Written by Rikki Andrews - Manager, Public Benefit at auDA
auDA is a not-for-profit endorsed by the Australian Government. Our purpose is to deliver a trusted .au for the benefit of all Australians and champion an open, free, secure and global internet. auDA’s Public Benefit Program provides funding to support innovation and research that unlocks positive social and economic value for Australians through the internet. Successful applicants will each receive $40,000 to deliver digital inclusion and digital innovation.
The auDA 2024 Community Grant Program forms part of the Public Benefit Program. It funds initiatives that promote digital inclusion and digital innovation to improve the utility of the internet across five priority groups:
- Rural, regional and remote Australians
- Australians living with a disability
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Older Australians (65 years+)
- Young Australians (12-24 years)
The 2024 grant round is now taking applications and will award $40,000 each to 15 successful applicants.
Who should apply?
Not-for-profit organisations and research institutions registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC) are eligible to apply.
Consider applying today if you have a project that:
- Delivers services or information to underserved populations via the internet
- Uses digital tools to record data, analyse and determine impact or deliver more targeted approaches
- Will develop or apply new digital tools
Since it was established, the auDA Community Grant Program has supported over 170 community projects that aim to enhance societal wellbeing through the Internet. Some of the great, impactful projects we’ve supported include:
Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE): Received a grant to establish an online marketplace for students and now school-age entrepreneurs across Australia are selling their products to their local community.
Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect): Community feedback identified that Autistic women were in need of tailored resources during pregnancy. The auDA grant funded a digital platform that will share educational information and resources for Autistic women and their healthcare practitioners.
Cool.org: Using the auDA grant, Cool.org designed a suite of lesson plans to enhance the digital literacy of primary school students. Now more than 55,000 students and their teachers are applying Cool’s online education resources that improve digital literacy and highlight First Nations digital technology heroes.
Enterprise Learning Projects (ELP): This grant will enable remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs to design and deliver business literacy training for their own communities in person and online – including in language.
Justice Connect: Using data analysis, Justice Connect identified groups of Australians who could not easily access legal advice online. The auDA grant was used to train the AI model so that now older Australians can better access legal information – and the changes have made the system better for all users.
Success Works Partners: This project sought to translate their successful in-person programs to an online format. Vulnerable women can now stay connected in rural, regional and remote Australia.
Apply today
Submissions are open and close 5 PM AEST 12 September 2024.
Prior to applying for the grant round, ensure you read the:
- Community Grant Program Guidelines
- Community Grant Program FAQs
Applications must be submitted via the auDA Giving Data Portal, where you will need to demonstrate your eligibility. Application questions are available to download in a Word document format.
Gather your Letters of Support from your stakeholders
auDA funds projects with demonstrated community engagement. Letters of Support should indicate that your project partners, priority group representatives and stakeholders think your proposal has merit and that your organisation is best placed to deliver the activity. Letters that demonstrate authentic community consultation or co-design will be well-regarded.
About auDA
auDA manages the .au domain name system (DNS), which is an Australian critical infrastructure that supports more than four million .au domain names and helps internet users navigate to websites and send emails with domain names ending in .au.
auDA is a not-for-profit endorsed by the Australian Government. Our purpose is to deliver a trusted .au for the benefit of all Australians and champion an open, free, secure and global internet. benefits that flow from it.
The auDA Community Grant Program is funded by the auDA Foundation, a charitable trust established by auDA. It has distributed more than $4.5 million, supporting over 170 projects since 2006.
Read more about past recipients, find answers to frequently asked questions and start your application.
Submissions to the auDA 2024 Community Grant Program close 5 PM AEST 12 September 2024.
