NSW Women’s Week Grants

Women's Week Grants 2025

NSW Women’s Week celebrates the contributions of women from all backgrounds and promotes gender equality across NSW.

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Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: From $10,000 to $50,000
  • Application opened: 20 July 2026
  • Application closed: 7 August 2026, 3:00 pm

Program objective

In 2027, Women’s Week will run from Tuesday 2 March to Monday 8 March, aligning with International Women’s Day on 8 March.

Women’s Week Grants fund events held during Women’s Week that advance gender equality by:

  • increasing the empowerment and participation of women and girls in our communities
  • celebrating and strengthening focus communities
  • challenging gender stereotypes, roles and expectations.

Women’s Week Grants fund innovative events that increase the empowerment and participation of women and girls in our communities, which advances gender equality in the long term. Funding provides Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisations, rural, regional and remote-based organisations and not-for-profits with an opportunity to give back to their communities by delivering events or activities that benefit local women and girls. 

NSW Women’s Week events must align with at least one of the 3 pillars of the NSW Women's Strategy (2023-2026), these pillars are:

  1. Pillar 1 - economic opportunity and advancement
  2. Pillar 2 - health and wellbeing
  3. Pillar 3 - participation and empowerment

This program is funded and administered by Women NSW.

For Further details, including the Grant Guidelines:

NSW Women's Week 2027

 

Expressions of Interest

Open: 20 July 2026, 10:00am

Close: 7 August 2026, 3:00 pm

This program is funded and administered by Women NSW.

Eligibility

To be eligible, applicants must: 

  • be an Australian-based incorporated legal entity 
  • be one of the following: 
  1. a not-for-profit organisation as specified in section 2.2 of the guidelines
  2. an ACCO as defined in section 2.3 of the guidelines, or
  3. an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation as defined in section 2.4 of the guidelines
  • have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) 
  • hold or be willing to obtain appropriate public liability insurance (minimum of $10 million) if successful
  • have an account with an Australian authorised deposit-taking institution 
  • include an applicant co-contribution (cash or in-kind) to the value of at least 10% of the total amount of funding sought
  • provide a budget for their project, outlining proposed funding of eligible expenditure items
  • be a single organisation that will accept responsibility for the delivery of the project if the application is successful
  • not be an ineligible applicant 
  • apply for funding within the specified amount of $10,000 to $50,000
  • be based in 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 and business requirements.

Who is the grant targeted towards

Projects must target and support one of the following 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. 

Most recent recipients

All recipients (103)

What your application needs to include

1

Prepare your application with this checklist

Eligible organisations can submit one (and only one) Expression of Interest (EOI) through SmartyGrants from 20 July to 7 August 2026.  You will receive an automated email via SmartyGrants when Women NSW receives your EOI.

 

If an organisation submits multiple EOIs, only the first submitted EOI will be assessed and all others will be deemed ineligible.

 

Your EOI will require you to provide an event overview and must include the following information:

  • A description of the event, how it will be delivered and how it will be of benefit to participants;
  • Details about your organisation and your experience delivering events;
  • The focus community you are targeting with your event and your connection to them;
  • The location you plan to deliver the event in;
  • An overview of the funding you are seeking.

 

A submitted EOI in written form, can be reopened upon request until 15:00 AEDT  7 August 2026. To reopen an EOI, email wnswgrants@tco.nsw.gov.au.

 

We recommend applicants submit forms in SmartyGrants at least two hours prior to the deadline to ensure any required documents upload properly.  Applicants have been caught out in the past being unable to submit their form in time due to slow upload times.  Late applications will not be accepted. 

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

Stage 1: Expression of Interest assessment criteria

The EOI form includes 2 questions:

  • What is your event and why should it be funded?
  • How will your event benefit women and girls in NSW?

The answers to those questions will be assessed against the criteria below.

1.   Focus community connection

Organisations with strong, ongoing links to their focus community, and clear evidence of why the event is needed, will score higher.

EOIs from ACCOs and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations for events for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls will be considered to have stronger community connections.

2.   Organisational capacity

Organisations that can show they have run similar inclusive events for their chosen community will score higher.

3.   Event location

Events in rural, regional and remote NSW will be given priority.

4.       Nature of the event

Events that are free or low cost, original, interactive, educational and enjoyable, and that help participants connect, will score higher.

We encourage events that pay female artists fairly and highlight women performers, artists, athletes or leaders, especially from focus communities.

