SA Strengthening Our Culture Funding Pool

Strengthening Our People: Grants of up to $5,000 from a total stream allocation of $40,000. Funding supports group-based professional development and training with a preventive health focus. Recipients have up to six months to spend the funding.
Strengthening Our Mob: Grants of between $10,000 and $30,000 from a total stream allocation of $240,000. Funding supports medium-scale projects addressing preventive health priorities. Recipients have up to 12 months to spend the funding.
Strengthening Our Communities, Major Projects: Grants of up to $50,000 from a total stream allocation of $100,000. Applicants may seek $25,000 per year for two years or $50,000 over one year.
Strengthening Our Communities, Major Partnership: Funding of up to $100,000 per year for three years. This grant is subject to indexation.
Co-contributions: A mandatory matched funding percentage is not required. Applicants must outline any financial or in-kind contributions. Assessment will consider co-investment from the applicant and project partners.
Additional project costs: Where a project exceeds the maximum grant amount, the applicant must fund the additional costs and provide evidence of a confirmed funding source.
Applications close: June 30 2027, or earlier if the relevant funding stream is exhausted.

The Strengthening Our Culture Funding Pool supports Aboriginal community-led projects and partnerships that improve health and wellbeing across South Australia. Funded initiatives must strengthen culture, encourage healthy lifestyles and align with one or more Cultural Determinants of Health and preventive health priorities. Priorities include tobacco and vaping prevention, obesity prevention, chronic disease prevention, mental and social and emotional wellbeing, suicide prevention, alcohol and other drugs prevention and cancer screening.

Four funding streams support professional development, medium-scale community projects, major place-based projects and long-term partnerships. The program prioritises culturally grounded, community-designed initiatives that strengthen Aboriginal leadership, self-determination, capability and culturally safe service delivery. Funding recipients will participate in a Community of Practice that supports shared learning, capacity building and project delivery.

Key Requirements

Improve health and wellbeing: Projects must improve health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal people in South Australia by strengthening culture and encouraging healthy lifestyles.
Align with cultural determinants: Proposals must align with one or more Cultural Determinants of Health and demonstrate how cultural connection contributes to positive health outcomes.
Address preventive health priorities: Initiatives must address at least one nominated priority, including tobacco and vaping prevention, obesity prevention, chronic disease prevention, mental wellbeing, social and emotional wellbeing, suicide prevention, alcohol and other drugs prevention or cancer screening.
Be culturally grounded and community designed: Projects must support self-determination, cultural safety, Aboriginal leadership and locally led decision-making.
Demonstrate community benefit: Applicants must identify the target community, explain the need being addressed, describe expected outcomes and show how community members will participate in or benefit from the project.
Show deliverability: Applications must explain how the project will be delivered, identify relevant risks and describe how project reach, outcomes and impact will be measured.
Demonstrate value for money: Funding requests must remain within the relevant stream limit and include reasonable, clearly itemised costs.
Establish project oversight: Applicants must identify a Project Committee with representatives from the applying organisation and any collaborating organisations.
Participate in shared learning: Funded organisations will participate in a Community of Practice designed to share learnings, build capability and support project delivery.
Meet reporting obligations: Successful applicants must enter into a grant contract and provide required financial acquittals and progress or final reports

What is eligible for funding?

Eligible activities may include:

Group-based preventive health training and professional development
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health first aid training
Trauma-informed practice and healing training
Aboriginal health workforce development
Cultural Determinants of Health workshops
Indigenous data sovereignty and governance training
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership development
Nutrition, healthy eating and physical fitness training
Cultural activities for Aboriginal men, women, Elders and young people
Playgroups, yarning circles and activities on Country
Walking, exercise and cultural trail programs
Community health awareness events and local health campaigns
Health-related music, songwriting, performance and visual arts activities
Creation of local health resources, toolkits and cookbooks
Youth action groups and community fitness groups
Fitness, kitchen and gardening equipment used in funded programs
Project coordination and one-off staff or instructor costs
Partnership development, stakeholder engagement and collaborative planning
Project-related workshops, consultation, travel and accommodation
Evaluation and documentation of project and partnership outcomes

What companies are eligible for funding?

Eligible applicants include:

South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations
Joint applications led by an eligible Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation
In rural or remote South Australian locations where there is limited or no access to services delivered by an eligible community-controlled organisation, a non-ACCO service provider may be considered where it demonstrates genuine partnership, consultation or support from local organisations or communities

The applying organisation must:

Be community controlled
Be governed by a majority Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander board
Be not-for-profit
Be incorporated under relevant legislation
Have an active Australian Business Number
Hold an Australian bank account in the legal entity’s name
Operate in South Australia and deliver services, programs or support to Aboriginal people
Have an active presence in the location where the project will be delivered
Identify a Project Committee to oversee the project
Submit the application through an authorised officer

Partner organisations should provide a letter confirming their proposed project role where a partnership is included.

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

Industry analysis presentation
Competitor Analysis Presentation
Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.

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