Apply for a grant
Our community gives grants to strategic, high-impact climate action.
Current grant round
We are not accepting Expressions of Interest for grants at this time. Our next round will open in early 2025.
How to apply
Step One
Please read our grantmaking criteria below thoroughly, and if you believe you are a good fit, we welcome you to submit an expression of interest. If successful, you will receive a full application form to complete.
Note: we are currently not accepting EOIs.
Step Two
Should your EOI be successful, we will invite you to submit a formal application. To give you an idea on what this involves, you can find sample questions below.
What we fund
We support organisations creating the social, economic and political conditions to reduce emissions to levels that will avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
We fund climate action that…
Builds the movement: Powerful community-led campaigns that bring new and diverse people into the climate movement to shape the national conversation on climate action. Success looks like a powerful, vibrant, well-connected movement that is continually growing and achieving more ambitious reforms to cut greenhouse pollution and solve the climate crisis.
Changes the story: Storytelling that reaches a wide range of Australians and motivates people to do what it takes to make the world we need. Success looks likes published narratives that expose the damage of fossil fuel polluters and inspire a cultural shift towards ambitious climate action.
Shifts the money: Strategies that shift the financial sector away from fossil fuels and into renewable energy, including divestment campaigns, shareholder activism and corporate social license campaigns. Success looks like reduced flows of capital for dirty industries and increased levels of capital flowing for clean economy initiatives.
Changes the politics: Campaigns and strategies designed to directly influence politicians to take greater leadership on climate change, such as think tanks or constituency groups. Success looks new policy and laws being introduced and enforced to solve the climate crisis.
This framework for action was developed by Sam La Rocca of the Sunrise Project, and Climate Action Network Australia, as part of a collaborative strategy process for what it would take to make progress in Australia on climate action.
Is a Groundswell grant for you?
If you’re a not-for-profit organisation working to reduce emissions to safer levels this decade, then you’re exactly who we fund. If your work focuses on climate justice and making sure no one is left behind in the race to decarbonise, then we’d also love to hear from you.
When it comes to protecting the environment, we know reducing waste and plastic pollution are incredibly important, but these issues sit outside our funding mission and so if this is your organisations focus area, you’re not eligible for a Groundswell grant.
We recognise First Nations peoples protection and care of Country as a fundamental and urgent climate solution and strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to apply for our grants.
We believe in the outsized impact grassroots groups can have and are conscious that small to medium sized organisations have the least access to funding, so if your revenue is less than $5 million a year we strongly encourage you to apply.
Please note, only organisations in the Australia Pacific region with DGR1 status or working in partnership with a DGR1 organisation are eligible to apply. If you have questions about this, please contact admin@groundswellgiving.org
A note on our politics…
Groundswell Giving is political, but not partisan. We can support charities to campaign on political issues to advance their charitable purposes, including during election periods, as long as they meet the requirements of charity law and other relevant legislation, however we cannot support any direct election campaigning. Please note that we cannot fund any activities or material that would be classified as electoral matter or expenditure under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Electoral Act). For more information on the kinds of advocacy we can and can’t support, please read more here, or see guidelines below.
Political advocacy we can support
making submissions or giving evidence in relation to existing or proposed laws, government policies or practices
generating public debate about or seeking explanation of current or proposed laws, government policies or practices
distributing information on, analysing, or comparing party policies as they relate to a charity’s purposes
publishing research on current or proposed laws, government policies or practices
directly promoting the charity’s purpose, or the interests of their beneficiaries, to elected representatives and public officials
hosting, promoting or participating in public debates on law or policy matters.
For more information, see examples of charitable purposes for charities promoting or opposing change to a matter of law, policy or practice.
Political advocacy we can’t support
engaging in, or promoting, activities that are unlawful
engaging in, or promoting, activities that are contrary to public policy, or
promoting or opposing a political party or candidate for political office.
For more information, please see ACNC Charity advocacy guidelines here.