NSW National Carers Week Grants

NSW National Carers Week Grants - 2026

NSW National Carers Week Grants - 2026
The NSW National Carers Week Grants program awards grants for community activities or events that recognise and celebrate carers and create opportunities for connection across NSW, during National Carers Week.

Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: From $1,000 to $2,000
  • Application opened: 24 April 2026
  • Application closed: 25 May 2026, 5:00 pm

Program objective

The NSW National Carers Week Grants program provides one‑off grants between $1,000 and $2,000 to eligible organisations across NSW. Funding supports community activities and events that recognise and celebrate carers and create opportunities for connection during National Carers Week. The Program aims to increase community awareness of carers, highlight their contribution, and support more carers to feel valued and connected within their local communities. 

The objectives of the NSW National Carers Week Grants program are to:

  • Provide carers with a diverse range of opportunities for connection through National Carers Week activities or events.
  • Enhance the recognition of carers in communities across NSW during National Carers Week.

Applicants are required to think about how their activities or events will address these objectives and demonstrate this in their application. All applicants are encouraged to read the Program Guidelines and FAQs for more information.

This program is administered by Department of Communities and Justice.

Eligibility

Who can apply

Under this program, eligible organisations are:

  • Incorporated organisations registered and approved as a not-for-profit body by NSW Fair Trading
  • Not-for profit companies limited by guarantee, operating in NSW
  • Public companies limited by guarantee, operating in NSW
  • State Government Other Incorporated Entity with Deductable Gift Recipient (DGR) status including Local Area Health Districts and the Justice Health and Forensic Health Network
  • Local government organisations
  • Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) – these Applicants will be required to provide documentation to support their ACCO status
  • Indigenous Corporations registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC)
  • Local Aboriginal Land Councils registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC)
  • Trusts registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
  • NSW non-government organisations established under their own Act of Parliament
  • Religious organisations operating in NSW.

During the assessment process, checks will be conducted to confirm the eligibility of organisations. Registers such as the ACNC, ASIC, ABN Lookup, ORIC and the NSW Office of Fair Trading Register will be considered.

Who the grant is targeted towards

The NSW National Carers Week Grants program seeks to fund a diverse range of activities or events that recognise and celebrate carers across NSW, including:

Groups, such as 

  • Carers of people with a disability
  • Carers of people with a chronic illness
  • Carers of people with a mental illness
  • Carers of people who are frail and aged.

Cohorts, such as

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers
  • Young carers
  • Older carers
  • Female carers
  • Male carers
  • CALD carers (culturally and linguistically diverse carers)
  • LGBTQIA+ carers.

Applications do not need to cater to all carers. Applicants may choose to only target a particular cohort within the carer community or choose to open their activities or events to all carers in the community.

Types of projects funded under this grant

Grant funding is for the delivery of community activities or events, that bring carers together in the spirit of connection, celebration and recognition during National Carers Week. Applicants are to ensure their activities or events address the program objectives and are encouraged to be as creative and innovative as possible. Some previous activities and events have included:

  • Concert
  • Picnic in the park
  • Appreciation luncheon
  • Yoga class
  • Movie day/night
  • Wellness and self-care workshop
  • High Tea event with special guest speakers
  • Art therapy workshop
  • Dance class
  • Morning/afternoon tea
  • Cooking class
  • Tai Chi and meditation class
  • Skill development workshops

When the project can start and end

Funded activities or events must be delivered during or close to National Carers Week, with a one week parameter either side. In 2026, National Carers Week is from Sunday, 11 October to Saturday, 17 October 2026. 

The project should be started by 4 October 2026 and the project must be completed by 24 October 2026.

What costs you can apply for

Grant funds can only be used for expenses directly associated with the implementation of activities or events delivered during or close to National Carers Week. This can include activity or event promotion. A detailed budget outlining all related expenses is required as part of the grant application. Applicants will be required to itemise the expenditure for all activities or events which will be considered during assessment to help determine whether the application represents good ‘value for money’.

Applicants must adhere to the following funding limit in their budget:

  • up to 10% of the grant funds can be spent on the promotion of activities or events during or close to National Carers Week.

Who can’t apply

The following organisations are ineligible:

  • Individuals (a sole trader) or groups of individuals
  • Propriety companies and companies limited by shares
  • Unincorporated organisations
  • For profit commercial organisations
  • NSW Government or Australian Government agencies and their entities (including schools, Colleges, TAFE campuses, universities). These organisations should consider whether they have an incorporated not-for-profit body or entity that may be eligible to apply for funding.

What costs you can't apply for

Funding must not be used for:

  • any activity of a commercial nature that is for profit
  • costs that are not directly associated with the delivery of the activities or events
  • existing debt or budget deficits
  • capital works, including building work
  • permanent salaries/wages (costs for workshop facilitators or guest speakers can be included)
  • equipment purchases, for example furniture or computers
  • business as usual costs or general operating expenses such as rent, insurance, electricity, water, rates, online platform subscriptions or the running of other programs within the organisation
  • programs or activities that encourage gambling such as bingo, or the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
  • existing programs/projects/activities/events.

