The NAB Foundation Community Grants program provides funding of up to $25,000 for local projects that help communities withstand and recover from natural disasters.

Australian communities are being hit harder by natural disasters more often. It takes many hands to get communities back up and running after a disaster and to build resilience for the next one.

NAB award $1 million in Community Grants each year, with additional $200,000 available in Impact Grants, for projects with big potential. These Impact Grants provide a further $25,000 to recipients to maximise the impact they have on their communities.

NAB Foundation Community Grants support community-led projects that relate to:

• Training and planning: Educational workshops, practical and strategic planning that help communities prepare for a natural disaster.
• Community recovery: Programs to enhance community connection, resilience and wellbeing post natural disaster.
• Environment and wildlife: Restoration of damaged vegetation and habitat, and rehabilitation of injured wildlife.
• Equipment and infrastructure: Tools, equipment and infrastructure improvements that help communities withstand natural disasters or recover in their aftermath.

The NAB Foundation intends to prioritise funding for smaller organisations with an income of $3 million or less per annum, and organisations that receive less than 40% of their annual funding from government. While the NAB Foundation will prioritise funding for smaller organisations, larger organisations can still apply, if they have a local project or initiative that meets local needs and can demonstrate the funds will be used at that local community level.

Read more about our previous grant recipients.

Eligibility criteria

NAB Foundation Community Grants are open to:

• Charities that are registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for Profits Commission (ACNC). 
• Social enterprises (not-for-profit and for-profit) or start-ups with social or environmental impact at the core of their business. 
• Groups or organisations (not-for-profit and for-profit) that hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and have a charitable purpose. 
• Local government or government-funded facilities (such as a school or childcare centre) seeking funding for a program that furthers charitable purpose.

Your organisation doesn’t need to have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. 

If your organisation is not a registered charity or social enterprise with the ACNC, it must have documentation that demonstrates its charitable purpose. You’ll be asked to certify this and upload supporting documentation in the application form.

If you are a government entity (local government or council), you will be asked to certify that the funds will be used solely for the charitable purpose outlined in your application, and not recorded as a donation to a government or political party, or as a political donation.

Here are some other important points about applying:

• You don’t need to be a NAB customer.
• You don’t need to be a registered charity to apply.
• Your organisation doesn’t need to operate Australia-wide. 
• You can apply for a NAB Foundation Community Grant if you’ve successfully applied for grants from other organisations. 
• You can only apply for and receive one NAB Foundation Community Grant each calendar year. 

Exclusions

Applications won’t be accepted for the following: 

• organisations or programs outside Australia
• organisations that don’t have an ABN or those that don’t hold a charitable purpose 
• individual applicants or personal expenses
• programs that don’t align to the categories of the Community Grants program
• activities that may be deemed harmful to the community or the environment
• recurrent costs or continued funding (grants are one-off) 
• government entities (with the exception of local government or government-funded facilities such as a school or childcare centre)
• retrospective requests, general fundraising appeals or commercial sponsorships
• business as usual activities, including marketing and fundraising activities
• religious or sectarian education (programs by religion-based organisations that support a non-religious purpose are eligible to apply)
• political support or political organisations
• bequest programs
• foundations that are grant-making bodies.

• Email: nabfoundation@nab.com.au