COVID-19

COVID-19 grants and funding

This page is regularly updated with COVID-19 specific grants as they become available.

For information about other grants visit the QCOSS grants page.

woman working on laptop in office

Queensland Government grants

Active restart infrastructure recovery fund

The Active Restart Infrastructure Recovery Fund will provide $15.5 million in targeted funding to not-for-profit sport and recreation organisations to support their return to play and encourage the Queensland community to re-engage with physical activity post-COVID-19.

Organisations eligible to apply must be incorporated not-for-profit local or regional sport or active recreation organisations.

Organisations can receive funding for minor upgrades, repairs and maintenance works, and to fund equipment to deliver activities and programs, assist in maintenance, deliver events and fundraising opportunities and reduce organisational cost.

There are two categories of funding – category 1 up to $5,000 and category 2 from $5,001 up to $20,000.

Applications close 5:00pm Friday 7 August 2020.

Find out more and apply.

Queensland resilience and risk reduction fund

The Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Fund 2019-20 (QRRRF) builds on the former Queensland Disaster Resilience Fund. The objective of the funding is to support delivery of disaster resilience and mitigation projects that align with the Queensland Strategy for Disaster Resilience objectives.

A total of $13.1 million is available in this round, comprising $4.8 million from the Commonwealth Government and $8.3 million from the Queensland Government. Approved projects under the guidelines will be allocated funding up to a maximum of $2 million per project, as a subsidy towards eligible project costs.

Examples of the types of projects that may be considered include infrastructure projects that improve resilience and functionality of at-risk infrastructure or communities and non-infrastructure projects aimed at improving Queensland communities’ disaster risk understanding, preparedness, resilience, response and recovery.

Applications close 22 July 2020.

Find out more.

Queensland Government small business adaption grant – Round two opened 1 July 2020

Queensland small businesses can apply for a Small Business Adaption grant of $2,000 up to $10,000 under a second $100 million package to help them counter the impact of COVID-19. The new grants program has been developed to assist those small businesses forced into hibernation, to restructure or to significantly change their business operations or move online.

The grants can be used to help pay for financial, legal or other professional advice, marketing and communications activities, digital or technology strategy development, or to buy specialised digital equipment or business-specific software to help move the business online.

Round one received an overwhelming response and was closed early, and round two may only be open for a short period due to demand, so applicants are encouraged to apply early.

Find out more.

Australian Government grants

Social Ventures Australia guide to key government opportunities for charities and not-for-profits

Social Ventures Australia has prepared a short guide to the key opportunities for charities and not-for-profits available as a result of Australian Government announcements at 22 April 2020. The guide will be updated as frequently as required to ensure it remains useful as governments continue to announce new measures.

Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) – Emergency support for COVID-19

The objective of this grant is to provide assistance through limited financial support to existing CHSP service providers to enable them to respond to unforeseen and exceptional circumstances that directly impact on existing service delivery arrangements that are beyond the control of the grant recipient. The funding will enable CHSP service providers to continue to provide quality aged care services.

This grant closes on 30 June 2021.

For more information and eligibility criteria, visit the Australian Government website.

Local government grants

Check with your local council what funding might be available in your region.

City of Gold Coast COVID-19 Community Support grants

The City of Gold Coast COVID-19 Community Organisation Hardship Grants Program aims to provide financial assistance to eligible community organisations that provide support services to vulnerable residents impacted by COVID-19. Groups may be either experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 or seeking to establish alternate service delivery models for business continuity.

Applications for funding from $500 to $5,000 are welcome.

Applications close 31 July 2020.

Other grants

Social Impact Hub grants

Australian Progress, together with Australian Communities Foundation and Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) have launched the COVID-19 Rapid Advocacy Fund, a donor pool that can rapidly inject funds into strategic advocacy campaigns demanding ambitious policies in response to the pandemic in Australia.

Grants of $1,000 to $10,000 are currently being considered.

For more information, visit the Social Impact Hub website.

Australian Communities Foundation

As part of their role to be a broker of change, Australian Communities Foundation is showcasing granting opportunities so our community of givers can be inspired to support initiatives that are aligned with their interests. Applicants must have both TCC (Tax Concession Charity) and DGR Item 1 (Deductible gift Recipient) endorsements.

The average grant awarded is between $2,000 and $15,000.

For more information, visit the Australian Communities Foundation website.

Bennelong Foundation

Expressions of interest are now open for the October 2020 Bennelong Foundation grant round. In this round, funding priority will be given to projects that directly address recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This may include employment projects and projects that aim to address educational gaps as a result of remote schooling.

The Bennelong Foundation supports organisations and projects in the areas of education, training and employment, and community health and wellbeing. Target communities are:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
People with a refugee background, newly arrived migrants and culturally and linguistically diverse communities
Communities/groups experiencing socio-economic disadvantage.

The foundation is only able to accept applications from organisations that carry Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.

The Foundation is seeking grants up to $30,000. Expressions of interest close 5:00pm 31 July 2020. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit an application up to 11 September 2020.

Find out more.

BHP Vital Resources Fund

BHP has established a $50 million Vital Resources Fund to help support regional Australian communities in its areas of operation, which are facing the significant challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. BHP will work with relevant leaders and groups to distribute funding according to local needs and in a manner aligned with government programs and initiatives.

Anticipated areas of support include local and regional health networks, essential community services and community mental health and resilience.

Find out more about the BHP Vital Resources Fund.

RACQ Foundation COVID-19 grant

Initially set up to support community groups impacted by natural disasters, the RACQ Foundation is now extending funding to support those impacted by COVID-19.