5.       Value for money

Events that show clear benefits for participants and good value for the funding requested will score higher.

6.       Alignment with Women’s Week objectives

Events that empower women, support focus communities, and challenge gender stereotypes and expectations will score higher.

 

Stage 2: Full Grant Application assessment criteria

Shortlisted organisations invited to apply for a Women’s Week Grant must competitively meet the following assessment criteria to be considered for funding:

1: Organisational capacity

The organisation has experience and community connection.

  • The applicant shows strong links to the focus community, such as experience working with that community.
  • The applicant shows it has the skills and experience to deliver the event, such as evidence of similar events it has run.

2: Effective delivery

The event is well planned and suitable for participants.

  • The application includes a draft run sheet that shows the event has been planned carefully and is designed to benefit participants.
  • The event is designed with and for one of the focus communities. Applications that clearly show the need for the event in that community will score more highly.
  • To support a fair spread of events across NSW, applications from regional, rural and remote areas will be prioritised.
  • The event is free or low cost, encourages participation, and helps participants connect. Speeches should be brief, and content from participants and guest speakers must be apolitical.
  • The event addresses accessibility and safety requirements. Applicants should list the accessibility and safety measures they will put in place (see checklist at 2.11).
  • The event includes a clear promotion and marketing plan, including how it will be promoted, how participants will register, and the types of venues being considered.

3: Relevance

The event supports Women’s Week objectives and the NSW Women’s Strategy 2023–2027.

  • The event supports the Women’s Week Grants objectives. Events that are apolitical, empower women, uplift focus communities, and challenge gender stereotypes, roles and expectations will be viewed more favourably.
  • The event clearly links to one of the three pillars of the NSW Women’s Strategy.
  • The event will align with the UN Women Australia International Women’s Day 2027 theme, which is usually announced around October.

4: Value for money

The event budget is cost effective.

  • The budget clearly shows:
    • each expense item and how it supports the event activities and outcomes
    • the amount requested from Women NSW
    • co-contributions are at least 10% of funding requested.
  • The benefits for participants are clear, and the cost per participant represents good value for the funding requested.
  • Speakers and performers are paid fairly for their work.
  • The budget does not include any ineligible items.

5: Outcomes

Participants are recognised and empowered, and gender equality is promoted.

Successful applicants will be able to show that participants:

  • feel recognised and included at the event (for example, because the presenters or performers are from their community, or the activities are designed for their needs)
  • are able to take part safely and freely because the right adjustments and supports are in place
  • have more opportunities and choices after the event (for example, they learnt about services, tried a new sport or hobby, or saw someone from their community in a role they had not considered before).

Start the application

To streamline the application process, this year Women NSW will use a two-stage process for Women's Week Grants.

 

The first stage involves completing a short Expression of Interest (EOI) form through SmartyGrants. Applicants will not be able to apply for a grant without submitting an EOI.

 

Women NSW will select a shortlist of organisations based on the EOI Assessment criteria and invite shortlisted organisations to complete a full grant application form in the second stagr of the process.

 

Full grant applications will go through a comprehensive assessment process to determine the successful events.

 

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 Minister for Women or her delegate.

 

Expressions of Interest will be shortlisted against the following questions:

  • The organisation’s connection to one or more of the focus communities (organisations showing long-standing and deep connections and evidence to support the need for events for their focus communities will score more highly);
  • The organisation’s capacity to run an event for one or more of the focus communities (organisations which can demonstrate previous experience running inclusive events for their chosen community will score more highly);
  • Location of the event (events in rural, regional and remote locations of NSW will be prioritised);
  • The nature of the event (events which are free or low-fee, original, participatory, educational, fun and which foster creativity and connections between participants will score more highly.  Also, events where the work of female artists is paid fairly and which showcases women performers, artists, athletes or leaders, particularly women from target focus communities.);
  • The likely value for money of the event (based on the number of anticipated participants for the funding requested and the likely benefits from attending for those participants).
  • Alignment with the objectives of the Women’s Week Grants Program (events which are apolitical, empower women, uplift focus communities and challenge gendered norms, roles and expectations will score more highly);

 

Due to the competitive nature of the Women’s Week funding program, not all EOIs that meet the assessment criteria will be shortlisted. 

Support and contact

If you have any questions about this grant please contact WNSWGrants@tco.nsw.gov.au

For queries about the online grant management system, Smarty Grants, please contact the support team at: 

Available to help Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (Australian Eastern Standard time)

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