Submit Applications for Events Grants Program Round-2 (Australia)

Deadline: 25-Sep-26

Mount Alexander Shire Council is inviting local groups, organisations, and businesses to apply for its Event Grants Program, which provides funding and in-kind support for public events that benefit communities across the shire. The programme supports events that strengthen community connection, participation, social cohesion, cultural engagement, local identity, and economic activity. Funding is available through several streams, including grants of up to $5,000 for strategic events and quick response grants of up to $500 for small or time-sensitive events. The Event Grants Program is designed to support public events that deliver measurable benefits to the Mount Alexander Shire community.

The programme aims to encourage:

Events should demonstrate a clear benefit to the local community and align with the objectives and priorities of Mount Alexander Shire Council. Funding is available through several grant streams based on the scale and nature of the proposed event.

The available streams are:

The programme may also provide in-kind support for eligible events. Tier 1 grants provide up to $1,000 for local community events. This stream is intended to support smaller events that contribute to community connection, participation, and local engagement within the shire. Tier 2 grants provide up to $3,000 for community and regional events. Events supported through this stream should demonstrate broader community benefits and contribute to participation, connection, cultural activity, or other outcomes aligned with the programme. Tier 3 grants provide up to $5,000 for strategic events. These events are assessed against additional criteria, including their potential economic and visitor impact, community and cultural significance, governance, financial strength, and sustainability. Multi-year funding is available for up to two Tier 3 events per year. Funding may be provided for up to three years, subject to annual review and reporting requirements. This provides eligible strategic events with the opportunity to develop longer-term planning and delivery arrangements. Quick Response Grants provide up to $500 for small or time-sensitive events. This stream is intended to provide support for eligible events where funding is needed quickly or where the scale of the event is relatively small. Grant funding can support a wide range of costs associated with planning and delivering eligible public events.

Eligible event-related costs may include:

Applicants should ensure that proposed expenditure is directly connected to the delivery of the event and supports its objectives. The programme is open to a range of organisations and event organisers that meet the eligibility requirements.

Eligible applicants include:

To be eligible, events must:

Events should demonstrate how they will contribute to community, cultural, economic, visitor, or environmental outcomes as relevant to the particular funding stream. Certain applicants and activities are excluded from funding. Ineligible applicants or activities include: Applicants should ensure that any previous grant obligations have been completed before applying. A major focus of the programme is strengthening community connection and participation. Events can contribute by creating opportunities for people to come together, participate in community activities, celebrate local identity, and engage with arts and culture. The programme also encourages the development of a diverse and locally connected arts and cultural environment within the shire. Events may also support the local economy by encouraging visitor activity, attracting tourists, supporting local businesses, and engaging local suppliers. However, applicants must demonstrate a clear benefit to the Mount Alexander Shire community. Economic or tourism benefits should therefore complement the wider community outcomes of the proposed event. Environmental sustainability is another potential area of benefit under the programme. Applicants can incorporate sustainability measures into their events through activities such as waste reduction and other environmentally responsible event practices. Funding can support eligible waste and sustainability initiatives associated with event delivery. Applications are assessed competitively.

Assessment considers factors including:

Tier 3 Strategic Event applications are subject to additional assessment criteria. Tier 3 applications are assessed against additional factors relating to the scale and strategic importance of the event.

These include:

Applicants seeking Tier 3 support should clearly demonstrate how their event performs against these criteria. Public events can play an important role in creating stronger and more connected communities. The Event Grants Program provides financial and in-kind support to help local organisations, businesses, and event organisers deliver activities that bring people together, strengthen local identity, encourage cultural participation, and support the local economy. The different funding tiers also allow support to be tailored to events of different sizes and strategic significance. It is a Council funding programme that supports public events delivering community, cultural, economic, visitor, and environmental benefits within Mount Alexander Shire. Funding ranges from $500 to $5,000, depending on the grant stream. Tier 1 Local Community Events can receive up to $1,000. Tier 2 Community and Regional Events can receive up to $3,000. Tier 3 Strategic Events can receive up to $5,000. Yes. Multi-year funding is available for up to two Tier 3 events per year, for up to three years, subject to annual review and reporting. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organisations, community groups, schools, local businesses, commercial event organisers, and external organisations delivering eligible events within Mount Alexander Shire. Yes. Community groups can apply, with an auspice where required. Eligible events must be p