What co-contributions are required

Applicant contributions are not a mandatory program requirement. However, it is our view that community activities and events do well when they are supported by the community they are being delivered in. Donated materials, time or cash contributions (either from the applicant organisation or application partners) are encouraged as part of the applicant’s contribution towards their activities or events.

Applicant contributions will be looked upon favourably and considered during assessment to help determine whether the application represents good ‘value for money’.

Applicant contributions may include, but not limited to:

  • cash
  • time from volunteers to support the activities or events
  • marketing and promotion
  • guest speakers, workshop facilitators, industry mentors
  • workshop or activity/event support
  • coordination and administrative support
  • transport
  • access to office spaces, meetings rooms, community centres, event spaces or recording studios
  • video and photography services
  • catering.

The estimated value of any contribution is to be detailed in the application form under the budget.

Additional eligibility requirements

Applicants are also required to meet the following criteria:

  • must be operating in NSW
  • all proposed activities or events must be delivered in NSW
  • it is preferred that activities or events are held during National Carers Week, however if required, activities can occur the week before or the week after
  • have an Australian bank account
  • have an Australian Business Number (ABN), or an Incorporation Number with Fair Trading NSW
  • have appropriate insurance; this must include but is not limited to a minimum of $10 million Public Liability Insurance
  • address the NSW National Redress Scheme sanctions.

Most recent recipients

All recipients (125)

What your application needs to include

1

Prepare your application with this checklist

Step 1 – Check your eligibility

Before you start your application, read the Program Guidelines and FAQs carefully to make sure you understand all the relevant requirements:

  • Read over the Eligibility Criteria to ensure your application meets these requirements.
  • Read over the Insurance section to understand the requirements. Applicants are required to upload a copy of their certificate of currency as part of the application.

Step 2 – Prepare your application

When preparing your application, refer to the Program Guidelines, particularly: 

  • Program Objectives to make sure your application addresses these.
  • Grant Fund Expenditure and Grant Fund Exclusions list to make sure your application fits within these guidelines, particularly what can and cannot be funded. Also consider any Applicant Contributions. These can be listed in your application.
  • Assessment Criteria to understand what the assessors are looking for.
  • Prepare your uploads - as part of the application, organisations will be asked to provide:
    • bank details (EFT), which will be used to pay grant funds if the application is successful. Applicants must upload supporting evidence to confirm these details, such as a recent bank statement or a letter from their financial institution that clearly shows the account name, BSB and account number.
    • current Public Liability insurance certificate (minimum $10 million). Evidence of current Public Liability Insurance covering the relevant delivery period must be provided before a Grant Agreement can be finalised and funds released.
  • If submitting more than one application (applicants can submit up to four applications) think about the priority of those applications. Applicants will be asked to prioritise these in order of funding preference 1-4.
2

Address the eligibility criteria

Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.

Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.

3

Address the assessment criteria

Each application will be considered on its merits, based on how well it meets the assessment criteria. Assessments are conducted by independent assessors.

Each eligible application is assessed against the following criteria:

  1. The application provides one or more opportunities for connection during or close to National Carers Week
  2. The activities or events enhance the recognition of carers during or close to National Carers Week
  3. The application clearly demonstrates benefits to carers compared with the total cost of the application - the application represents good ‘value for money’.

Start the application

Applications are submitted via SmartyGrants, an online grants administration system. You can access the Application Form here. If you have any issues with the Application Form or the SmartyGrants platform, please refer to the Help Guide for Applicants.

Complete the application form at your own pace. You are not required to submit the form in one sitting, you can save and return later to complete and submit. Remember to save the form regularly:

  • Applications can be submitted at any time before the deadline, but no applications will be accepted after the deadline. The SmartyGrants system will automatically shut off at 5:00pm on the due date.
  • At the end of the online application form, you will be prompted to review your application. Any errors (word limits not reached, questions not completed) will be highlighted in red and you will be prompted to go back and correct the error before your application can be submitted. Carefully check your application prior to submitting.
  • Once you have reviewed your application and you are ready to submit it, you will need to click the submit button. Once submitted no changes can be made. Simply saving your application does not lodge your application with the Department.
  • Once your application has been submitted you will receive an automated response from SmartyGrants – a confirmation of submission email. If you have not received this email, your application has not been successfully submitted, or the confirmation email has ended up in your junk mailbox. Please check this before contacting us. You can also log in to SmartyGrants and click ‘My Submissions’ to view your submitted and unsubmitted applications. Submitted applications are identified by a green tick.

Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.


Apply now

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: Deputy Secretary, Strategy, Policy and Commissioning, Department of Communities and Justice

The assessment process is competitive and funds are limited. 

The assessment process for the NSW National Carers Week Grants program is:

  1. Eligibility assessment: Delegated staff conduct a review to ensure eligibility against the eligibility criteria and general compliance with these guidelines.
  2. Competitive merit based assessment: Each eligible application will be assessed against the assessment criteria by an assessment panel.
  3. Recommendations: The assessment panel will make recommendations to the final decision maker.

Support and contact

For further information or application support, please contact the Carers Team in the Department of Communities and Justice via carerstr@dcj.nsw.gov.au. 

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