2026: Smartgroup Foundation grant recipients

Oceania Rising
This program seeks to equip young Indigenous and Pacific Islanders with the skills and resources to lead local environmental restoration through a three-day residential camp, online workshops, and grants for restoration or education projects in the participants’ own communities.

AIEF Pathways Support
AIEF scholarship students and alumni will be supported to transition from education to further study, training or employment. Students participate in a range of career development activities that build transferrable skills, attend regional conference-style events and can access internships, work placements, industry site visits and networking.

Early Response Therapy for Babies at Risk of Cerebral Palsy Programme
This early intervention program provides access to specialist physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology for babies at risk of cerebral palsy, and coaching and capacity building for parents.

Industry Explorers at Cire Community School
Across all Cire campuses, senior secondary school students with a history of disengaging from mainstream education, trauma, financial hardship, or family instability will participate in structured industry exposure and employer visits, alongside a tailored work-related skills and personal development program.

Earbus Outreach Program: focus on Port Hedland
This project will support the continued delivery of the Earbus program, providing early, culturally safe care for Aboriginal and at-risk children in the East Pilbara, where there are high rates of middle-ear disease and hearing loss.

Endangered Giant Freshwater Crayfish Citizen Science Monitoring Program
Community volunteers will be trained and cameras installed to monitor water quality and help conserve the world’s largest freshwater invertebrate, the Astacopsis gouldi - an endangered species which lives only in the rivers of Tasmania.

Fresh Food Relief: Fruit, Veg & Bread for Alice Springs
The grant will allow Foodbank SA & NT to purchase and distribute 15,000 kilograms of fresh fruit, vegetables and bread through its Alice Springs Food Hub, ensuring vulnerable community members, schools and agencies can access free, nutritious food.

Forrest Beach Starfish Nippers – Inclusive Surf Participation Program
Modified surf lifesaving equipment and uniforms will be purchased to enable children and young people with disabilities to participate in a modified surf lifesaving program, developing beach and water safety awareness, confidence and skills.

Sancturies Program
The grant will support individuals or families fleeing family and domestic violence by funding the purchase of essential household items like beds, whitegoods, linen and kitchenware to furnish temporary or longer-term accommodation.

Service Dog for Veteran or First Responder with PTSD
The grant will enable more veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to be matched with a professionally trained service dog, reducing the time spent on the waiting list.

Shared Paths
This program aims to provide lived-experience peer mentoring for children in residential care, using relatable, positive role modelling by young adults with out-of-home care experience. The initiative seeks to create opportunities for belonging, connection, wellbeing and confidence.

Griffith Microforest
This community-led project will establish a native microforest on public land at Blaxland Park, Griffith, providing habitat for wildlife, cooling the local microclimate and providing a shared green space for the community.

Language support for Tasmania’s refugee community
The grant will help fund external interpreting and translating services for Tasmania’s refugee community, enabling them to seek pro bono legal support to progress asylum claims, bring family to safety in Australia or escape family violence.

EmpowerHer: Customer Service Training and Employment Pathways for Migrant Women
This 9-week term-based program at the Carlton North Empowerment Hub will equip women from refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant backgrounds with real-world skills in customer service, confidence and the support needed to secure and maintain employment.

The Healthy Mum, Healthy Baby Initiative
The grant will provide practical, immediate support for participants of the Women’s Cornelia program. This support will include access to social workers, grocery vouchers and essential vitamins for pregnant women and new mothers experiencing homelessness.

Ex Situ Conservation of Olearia hygrophilia (Swamp Daisy): A Critically Endangered and Culturally Important Native Species
This grant will support the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) and university team to collect genetic material and develop tissue culture methods to propagate new plants, helping protect and restore this critically endangered native species.

Environmentally Sustainable Nursery Operations
This grant will fund the purchase of an electric mini-loader to help volunteers move soil more safely and efficiently, supporting the organisation to scale its nursery operations and sustainably grow around 210,000 local native plants in 2027.

Gold Coast Homelessness Health Nurse
This project delivers primary healthcare and outreach to people experiencing homelessness or living rough who face barriers to accessing mainstream services, including those living with complex physical or mental health conditions, or drug and alcohol issues.

Grief Support for Parentally Bereaved Children
The Weekend Grief Program will provide early intervention grief support and deliver one-to-one counselling to Victorian children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent or primary carer. The support will help them to understand their grief, develop healthy coping strategies and build resilience.

The Frontline Crisis Fund
The grant will provide caseworkers with immediate and flexible access to funds to support women and children escaping domestic and family violence, helping cover the cost of urgent needs including emergency accommodation, home security, relocation, transport, healthcare, food and other essentials.