Queensland community groups and charities that have been impacted by COVID-19, assisting with the recovery from COVID-19 or natural disasters including drought can now apply for funding.

As a general guide the RACQ Foundation will consider funding up to $20,000.

Applications for round two close 17 July 2020.

Find out more about the RACQ Foundation COVID-19 grant.

Heritage Bank Charitable Foundation: COVID-19 kick-start grant round

The Heritage Bank Charitable Foundation has announced an inaugural grant round of $90,000 to help charities continue to deliver vital programs during these very challenging and uncertain times.

Its COVID-19 Kick-Start Grant Round comprises nine $10,000 grants which are to be used to fund an eligible charityâ€™s existing program.

Eligible organisations must be a not-for-profit with deductible gift recipient (DGR) status and must have had a significant reduction in fundraising income due to COVID-10 restrictions.

The grant round closes Friday 31 July 2020.

Find out more about Heritage Bank Charitable Foundation: COVID-19 kick-start grants.

Facebook Small Business Grants programme

Facebook is offering grants to up to 30,000 small businesses that have experienced challenges from COVID-19. Eligible businesses must have between two and fifty employees and have been business for more than a year. Applicants must outline how they would use the grant funds to make an impact on their business or in their community.

Find out more and register to find out when applications open in Australia.

More grants

For more information on what grants are available to the community sector visit the QCOSS Grants page.

Financial support for organisations

Coronavirus (COVID-19) business assistance finder

The Queensland Government’s business assistance finder tool can help you discover what support is available from the Queensland and Australian governments, plus Queensland local councils.

JobKeeper payment

The Australian government announced a $130 billion JobKeeper payment to help keep more Australians in jobs and support businesses affected by the significant economic impact caused by the Coronavirus. If your organisation has been significantly impacted by the Coronavirus you may be able to access a wages subsidy to continue paying your employees.

JobKeeper payment was originally due to run until 27 September 2020. In July it was announced that it was extended to March 2021.

The payment rate will be reduced to $1,200 per fortnight from 28 September 2020 and to $1,000 per fortnight from 4 January 2021.

From 28 September 2020, lower rates will apply for employees and business participants that worked fewer than 20 hours per week.

For more information read the Extension of JobKeeper payment fact sheet and visit the Australian Treasury website.

Supporting apprentices and trainees

Supporting Apprentices and Trainees provides a wage subsidy to small businesses (including those using a Group Training Organisation) to support the retention of their existing apprentices and trainees.

Boosting cash flow for employers

The Australian Government is providing up to $100,000 to eligible businesses and not-for-profits (NFPs) that employ people to assist with cash flow. NFPs including charities with aggregated annual turnover under $50 million and that employ workers are eligible.

Employers will receive a payment equal to 100 per cent of their salary and wages withheld, with a minimum payment of $10,000 and maximum of $50,000. An additional payment is also being introduced in the July to October 2020 period.

The boosting cash flow payments are automatically calculated by the Australian Taxation Office and will be applied to activity statement lodgments. There are no new forms required.

Queensland Government economic relief package

The Queensland Government’s economic relief package includes:

Rebates on electricity bills – $200 for all Queensland households and $500 for all Queensland small and medium businesses that consume less than 100,000 kilowatt hours. These rebates will be automatically applied to electricity bills.
Payroll tax relief for businesses in the form of a refund of two months’ worth of payroll tax for COVID-19 affected businesses and a payroll tax holiday for eligible businesses.
A worker and industry support package to assist workers who lose their job or income with retraining, job-matching and other help to transition into jobs in the industries that are vital to get Queensland through this crisis.
Relief for businesses renting government premises.
Jobs Supports loans.

Find out more about the Queensland Government’s economic relief package.

Small business hotline

The Queensland Government’s small business hotline is providing support to help small businesses and not-for-profits including case management and referrals to financial mentoring and business planning.

Call 1300 654 687 for more information or take the business impact survey to be linked with relevant support.

Financial support for clients

Income support for individuals

The Australian Government has temporarily expanded eligibility for income support payments and implemented a new, time-limited Coronavirus supplement of $550 per fortnight until 24 September 2020. Under the new temporary arrangements, some eligibility criteria have been relaxed and some waiting periods have been removed.

From 25 September the Coronavirus Supplement will be reduced to $250 per fortnight until 31 December 2020 and some eligibility criteria will be changed including the reintroduction of means testing.

If you already receive JobSeeker (Newstart) or another payment, you do not need to contact Centrelink to get the extra support announced. The extra payment will come through automatically.

If you do not already receive income support you will need to create a MyGov account and register for a Centrelink payment.

Find out more about the changes to the Coronavirus Supplement, or for general information about the JobSeeker Coronavirus Supplement visit the Services Australia website or call 136 240.

Hardship payment for Queensland workers during COVID-19

Queensland Government support is available for Queensland workers who test positive for COVID-19 and have no access to paid sick leave. The payment will provide affected workers with a one-off $1,500 payment to cover their unpaid sick leave.

The Department of Employment, Small Business and Training will work closely with Queensland Health to ensure when these Queenslanders are tested positive for COVID-19 that they are referred to the Department for this assistance.

$900,000 COVID-19 package to support vulnerable communities

The Queensland Government has extended COVID-19 support for vulnerable multicultural communities with a dedicated $900,000 connections package for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.

Household relief loans without interest

Good Shepherd, in collaboration with the Australian Government, are providing no interest loans up to $3,000 towards rent and utilities for eligible people who have been financially impacted by COVID-19. Find out more about household relief loans without interest.