What are Community Customer Grants?
At Bank Australia, we commit up to 4% of our annual after-tax profits to the Bank Australia Impact Fund to create positive impact for people and the planet. And, every year, we use part of our Impact Fund to offer our Community Customer Grants.
Our Community Customer Grants are for our community customers – organisations not individuals – who are creating change in areas that are important to our customers. In 2022, our community customers had the opportunity to apply for grants up to $20,000.
Applications for our 2022 Community Customer Grants program are now closed.
Applied for a 2022 Community Customer Grant?
We’ll contact shortlisted applicants in late May for additional supporting documentation (such as profit and loss reports, balance sheets and statement of cash flow) to help us make final funding decisions.
Successful grant recipients will be contacted in early June and announced in late June. Grant funds will be distributed early July.
When will the next grant round open?
Our Community Customer Grants program runs annually. Our next grant round will open March 2023. The exact date will be announced early next year.
Our grant program is open to existing community customers who have held a Bank Australia account for at least 1 year at 30 June every funding year. To be eligible in our 2023 round, customers need to have opened a Bank Australia account or loan on or before 30 June 2022.
They must be an organisation, such as a not for profit, community, school, volunteer or social enterprise with an ABN. Deductible gift recipient status is not required.
What are the impact areas?
Our Community Customer Grants fund projects that have a positive impact in areas that are important to our customers:
- Climate change – Taking action to address and mitigate the impacts of climate change
- Family and gendered violence – Preventing family and gendered violence and/or supporting people who have been affected by family violence
- Reconciliation and supporting First Nations communities – Building unity and respect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
- Refugees and people seeking asylum – Supporting fair and humane treatment for refugees and people seeking asylum
- Animal welfare – Supporting the humane treatment of animals
- Homelessness – Addressing the causes of homelessness and supporting people who are experiencing homelessness
- Environmental conservation – Protecting Australia's natural environment including flora and fauna
- Diversity and inclusion – Promoting diversity and inclusion for people and communities in the following areas:
- Financial inclusion – Providing education and support to enable financially excluded people to more fully participate in the community
- Education inclusion – Increasing equality of educational opportunities
- Disability inclusion – Supporting increased independence, opportunity and equality for people with disability
- LGBTIQ+ inclusion – Supporting equality and equal opportunity for people of diverse genders, sexes and sexualities.
Want to know more? Read our FAQs
If our application was successful, when will my organisation be contacted and receive the grant money?
We will contact successful recipients early June and release the funds on 1 July 2022. Funds need to be disbursed (spent) by 30 June 2023.
Will Bank Australia promote my project?
Happily! We love talking about our grant recipients on our blog and social media. Where, when and how we talk about Community Customer Grant recipients is decided by talking with each organisation.
I am a personal customer of Bank Australia, but my employer is not a customer. Can my employer still apply for funding a under the 2022 Community Customer Grants?
No. The organisation applying for funding needs to be the Bank Australia customer.
Can only not for profits apply?
Organisations do not necessarily have to be not for profit to apply. For example, schools or social enterprises can apply as long as they meet the other eligibility criteria.
Do applicants have to have deductible gift recipient (DGR) status to apply?
No. Organisations with and without deductible gift recipient (DGR) status are welcome to apply.
How long does my organisation have to bank with Bank Australia to be eligible?
Our grant program is open to existing community customers who have held a Bank Australia account for at least 1 year at 30 June every funding year. To be eligible in our 2023 round, customers need to have opened a Bank Australia account or loan on or before 30 June 2022.
Can Bank Australia customers partner with other organisations to deliver a project?
Yes. The lead organisation on the project should be a Bank Australia customer, but that lead organisation is able to partner with other organisations (who may be customers or not).
Can I apply for a project where the impact area is outside of Australia?
No. Our focus is on supporting communities in Australia.
My organisation received a grant from Bank Australia in a previous round, can I apply again?
All eligible applicants are welcome to apply each year. Past receipt of funding from the Bank Australia Impact Fund is no guarantee of future funding.
Can I submit multiple applications for different projects?
No. Applicants can only submit one application per round.
Got questions?
Email impact@bankaust.com.au
