Starting this month, First Nations individuals, groups and organisations will be able to apply for a new council grant program supporting projects, events, activities and capital works.
Geelong council approved the 2025-26 Community Strengthening First Nations Grants guidelines this week, which will provide $100,000 in two funding categories – grants for smaller projects up to $5000, and for larger-scale initiatives for more than $5000 to $25,000.
Applications will be open from December to February for not-for-profit and charity organisations, businesses and sole traders, with applicants notified of the outcome of their applications in June 2026.
Councillor Ron Nelson said the program would support applications delivering on the goals of the City’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
“The purpose of these grants is to support self-determined projects and initiatives aimed at increasing health and wellbeing for First Nations people,” he said.
“The objective…is to overcome the entrenched inequality faced by far too many of our Indigenous community.”
The new program replaces the gap left by the conclusion of the City’s First Nations cultural heritage grants, which ran between 2021 and 2024, but were paused for review.
Councillor Anthony Aitken said the new program had been developed in consultation with the Indigenous community, including Wadawurrung Traditional Owners, Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative and Wanyaari Aboriginal Consultancy Services and “the local mob in general”.
“I hope we can achieve some significant improvement in our relationship with our First Nations people by the adoption of this grant program,” he said.
