Stronger Communities Programme

About the program

The Stronger Communities Programme (SCP) provides grants of between $2,500 and $20,000 to community organisations and local governments for infrastructure projects that deliver social benefits for local communities.

The input of the community is a key element of the SCP. Projects are selected by Members of Parliament (MPs) and their community consultation committees, and are then submitted to the Government for assessment.

The SCP has committed funding to over 17,400 community–based projects across Australia.

All rounds of the SCP have been very successful, with a wide variety of projects funded  to strengthen local communities and deliver social and economic benefits across Australia.

Round 9

Round 9 will open on 14 February 2025, with $22.65 million available to support infrastructure projects that provide social benefits for local communities across the country. Round 9 project activities must directly align and give effect to at least one of the objectives of the program and be one or more of the listed activities within the Grant Opportunity Guidelines. 

Round 9 supporting information

The Grant Opportunity Guidelines for  Round 9 and other program related information is available at: business.gov.au

Previous rounds

Rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 have closed.

  • Funding of up to $181 million was available under the Rounds 1 to 8 of the SCP in the 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years. Stronger Communities Programme Rounds 1 and 2 Guidelines PDF: 343 KB
  • Grant Opportunity Guidelines for Round 8 (closed) and other program-related information is available at: Business.gov.au

List of funded projects 

A list of projects for Round 1 and Round 2 can be found on the Department's Grants Reporting webpage, archived on Trove, together with a list of projects for Round 3 with a commencement date before 31 December 2017.

Since 1 January 2018 all departmental grants are published on the Whole of Government grants website GrantConnect (grants.gov.au).