We fund strategic, high-impact climate advocacy – the organising, storytelling and political work that moves Australia toward a safer climate. If that's what you do, we'd like to hear from you.
We fund across an ecosystem of work, supporting organisations tackling different parts of the challenge so their efforts can reinforce each other and drive change.
If your work sits across more than one of these, that's great – most strong applications do.
Helping communities shape, benefit from and lead the transition to a cleaner economy.
Holding governments and corporations accountable for decisions that affect our future.
Building public support for climate solutions through media, culture and storytelling.
.png)
Backing First Nations and frontline communities to lead solutions, protect Country and shape decisions.
%20(1).png)
Every grant we make goes through a structured process, combining expert insight, deep research and collective decision-making.
Fill out a short expression of interest so we can check alignment before inviting selected organisations to submit a full proposal. Have a read of the eligibility criteria below.
If your EOI is successful, we'll send the application form by email, with about two weeks to complete it. Here is a sample application form.
A rotating committee of donors and experts, including First Nations advisors who are paid for their time, reviews every application. They then meet and agree to a shortlist.
Every person who has donated to Groundswell in the last 12 months votes on which shortlisted organisations receive funding.
Grants are $40,000 each. The total number of grants will depend on funds raised by the Groundswell community.
We back not-for-profits building community power, challenging fossil fuels, shifting public narratives and supporting First Nations and frontline leadership.
We’re especially interested in work grounded in climate justice – shifting decisions and systems, and ensuring the communities most affected by climate impacts and the energy transition are leading the change
Here’s a quick overview of who we fund, how we assess applications, and what to expect.
You may be eligible if you:
We prioritise work that is:
Both – but we lean towards core, unrestricted funding. That’s because climate advocacy doesn’t follow a fixed plan. The landscape can shift quickly, and organisations need the flexibility to respond as new opportunities emerge.
Project funding supports specific pieces of work, like a campaign or report. Even when we fund projects, we give core funding to allow organisations to be strategic, adaptive and flexible in rapidly changing political environments.
You can read our full grantmaking guide for more detail on how we assess applications and our approach to advocacy under charity law. For more enquires, submit your questions here.
.png)
Groundswell is political, but not partisan. We support charities campaigning on political issues to advance their purpose, as long as it complies with charity law.
We can fund:
We can’t fund:
For more information, see the ACNC’s charity advocacy guidelines.
Sign up to hear when new Groundswell grant rounds open, along with key dates, eligibility information and anything you need to know before applying.
In a world of doomscrolling, the Groundswell Journal offers you something different – thoughtful stories about what’s working and a closer look at how change happens.
Good writing, big ideas and stories from the people working to make things better. Get the Groundswell Journal in your inbox.
Wherever we are in this country, we are on Country.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Traditional Custodians, and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
We honour their enduring care for Country and the First Nations leadership our climate future depends on.