requires you to have the documents saved on your computer, or on a storage device.

You need to allow enough time for each file to upload before trying to attach another file. Files can be up to 25MB each; however, we do recommend trying to keep files to a maximum of 5MB – the larger the file, the longer the upload time.

COMPLETING AN APPLICATION IN A GROUP/TEAM

A number of people can work on an application using the same log in details as long as only one person is working at a time. Ensure you save as you go.

SPELL CHECK

Most internet browsers (including Firefox v2.0 and above; Safari; and Google Chrome) have spell checking facilities built in – you can switch this function on or off by adjusting your browser settings.