NSW Senior's Festival Grant Program 2026

The NSW Seniors Festival Grant Program 2026 provides $200,000 in funding for community events and activities to be held during the two-week festival in March, enabling older community members to remain active, healthy and engaged.

Program objective

The theme for the NSW Senior's Festival 2026 is Live life in colour.

'Live life in colour', which encourages attendees to celebrate the journey, adventures to come and have joy in ageing by embracing creativity, new connections and an active lifestyle.

The NSW Seniors Festival Grant Program 2026 encourages seniors in NSW to enjoy new experiences, continue learning, stay active and connect to their communities. It does this by:

• supporting a broad range of local community organisations
• supporting programs and activities in regional NSW
• fostering partnerships with community groups and services
• providing programs and activities for diverse communities in NSW
• supporting projects that empower older people to stay connected
• assisting organisations to increase capacity of current programs and activities.

There are two funding categories that can be applied for:

• $1,500 to $5,000: open to all eligible applicants to host local community programs and activities
• $5,001 to $10,000: open only to applications from local governments to host large-scale community and regional programs and activities.

Applications can be for small scale; multiple and larger activities held during the festival period. Events should align with the objectives of the NSW Seniors Festival, which empower seniors to participating in their communities and stay safe, active and healthy.

Eligibility

Who can apply

Please ensure you review and read the NSW Seniors Festival grant program guidelines 2026 for this open competitive grant round.

All grant applicants are required to meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Applications must propose free or heavily discounted programs or activities for seniors in NSW
• Projects must be located within NSW and conducted between 2-15 March 2026, during the NSW Seniors Festival.
• Projects must be open to all that identify as a senior in NSW.

Grant applicants must be from:

• Incorporated not-for-profit community organisations (see note below).
• NSW local council operating under the Local Government Act.

Note: for the purposes of this grant, organisations deemed to be 'incorporated not-for-profit community organisations' include:

• Incorporated organisations that are registered and approved as not-for-profit bodies by NSW Fair Trading.
• Not-for profit companies limited by guarantee, registered in NSW (must have ACNC registration and/or DGR status).
• Indigenous Corporations (must be registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations).
• Associations (registered under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 with NSW Fair Trading)
• NSW Local Aboriginal Land Councils
• Religious organisations operating in NSW
• NSW non-government organisations established under their own Act of Parliament.

The following are mandatory eligibility criteria:

• All applicants must have appropriate public liability insurance valued at a minimum of $10 million.
• All applicants must address the NSW National Redress Scheme sanctions
• Applications will not be accepted from organisations that have outstanding acquittals with DCJ.

Please note: only one application for funding will be accepted per organisation, per project.

Who the grant is targeted towards

Priority for funding under the grants program will also be given to the following groups:

• Seniors, or people aged over 60.
• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged over 50
• Seniors from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• Senior lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer or asexual (LGBTIQA+).
• Senior living with disability, dementia, chronic disease or mental illness
• Senior carers
• Seniors in rural, regional and remote.

Types of projects funded under this grant

Please ensure you review and read the NSW Seniors Festival grant program guidelines 2026.

NSW Senior's Festival 2025 Grant recipients.

When the project can start and end

The project start date must be after 2 March 2026 and the project end date must be before 15 March 2026.

What costs you can apply for

Funds can only be used for expenses/activities directly associated to the grant. Your application must clearly outline your proposed expenditure in relation to the funding amounts identified above and included in the budget you submit with your application.

Who can't apply

The following are not eligible to apply for a grant in this program:

• An individual
• Applicants who have outstanding acquittals for any other funding program with the Department of Communities and Justice
• Federal and State Government agencies and bodies
• NSW educational facilities (public schools, private schools, TAFE)
• For-profit organisations, including Aboriginal businesses
• Unincorporated organisations or groups without an eligible subcontracting organisation
• Organisations that have not met project requirements, including acquittal and reporting, for funding received from DCJ in the previous two years
• Organisations with Redress Obligations under the National Redress Scheme that have not joined the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse
• Do not have appropriate insurance; this must include but is not limited to a minimum of $10 million public liability insurance.

What costs you can't apply for

Organisations must not use grant funds, including any interest earned, for the following:

• any activity of a commercial nature that is for-profit
• existing debt or budget
• capital works, including building work
• permanent salaries/wages (costs for temporary tutors/instructors for your program or activity can be included).
• permanent equipment purchases, for example tables and computers
• business as usual costs or general operating expenses
• programs or activities that encourage gambling such as bingo, or the consumption of alcohol
• programs and activities coordinated by NSW Government departments and statutory authority
• an event that is already funded by this program. For example, two different organisations can not apply for funds for the same program or activity.
• prizes, competition or awards (e.g. cash giveaways, lucky door prizes, raffle prizes).
• business as usual activities such as morning tea, lunches or regular activities.

What co-contributions are required

Partnerships are encouraged.

What your application needs to include

Prepare your application with this checklist

This is an Open Competitive Grant Round.

Please ensure you review and read the NSW Seniors Festival Grant Program Guidelines 2026 to check if your organisation is Eligible to apply. 

• Contact details. It is an applicant’s responsibility to ensure all contact details are up to date. In some cases, DCJ has contacted a successful grant recipient to learn they have since left the organisation. Ensure secondary contact details are included in the application. If DCJ can’t contact you, we can’t award you the grant. Group email addresses are not permitted.
• Eligibility and ineligibility criteria. Ensure you meet the criteria and are not ineligible.
• Grant program objectives. Ensure you demonstrate in your application how the event or activity meets the objectives and target audience.
• Assessment criteria. Ensure your application addresses the assessment criteria.

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.

Address the assessment criteria

Start the application

This is an Open Competitive Grant Round, please ensure you review and read the NSW Seniors Festival Grant Program Guidelines 2026.

All applications must be submitted on the SmartyGrants, click Apply Now.

The SmartyGrants website is an online grants administration system, which is used by government departments across Australia. The SmartyGrants website has an online portal where applicants submit their application form.

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: Minister Jodie Harrison, Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

This is an Open Competitive Grant Round, please ensure you review and read the NSW Seniors Festival Grant Program Guidelines 2026.

Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for funding:

• The application demonstrates how the event or activity meets the program objectives and outcomes.
• The application demonstrates how the event or activity meets the eligibility criteria and is aimed at the target group.
• The event or activity demonstrates value for money. A useful tool is to calculate the cost per head based on the number of expected participants and the funding requested. In addition is the value of the benefits in attending.
• The events or activities is accessible, wherever possible.
• The applicant has organisational capacity and capability, and the ability to collaborate and consult with relevant stakeholders.

Anticipated assessment outcome date is October 2025.

Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is November 2025.

Support and contact

If you require any assistance or have any queries relating to this grant, please contact via email: [email protected].