Archived Grant Opportunity View - GO5840

The Australian Government is inviting applications via a restricted process to apply for funding under the Women’s Leadership and Development Program (WLDP) – Women in Public Office grant opportunity. 

The Government funds the WLDP to deliver a range of projects specifically for women in Australia. It contributes to the achievement of Program 1.1 within Outcome 1 of the department’s Portfolio Budget Statement.

The Government has committed $5 million over 5years from 2022–23 to 2026–27, to fund organisations to equip and encourage more women across the political spectrum to run for public office at local, state and federal levels.

The Women in Public Office grant opportunity seeks non-partisan projects that support women across Australia to prepare for and enter public office, at all levels of government.

Projects must:

• be non-partisan

• complement or expand, and not duplicate, existing available programs of this type, including state government funded programs or other non-government, local programs

• be nationally available

• work with a diverse range of women, with appropriate cultural considerations.

Applications from consortia are strongly encouraged and will be prioritised to ensure the objectives of the grant opportunity can be met effectively and efficiently.

The desired outcomes of the grant opportunity are to:

• increase representation and diversity of women running for, and appointed to, public office
• improve gender equality and diversity in parliaments.

To be eligible you must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be registered for the purposes of GST
• be a permanent resident of Australia
• have an account with an Australian financial institution

and be one of the following entity types:

• Indigenous Corporation
• Company
• Co-operative
• Incorporated Association
• Statutory Entity
• Corporate State or Territory Entity (Universities only).

If you are applying as a Trustee on behalf of a Trust, the Trustee must have an eligible entity type as listed above.

Applications from consortia are strongly encouraged and only consortia applications will be considered for the full allocation of available funds. Under consortia arrangements, at least one member must currently be delivering programs/resources that encourage and equip women to run for public office.

• Assessment of applications - January to March 2023
• Approval of outcomes of selection process - April 2023
• Notification to applicants - April 2023
• Negotiations and award of grant agreements - May 2023
• Earliest start date of grant activity - June 2023
• Latest end date of grant activity - June 2027

To apply, you must:

• complete the online application form, please see 'Submit Application'

• provide all the information requested

• address all eligibility criteria and assessment criteria

• include all necessary attachments

• submit your application(s) to the Community Grants Hub by 5:00 pm AEDT 19 December 2022.

Please use the latest version:

GO5840 - Questions and Answers Version 3 - 22 November 2022

Opportunity Information Briefing

The Office for Women hosted a virtual Information Briefing for all potential applicants on 16 November 2022.

The virtual Information Briefing was recorded and is available on the WIPO webpage, as is the recording and transcript of the briefing, and these will be accessible while the opportunity is open.