2026 NSW Women's Week

Applicants must be a legally constituted Australian-based entity from one of these two categories: 

1. Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO).
2. Incorporated, not-for-profit organisations, including community organisations.

• If successful, applicants must obtain appropriate public liability insurance (minimum of $10 million).
• Applications must provide a budget outlining proposed funding of eligible expenditure items, including a minimum of 10 per cent funding from other sources (monetary or in-kind).
• An application must be made by a single organisation that will accept responsibility for the delivery of the project if the application is successful.
• Applicant must be based within NSW, unless they can demonstrate that the project will be run in and for the benefit of women and/or girls in NSW and that the organisation meets all regulatory, business requirements.
• Events must be held during Women’s Week in March 2026.

Applications for funding to run an event in Women’s Week are required to be designed with and for one of the focus communities in the NSW Women’s Strategy 2023-2026.

To ensure an even spread of events across NSW, applications from regional, rural and remote locations will be prioritised.

Focus communities:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls
• carers
• girls and young women living in, or who have lived in, out-of-home care
• lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer and/or asexual (LGBTIQA+) women and girls
• older women
• women and girls experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage
• women and girls facing homelessness
• women and girls from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities
• women and girls in contact with the criminal justice system
• women and girls living in regional, rural, remote and cross-border areas
• women and girls with disability
• women and girls with a mental illness
• women and girls who have a history of, or are currently experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence
• women veterans (and the women partners of veterans and service members)
• young women

Applications that focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, women with disability and LGBTIQA+ women are strongly encouraged including those that will be held in regional, rural and remote areas of NSW.

Events must be held during Women’s Week in March 2026. NSW Women’s Week will be celebrated between Monday 2 March and Sunday 8 March 2026 to coincide with International Women’s Day on 8 March 2026.

The project should be started by 2 March 2026 and the project must be completed by 8 March 2026.

Items eligible for grant expenditure:

• Resource materials and publication costs including art supplies, workbooks
• Equipment, transport and venue hire
• Publicity, communications and marketing activities and materials including photography/videography
• Catering costs, food and non-alcoholic beverages for community engagement activities
• Staff, contractors and consultants, where the costs are for direct event delivery only
• Guest speaker / performer / artist / coach fees
• Travel costs within NSW exclusively for the purpose of the event
• Evaluation activities

• Individuals or groups of individuals, including sole traders. 
• Unincorporated organisations. 
• Local Councils 
• For profit commercial organisations and entities. 
• Sub-contractors – either for program management or for project delivery on behalf of non-eligible organisations. 
• NSW Government or Australian Government agencies or their entities (including public trusts). 
• Applicants requesting 100 percent project funding from Women NSW.
• Projects which already receive NSW or Commonwealth Government funding.
• Applicants with outstanding acquittal requirements with Women NSW
• Applicants with an obligation under the NSW National Redress Scheme who have not joined the Scheme (further information outlined in section 5.6)

Items not eligible for grant expenditure:

• Business capital or start-up funding
• Purchase of, or cost of infrastructure, assets and/or capital equipment and works
• Permanent equipment purchases (e.g. computers, phones or iPads or other items not specific to the event)
• Operating costs of the organisation or recurrent expenses (e.g. insurance, leases, bills, general office consumables and disposables)
• Permanent wages, salaries and on-costs for ongoing staff
• Organisational development costs for internal staff (e.g. staff training, conferences, workshops, planning days)
• Prizes, competition or awards (e.g. cash giveaways, lucky door prizes, raffle prizes)
• Interstate and/or overseas travel costs
• Costs associated with membership of boards/councils
• Retrospective costs (any money spent before a grant is approved)
• Fundraising events that are for the purposes of fundraising for charities or for the organisation’s personal use.
• Political events or activities which promote or support a political party
• Events that are run solely for commercial purposes to the benefit of the delivery partner but not the program participants
• Events and activities coordinated by NSW Government Departments and Statutory Authorities
• Research projects which are co-funded by State or Federal Governments and/or other organisations
• Purchase of promotional/awareness raising merchandise that will be sold for profit
• Fees associated with an auspice agreement
• Existing debt or loan repayments
• Events that encourage gambling (e.g. raffles, bingo) or the consumption of alcohol
• Non-essential costs which are not related to the proposed core activity

Applicant must be based within NSW, unless they can demonstrate that the project will be run in and for the benefit of women and/or girls in NSW and that the organisation meets all regulatory, business requirements

Expressions of Interest and applications must include a minimum of 10 per cent funding from other sources (monetary or in-kind).

Requirements for Aboriginal / Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Organisations

For the purpose of this grant, an eligible Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisation builds the strength and empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and people, and is:

• Incorporated under relevant legislation;
• Not-for-profit (see further requirements below);
• Controlled and operated by Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander people;
• Connected to the community or communities in which they deliver services; and
• Governed by a majority Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander governing body.

Applicants will be required to provide documentation to support their ACCO status such as:

• an Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations certificate of registration,
• a constitution/rule book which shows the organisation requirements,
• letters or surveys from other local Aboriginal organisations, groups or relevant community stakeholders or outcomes from community feedback.

Requirements for Not for Profits:

Eligible not-for-profit organisations must be registered and approved as a not-for-profit body with a current and up-to-date record in at least one of the following categories:  

1. Charities, trusts, and cooperatives that are registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). 
2. Organisations with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. 
3. Organisations with Public Benevolent Institution 
4. Associations (registered under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 and with NSW Fair Trading). 
5. Non-distributing co-operatives registered under the Co-operatives National Law (NSW) and with NSW Fair Trading
6. A Local Aboriginal Land Council under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW) and registered with the NSW Aboriginal Land Council. 
7. Indigenous Corporations registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations.