The 2025-26 Local Sports Infrastructure Fund (the Fund) is a statewide competitive Victorian Government investment program. It provides funding to develop high-quality, accessible community sport and active recreation infrastructure.
Delivered by Sport and Recreation Victoria, the Local Sports Infrastructure Fund helps communities plan and develop community sport and active recreation infrastructure through 3 funding streams, including:
🎾 up to $500,000 for Community Facilities
💡 up to $250,000 for Community Sports Lighting
📜 up to $40,000 for Planning projects.
While applications can only be made by Victorian Councils and Alpine Resorts Victoria, community sports clubs, leagues and associations are encouraged to work with their local Council on potential applications.
Eligible to: Community groups, sporting clubs, other
Applications close: Tuesday, 2 Dec 2025
Enhances the capacity of facilities and football infrastructure for all user groups, from state to local grassroots venues.
The creation of this Fund will enable SANFL, AFL and State Government to achieve the shared strategic vision of creating welcoming facilities, particularly through provision of all gender change rooms for players, officials and umpires, as well as maximising venue capacities by improving quality of ovals, lighting and supporting infrastructure.
The Fund provides funding to assist local governments, Australian Rules football clubs, umpiring associations, schools and tertiary education institutions to develop Australian Rules football facilities across South Australia.
Eligible to: Government, non-Government, education, health, community groups, sporting clubs, other
Applications close: Friday, 5 Dec 2025
Provides funding to local councils to deliver projects that make walking and riding safer, easier, and more enjoyable.
Program objective
- To deliver initiatives that make it easier, safer and more convenient for people of all ages and abilities to choose walking and riding as a preferred mode of transport.
The Get NSW Active program is open to all NSW local councils, Lord Howe Island Board, and the Far West Unincorporated Region.
For Get NSW Active, funding is available for:
- Walking, riding or active travel strategies/plans
- Feasibility assessment
- Concept design
- Detailed design
- Project construction.
Eligible to: Government
Applications close: Friday, 12 Dec 2025
Provides funding to support sport and recreation infrastructure such as sports centres, playgrounds and swimming pools.
The objective of the Clubgrants Category 3 Infrastructure Grants program is to fund the costs of construction, alteration, renovation, completion and fit-out of buildings and community infrastructure to deliver outcomes for disadvantaged NSW communities including regional, remote and drought-affected areas, culturally and linguistically diverse, disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and disaster-affected communities. This grant is one of four Clubgrants Category 3 Infrastructure Grants administered by the Office of Responsible Gambling.
Who can apply:
- Not-for-profit organisations that will be responsible for operating and/or maintaining the infrastructure
- Schools: applicants must consider if and how the infrastructure project is accessible to the public outside school hours
- Local councils: applicants are required to cash-match the funding amount requested.
Eligible to: Government, non-Government, education, health, community groups, sporting clubs, other
Applications close: Monday, 15 Dec 2025
Assists not-for-profit sport and active recreation organisations with the clean-up, repair or replacement of equipment or facilities directly damaged by an eligible disaster event and to re-establish activities.
Latest rounds:
- Sport and active recreation organisations affected by Tropical Cyclone Alfred and associated severe weather between 1 and 16 March 2025 may be eligible for funding to help repair, rebuild or restore damaged facilities.
- Sport and active recreation organisations impacted by the Western Queensland Surface Trough and associated rainfall and flooding between 21 March and 19 May 2025 may be eligible for funding to help repair, rebuild or restore damaged facilities.
Eligible organisations can apply for up to a maximum of $1 million (GST exclusive) for each eligible project site subject to funding availability. This may include:
- Assessing assets or facilities only where event damage or impact is found
- Works repairing/restoring sport and active recreation items and infrastructure (e.g. clubhouse, field of play, lighting, indoor courts, etc) damaged by an eligible extraordinary event and required for the re-establishment of activities in place prior to the event
- Works that mitigate/improve resilience of the sport and active recreation infrastructure to the effects of future flood events
- Works rebuilding/replacing an infrastructure and assets when it has been deemed irreparable (by a suitably qualified independent consultant) or it is cost prohibitive due to age and/or compliance issues.
Eligible to: Government, non-Government, education, community groups, sporting clubs
Applications close: Friday, 6 Feb 2026
Provides funding to assist regional football and netball clubs, associations and umpiring organisations to upgrade and develop facilities in rural, regional and outer metropolitan locations.
Examples of projects eligible for funding include the following:
- Developing new, or redeveloping existing change rooms and pavilions to increase capacity, inclusion and safety
- Developing new, or redeveloping existing sports ovals and courts to increase capacity, inclusion and safety
- Sports lighting that improves capacity, inclusion and safety. Lighting projects may include installing new LED lighting infrastructure, or replacing non-LED lighting with LED lamps to meet lighting standards
- Projects that result in energy or water efficiency, with a direct impact on participation, such as warm-season grass conversions
- Projects that benefit multi-use outcomes where football or netball is the primary beneficiary.
Only Local Government Authorities (LGAs) are eligible to apply directly to the Program, limited to:
- Rural and regional LGAs
- Interface LGAs for facilities used by teams participating in leagues that are affiliated with an AFL Country League or a Netball Victoria Regional League or for facilities in areas where rurality can be demonstrated
- Frankston, Greater Dandenong and Kingston LGAs for facilities used by teams participating in an AFL Victoria Country League.
Eligible to: Sporting clubs, government
Applications close: Thursday, 26 Feb 2026
Funds smart infrastructure, technology and upgrades that support future industry focused collaborative projects.
Who is it for?
- Stakeholders who represent existing regional innovation precincts and places.
What are the grant/program objectives?
- The fund provides grants for the establishment of infrastructure and the acquisition of plant and equipment — including digital infrastructure and upgrades that support future industry-focused collaborative projects.
What does it involve?
- Funding for capital works including building infrastructure, digital infrastructure and the cost of plant and equipment.
Eligible to: Non-Government, education, health, community groups, sporting clubs, other
Applications close: Wednesday, 30 Jun 2027
Supports community-based welfare projects.
Over the past years we have seen a significant increase in Disaster funding requests as our nation has been impacted in many ways through fire, flood, drought, cyclones etc. Impact has been seen by individuals through to whole communities and the Australian Lions Foundation has provided support funding to assist ways to match the needs.
Eligible to: Community groups, other
Applications close: Ad hoc ongoing
The Community Place Based Grants program provides funding for the development and delivery of co-designed, place based structured holiday and out-of-school activity programs in the Kimberley, Goldfields, Pilbara and Gascoyne regions.
The program includes a process to work with local government, Aboriginal leaders and service organisations, to embed sport and recreation in community-led activities and events that target vulnerable and at-risk youth and their families.
The aim is to fund programs for multiple years to ensure a consistent quality approach to programs to get traction, build capacity and have a collective impact.
Eligible to: Non-Government, government, community groups, sporting clubs
Applications close: Ad hoc ongoing
Provides funding to improve the safety and operation of schools through new or improved infrastructure at the school and/or on the surrounding road network.
The desired outcome of the STIP is to construct new or improve transport related infrastructure at the school and/or on the surrounding road network to:
Eligible to: Non-Government, government, education, health, community groups, sporting clubs
Applications close: Ad hoc ongoing
Assists local clubs and stakeholders to develop AFL related infrastructure at ACT located venues in order to meet the required needs and have the capacity to grow the game.
This program has a particular focus on developing some of the key basic infrastructure required for community football growth, capacity and development such as change rooms and lighting.
Eligible to: Sporting clubs
Applications close: Ad hoc ongoing
Provides funding for projects that create additional infrastructure capacity for funded Three and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten programs by building new or expanding existing infrastructure.
The Building Blocks Grants Program has replaced the Children’s Facilities Capital Program and Inclusive Kindergartens Facilities Program as the Victorian Government’s investment vehicle through which funding support for existing and growing demand for Three and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten infrastructure is allocated. This will mean the sector can more easily navigate the options available when seeking state co-investment in their facilities.
Eligible to: Government, education
Applications close: Ad hoc ongoing
This investment has been bolstered by the commitment of additional funding to the ACIF via the Grassroots Cricket Fund (GCF) of $1 million for 2023/24. The GCF is a partnership between the Australian Cricketers’ Association and Cricket Australia, with the funding being contributed by Australian cricketers to support cricket in local communities.
The ACIF is open to all clubs, associations, schools, councils and cricket facility managers, acknowledging the important role that these partners play in providing facilities for community cricket across Australia.
Eligible to: Non-Government, government, community groups, education, sporting clubs, other
Applications close: Each State and Territory Association varies
Supports local organisations, charities and projects that address areas of need in the Newcastle community.
The focus of the programme is to:
Eligible to: Non-Government, community groups, education, sporting clubs
Applications close: Ad hoc
Bowls Australia is committed to redirecting one-hundred per cent of all sums raised back to those clubs in need, who are able to access monies from the fund via an application process.
Applications for the Bowls Disaster Relief Fund are open for clubs who have been affected by recent natural disasters:
Eligible to: Bowling clubs
Applications close: Ad hoc
