Youth Opportunities Program

What is the Youth Opportunities program

The Youth Opportunities program provides one-off, time-limited grants to incorporated not-for-profit community organisations and local government councils in NSW. Funding is for new projects that enable marginalised young people, aged 12 to 24, to lead and participate in their communities.

The Youth Opportunities program requires applicant organisations to have spoken with marginalised young people and involved them in developing the project proposal prior to submitting a grant application.

Organisations must involve young people at every stage of the project – from identifying the need and developing the project proposal through to design, project delivery and final review.

Program information

How much funding is available

Up to $1.5 million is available for incorporated not-for-profit community organisations and local Councils in NSW to apply for a grant between $10,000 and $50,000 to deliver a new Youth Opportunities project.

Project Themes

Projects which are genuinely youth-led and youth-driven are those initiated by young people and based on what they have said they need.

Project themes have been suggested based on what young people have told the government and other organisations about what is important to them:

community inclusion and participation
COVID-19 recovery
cultural identity and connection
cyber safety and awareness
domestic and family violence
healthy relationships
financial literacy (budgeting, rent, phone, contracts, fines)
health and wellbeing
homelessness and housing
natural disasters (preparedness, resilience and recovery).

Youth Opportunities projects may seek to address one or more of these issues, or they may address other issues raised by marginalised young people, which are important to them and their local communities.

Applicant organisations must engage marginalised young people in the initial ‘Identifying the need’ stage of the project to ensure the project is responsive to their needs.

How to apply

Incorporated not-for-profit community organisations operating in NSW and NSW Local Councils are invited to apply. Applications are submitted via SmartyGrants.

Program documents

Download documents to help you with your grant application.