Like many, the Strategic Grants team is unpacking the details of the 25-26 Federal Budget. While the budget seems to favour individual households, there are sector specific initiatives worth mentioning.
Our round-up is below, plus links to additional budget resources.
As always, for our Grants Expertise Management System (GEMS) subscribers, your calendar will be updated by our Research Team with any new or updated funding opportunities relevant to your sector and you will receive an automatic email alert.
1. Support for First Nations communities
The budget allocates $1.3 billion over six years from 2024-25 to support stronger outcomes for First Nations Australians and to close the gap. This funding aims to deliver essential services and infrastructure. Additionally, $842.6 million is committed to the Northern Territory Remote Aboriginal Investment to improve access to economic development, employment opportunities, health, safety, and education outcomes in remote communities.
2. Focus on women’s equality and safety
The government is driving progress on gender equality with significant investments aimed at improving the lives of Australian women. This includes funding for wage increases in female-dominated industries like aged care and early childhood education. There’s also a strong emphasis on addressing gender-based violence, with $21.4 million allocated to improve victim and survivor engagement with the justice system, and $21.8 million to support family, domestic, and sexual violence services in First Nations communities.
3. Strengthening the social safety net
The budget includes $11.5 billion in additional investment in the social security system. This funding will support increases to key social security payments, expand access to vulnerable groups, and provide ongoing funding for essential frontline services, including for the most vulnerable people in the Australian community.
4. Support for people with disability
The budget allocates $423.8 million to support people with disability. This includes funding to reform the Information Linkages and Capacity Building program, providing general supports for people with disability, their families, carers, and kin.
5. Partnering to improve local opportunities
The government is investing in social enterprises and community-led initiatives to support Australians experiencing disadvantage. This includes a contribution to the Social Enterprise Loan Fund and the Commonwealth Outcomes Fund, which will deliver projects that create job pathways for people experiencing homelessness, young parents, and First Nations communities.
Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status for Social Enterprise Australia is also outlined in the budget.
7. Supporting communities through disaster recovery
The budget also includes specific measures to support individuals and communities affected by disasters, such as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, with over $13.5 billion in funding for natural disasters accounted for in the budget.
Key disaster relief support includes:
8. Volunteering
In a statement from Volunteering Australia, they say: “We welcome the continuation of the Volunteering and Community Connectedness funding stream, including the ongoing Volunteer Management Activity and Strong and Resilient Communities (SARC) grants, as well as measures to address cost-of-living pressures for everyone in Australia. However, volunteer involving organisations remain under immense pressure with no support. We cannot take Australia’s volunteers for granted. Strategic investment in volunteering is crucial to safeguard its contribution to communities, and to ensure it is sustainable.”
Read more about their response to the budget in response to volunteer support here.
Additional budget wrap-ups and resources
Building Australia’s Future highlights the key measures from the 2025–26 Budget
HLB Mann Judd’s Federal Budget Report
Volunteering Australia’s Budget and Election Platform 2025
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