Community Grants 2026

• Applicants must be a community-serving, not-for-profit organisation, that is either:
  • registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC); or
  • a community service organisation exempt from paying income tax under the Income Tas Assessment Act 1997 (Cth).
• The proposed project must be based in Tasmania.
• Applications from Aboriginal organisations for culturally significant projects are actively encouraged. 

• Projects where there is a direct benefit to a business or an individual.
• Projects that benefit a political party.
• Applications from a commercial or for-profit organisation.
• Fundraising campaigns, prizes or gifts.
• Strategic, business or communication plans or feasibility studies or any other study that does not result in a direct outcome to the community.

The project must achieve value to the community. To demonstrate this, the application must provide:

• a description of the positive outcome this project will achieve.
• the applicant must explain the objectives, time-frame, budget and that success is within the organisation's capacity. For example:
  • explain the issue the project will address
  • outline the steps the project will go through
  • the costs for each step
  • whether there is any specific expertise required and how this will be managed.

At the end of the project, applicants must be willing to provide, for use by Hydro Tasmania, information and photographs that demonstrate the outcomes from the grant.

• Explain the need and broad benefit for the community, for example, does the project address social issues in the community? Some issues might be health, education, cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, diversity, community connection, disadvantage or inequality.
• Provide evidence of community support, this could be explaining the desired improvement, those who are impacted or the gap that the project will address.
• Show that risks associated with the project have been considered, for example, what if supplies or trades people aren’t available. What about maintenance or replacement costs on an ongoing basis.
• Demonstrate organisational and/or community capacity to complete the project. Do you have access to the people required to complete the tasks involved?
• Please avoid jargon - write acronyms in full in the first instance and ensure the application can be understood by the average person.
• Provide relevant details in the application rather than website links. A large number of applications are received so it may not be possible to sift through websites.
• Letters of support are a good way to demonstrate community need and support for projects. These letters should be obtained from outside the applicant organisation, for example, the local council, stakeholder groups or groups that will benefit from the project.
• It is unlikely that projects will be funded where there is an unrealistic outcome, time-frame or budget, is likely to be beyond the capacity of the applicant and/or unlikely to proceed in the next 12 months.

Want to know who has previously been awarded a Hydro Tasmania Community Grant? Find out here!

• Submission of an application is deemed to be acceptance of these conditions.
• Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria specified for the grant.
• Applications must be submitted on the application form provided.
• Applications are now open and close at 5pm 27 March 2026. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by the 30 June 2026. Late applications will not be accepted.
• Satisfaction of the eligibility criteria and compliance with the application process does not guarantee the provision of a grant to any applicant.
• Hydro Tasmania reserves the right in its absolute discretion to choose the successful applicants. Hydro Tasmania’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all the information they include in their application is correct.
• If information included in the applicant’s application is found to be incorrect, Hydro Tasmania may request the grant be returned in full.
• The grant must be used for the purpose for which it has been provided. If an organisation is unable to fulfil this requirement, the funds must be returned in full to Hydro Tasmania.
• A report and photographs about the work must be provided to Hydro Tasmania within 12 months of the receipt of the grant. Applicant’s consent to Hydro Tasmania’s use of these photographs in accordance with these terms.
• Approval of a grant does not commit Hydro Tasmania to any future financial assistance to the organisation.
• The applicant remains responsible for ensuring all parties involved in the application for and administering the grant, such as a sponsor, abide by the terms and conditions of the grant.
• Successful applicants must sign a Funding Agreement and provide Hydro Tasmania with a tax invoice.
• Hydro Tasmania shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever which is suffered (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss) or for any personal injury suffered or sustained in connection with funded projects.
• Hydro Tasmania accepts no responsibility for any tax implications that may arise from the successful application.
• Once a grant has been awarded, any shortfall required for the completion of the project will have to be arranged by the applicant without Hydro Tasmania.
• Hydro Tasmania collects and discloses applicants’ personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy, and in this case, collects such information in order to conduct and administer the grant program. If the information requested is not provided, the applicant may not participate in the program.
• Hydro Tasmania may use information applicants submit to Hydro Tasmania in their application or upon successful completion of their project for any media, promotion, marketing and/or publicity purposes. By submitting an application, applicants consent to this and acknowledge Hydro Tasmania will not provide further reference, payment or other compensation to the applicant.

If you are unable to fill out the grant form online, please download the form below:

Download the Community Grants application form