Call for Applications: ASEAN-Australia Centre Grants Program

Deadline: 28-Oct-2026

The ASEAN-Australia Centre is inviting Australian organisations and individuals to apply for its 2026-27 Grants Program, which provides funding for initiatives that strengthen business, education, cultural, and community connections between Australia and Southeast Asia. Grants range from $50,000 to $200,000 per year for projects lasting up to two years, with applicants able to seek multi-year funding of up to $400,000, while the overall 2026-27 funding pool is $2.2 million. Supported projects must involve more than one Southeast Asian country and should contribute to Southeast Asia literacy, economic linkages, education, or cultural connections through activities such as business networking, trade delegations, creative exchanges, exhibitions, research, educational resource development, and community engagement. The program offers three funding streams covering economic engagement, creative industry and cultural connections, and Asia capability. Applicants are encouraged to work with Southeast Asian partners and demonstrate co-contributions from other sources, including in-kind support. The program also encourages applications from Australians of Southeast Asian heritage, First Nations Australians, women and women-led organisations, and people with diverse abilities, while eligible applicants must meet Australian residency, citizenship, organisational, or ABN requirements. The ASEAN-Australia Centre Grants Program supports initiatives that strengthen practical and long-term connections between Australia and Southeast Asia. The 2026-27 grants round is built around four key pillars: Projects should demonstrate a clear connection to these objectives and deliver outcomes that strengthen Australia’s engagement and understanding of Southeast Asia.

Applicants can request:

The total funding pool for the 2026-27 round is $2.2 million. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate contributions from other sources, including in-kind contributions. The 2026-27 program provides funding through three main streams. This stream supports initiatives that strengthen business and economic relationships between Australia and Southeast Asia.

Potential activities include:

Projects should demonstrate how they can create stronger economic linkages between Australia and Southeast Asian countries. This stream supports activities that build connections between Australian and Southeast Asian creative and cultural communities. The focus is on strengthening cultural relationships and creating opportunities for creative professionals to connect across the region. This stream supports initiatives that strengthen Australia’s knowledge and capability relating to Southeast Asia. Projects should contribute to greater understanding and practical knowledge of Southeast Asia within Australia. Projects must involve more than one Southeast Asian country. Applicants are encouraged to identify and work with Southeast Asian partners when developing their proposals. This means a project focused exclusively on one Southeast Asian country would not meet the stated multi-country requirement.

Applicants should clearly explain:

The program is open to eligible Australian organisations and individuals.

Eligible applicants include:

Applicants should ensure they meet the relevant organisational, residency, citizenship, and registration requirements before applying. The program strongly encourages applications from groups that can contribute diverse perspectives and experiences to Australia-Southeast Asia engagement.

These include:

This encouragement does not replace the program’s formal eligibility requirements.

Eligible activities may include:

Activities should directly relate to the grant objectives and expected outcomes. Strong projects should establish a clear connection between proposed activities and the ASEAN-Australia Centre’s objectives.

Applicants should demonstrate:

Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate contributions from other sources.

These may include:

Applicants should explain the nature and value of these contributions and how they strengthen project delivery. Applicants should build their proposal around a clearly defined Australia-Southeast Asia connection.

Important points to address include:

Applicants should keep the following requirements in mind:

Applicants should avoid:

Consider the following when developing a proposal: It is a funding program supporting initiatives that strengthen business, education, cultural, and community connections between Australia and Southeast Asia. Grants range from $50,000 to $200,000 per year, with funding available for up to two years. Applicants can seek up to $400,000 for a multi-year project. The total funding pool for the 2026-27 grants round is $2.2 million. The three streams are economic engagement, creative industry and cultural connections, and Asia capability. Yes. Cultural exchanges, residencies, exhibitions, and other creative industry activities can be supported when they align with the grant objectives. Research is listed among the eligible activities, provided the proposed research directly relates to the grant objectives and outcomes. Applicants are encouraged to identify Southeast Asian partners, and projects must involve more than one Southeast Asian country. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate co-contributions from other sources, including in-kind support. The program strongly encourages applications from Australians of Southeast Asian heritage, First Nations Australians, women and women-led organisations, and people with diverse abilities, subject to the program’s eligibility requirements. The ASEAN-Australia Centre Grants Program 2026-27 provides $50,000 to $200,000 per year, with up to $400,000 available for eligible multi-year projects, to strengthen Australia’s economic, educational, cultural, and community connections with Southeast Asia. Projects must involve more than one Southeast Asian country and can support activities ranging from bus