Melbourne Airport Community Grants

Community centres and neighbourhood houses located within 20km of Melbourne Airport will be eligible to apply for a funding boost of $15,000 through the Melbourne Airport Community Grants program.

Established in 2019, the community grants enable educational and employment pathway initiatives in Melbourne’s north and west as part of Melbourne Airport’s commitment to support meaningful community projects. Ten grants of $15,000 will be awarded to ten neighbourhood houses.

There are 68 eligible neighbourhood houses listed below, with the Grants program uniquely supporting proven projects being delivered in Melbourne’s north and west.

Educational and/or employment pathways projects, and/or capital expenditure initiatives or activities that:

• respond to the needs of local communities and that reflect the cultural makeup of communities
• benefit culturally and linguistically diverse or newly arrived migrant communities, or young families
• have a proven track record and outcomes
• can articulate how they are increasing employment and educational outcomes, social cohesion and engagement
• have strong partnerships with complementary organisations where possible
• can demonstrate an investment in forward planning
• are not already fully funded by existing government funding streams.

Community Grants Key Selection Criteria

Community Grants Application Questions

1^st July 2026 Grants open, 9am AEST

3^rd August 2026 Grants close, 5pm AEST

August 2026 Successful grants awarded

September 2026 Grant funding provided

Grant applications must be submitted via the Australian Communities Foundation’s grants portal using access code: MACF2026

APPLY HERE

To access Australian Communities Foundation’s grants portal via the access code, you will need to create or login to your existing account through Australian Communities Foundation using your existing username and password. Make sure to note your username and password as you will be able to save and continue the form at a later date.

• salaries
• project costs
• a discrete element of a larger project
• up to two applications per organisation per grant round
• projects funded through a previous Community Grant round (additional funding is not guaranteed and all reporting requirements must be up to date).

• projects at the pilot stage or approaches that are untested
• projects that duplicate an existing offering
• general operating support
• capital expenditure: some capital expenses are permitted but they should not form the majority of the application budget
• organisations who are not registered neighbourhood houses and neighbourhood houses that are not on the eligible houses list
• professional development or political or faith-based activities.

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Melbourne Airport Community Fund, which provides financial support to people living in Melbourne's north and west.

This year, $15,000 has been awarded to 10 Neighbourhood Houses and Community Centres, helping children, young people and adults pursue education, training and employment opportunities while creating meaningful connections within their local communities.

Grants have been awarded to the following recipients: