Grants up to $3 million support community-led, on-ground actions that protect Great Barrier Reef habitats, strengthen stewardship networks and improve Reef health and resilience outcomes.
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What is the Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program (CSP)?
The Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program Round 2 provides funding for community-based, on-ground actions that improve the health and resilience of key Great Barrier Reef species and habitats.
The program also aims to build an inclusive and interconnected community stewardship network that mobilises communities, Traditional Owners and project partners to protect the Reef.
Round 2 forms part of the Australian Government’s broader Reef Protection and Restoration Package and is administered by the Community Grants Hub on behalf of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program level of support
Funding amount
- Up to $7.538 million is available under Round 2 over four years from 2026–27 to 2029–30.
- The minimum grant amount is $1.5 million.
- The maximum grant amount is $3 million.
- Funding is GST exclusive.
- The broader Community Stewardship Program has up to $12.5 million available across its two rounds from 2023–24 to 2029–30.
Co-contribution
- The guidelines do not specify a fixed or mandatory co-contribution percentage or matching funding requirement.
- The final grant agreement may identify any applicable grant percentage, financial contribution, in-kind contribution or third-party financial contribution.
- Any costs exceeding the approved maximum grant amount must be met by the recipient.
Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program important dates
- Applications close: 6 October 2026 at 9:00 pm AEDT
- Questions close: 28 September 2026 at 5:00 pm AEST
- Assessment of applications: within 10 weeks of closing
- Approval of selection outcomes: within 14 weeks of closing
- Notification to applicants: within 16 weeks of closing
- Negotiation and award of grant agreements: within 20 weeks of closing
- Earliest project start: March 2027
- Projects must be completed by: 30 June 2030
- Register your interest with GrantHelper
Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program objectives
The objectives of Round 2 are to:
- Deliver community-based, on-ground actions that measurably improve the health and resilience of key Reef species and habitats.
- Build a long-lasting, inclusive and interconnected community stewardship network.
- Mobilise and coordinate communities, Traditional Owners and partners to protect the Reef.
The intended outcomes are to:
- Contribute to delivery of the Reef 2050 Plan and at least one Reef Trust Outcome.
- Address threats to Reef ecosystem and heritage values associated with climate change, coastal development, land-based runoff and direct use.
- Increase community-based protection of the Reef through environmentally responsible practices.
- Strengthen coordination of Reef protection activities by local communities.
- Empower local communities, including Traditional Owners, to develop a culture of stewardship that delivers positive outcomes for the Reef.
Projects eligible for Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program support
Projects must:
- Be directed towards the program objectives and outcomes.
- Have at least $1.5 million in eligible expenditure.
- Include a significant on-ground component.
- Allocate at least 50% of the project budget to on-ground works.
- Use the Reef Stewardship Monitoring Toolkit to measure and monitor Reef stewardship.
- Include all mandatory application attachments.
Eligible activities may include:
- On-ground actions that reduce threats or pressures affecting Reef species, habitats, ecosystems and heritage values.
- Activities responding to threats associated with climate change, coastal development, land-based runoff and direct use.
- Actions to improve or restore the condition of environmental values or attributes.
- Adaptation measures that address or reduce threats or respond to predicted environmental changes.
- Activities that change behaviours or practices to reduce threats and improve environmental values.
- Activities that increase technological, financial, institutional, management or community capacity.
- Awareness, advocacy, campaigns, engagement, leadership and participatory experiences that encourage Reef stewardship.
- Resources that enable collaboration across the community stewardship network.
- Activities that maintain connectivity between projects and partners.
- Engagement and consultation with stakeholders and Traditional Owners to shape program design and priorities.
- Monitoring, evaluation and reporting activities that track progress and outcomes.
Eligible expenditure
Where directly related to the approved project, eligible expenditure may include:
- Labour and on-costs for personnel directly employed to deliver project activities.
- Contractor costs for eligible project activities.
- Administrative support costs of up to 10% of total eligible expenditure.
- Purchase of assets other than land, subject to approval and justification.
- Lease or purchase of vessels, vehicles or other assets where justified as necessary for project delivery.
- Site establishment and maintenance for on-ground restoration works during the grant period.
- Monitoring and evaluation costs, excluding grant reporting, of up to 5% of total eligible expenditure.
- Reasonable domestic accommodation and transportation required to undertake approved activities.
- Staff training directly supporting project outcomes.
- Planning, technical consultation, environmental and regulatory approval or permit costs incurred during the project.
- Independent project expenditure audit costs of up to 1% of total eligible project expenditure.
Ineligible activities and expenditure
Grant funding cannot be used for:
- Activities outside the eligible Great Barrier Reef locations unless they have the required clear and direct effect on the Reef.
- Activities likely to have a significant adverse impact on a matter of national environmental significance under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
- Activities that do not contribute to the Reef 2050 Plan and Reef Trust Outcomes.
- Fencing that is normally a landholder’s responsibility, such as stock or boundary fencing.
- Government fees, including park entry fees.
- Management of pests, diseases or weed species that are legally required to be controlled.
- Research that does not directly support eligible activities.
- Activities, equipment or supplies already funded from another source.
- Retrospective costs or expenditure incurred before the agreed project start date.
- In-kind contributions.
- Financing costs, including interest.
- Wages, salaries or staff training unrelated to the project.
- Depreciation or ongoing plant and equipment costs beyond the project period.
- Recurring or ongoing operational expenditure such as rent, water, rates, postage, legal and accounting fees, bank charges, electricity and phone costs.
- Purchase of land.
- Major capital expenditure or major construction and capital works not directly related to the project.
- Ongoing maintenance costs beyond the life of the grant.
- Overseas travel.
- Activities for which another Commonwealth, state, territory or local government body has primary responsibility.
Other Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program important details that you will need to know
Organisations eligible for Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program
Eligible locations
Activities may be delivered across different locations, provided they are within:
- The Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park.
- Great Barrier Reef Natural Resource Management regions.
- Habitats or ecosystems within Great Barrier Reef Catchments that have a clear and direct effect on the Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park and wider Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Applicants must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) and be one of the following:
- Company
- Cooperative
- Corporate Commonwealth Entity
- Corporate State or Territory Entity
- Incorporated Association
- Indigenous Corporation
- Local Government
- Statutory Entity
- Non-corporate Commonwealth Statutory Authority
- Non-corporate State or Territory Entity
- Non-corporate State or Territory Statutory Authority
A Trustee applying on behalf of a Trust must itself be one of the eligible entity types and provide the Trust deed and any subsequent variations.
Who is not eligible?
Ineligible applicants include:
- Entities not included among the eligible entity types.
- Partnerships.
- Individuals.
- Sole traders.
- Unincorporated associations, subject to the specific arrangements outlined in the guidelines.
- International entities.
- Organisations, or relevant project partners, listed as non-participating institutions under the National Redress Scheme requirements.
- Organisations, or relevant project partners, appearing on the Workplace Gender Equality Agency non-compliant list.
Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program assessment criteria
Criterion 1: Alignment with the program objectives and outcomes – 40%
Applicants should demonstrate how their project will:
- Contribute to delivery of the Reef 2050 Plan, particularly Work Area 5 and Enabler A.
- Contribute to at least one Reef Trust Outcome.
- Develop or support a community stewardship network.
- Strengthen coordination, participation and delivery of Reef protection activities by local communities.
- Deliver effective community-based, on-ground projects targeting key habitats and species.
- Achieve measurable improvements in Reef health and resilience.
- Clearly describe the on-ground activities proposed at each project site.
- Explain how those activities address threats associated with climate change, coastal development, land-based runoff and direct use identified in the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2024.
- Demonstrate meaningful engagement and consultation with communities.
- Demonstrate meaningful engagement and consultation with all Traditional Owners asserting rights and interests in the project area.
- Explain how appropriate cultural protocols will be respected.
- Explain how community and Traditional Owner advice will inform project design and implementation.
- Support claims with the required evidence of Traditional Owner identification, due diligence and engagement.
Criterion 2: Technical Understanding – 20%
Applicants must:
- Explain the evidence used to strategically select project locations within Great Barrier Reef Catchments and/or the Great Barrier Reef Coastal Marine Park.
- Demonstrate how locations have been selected to target key species and habitats for maximum impact.
- Provide a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
- Include relevant baseline data in the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
- Identify stewardship activities.
- Establish measures and indicators of success.
- Set targets linked to the program objectives and outcomes.
- Demonstrate how the Reef Stewardship Monitoring Toolkit will be used to measure and monitor stewardship.
- Explain how monitoring data will be collected and used throughout the project.
Criterion 3: Capacity, capability and resources to deliver the project – 40%
Applicants must demonstrate:
- A successful track record managing similar projects.
- Access to personnel with appropriate skills and experience.
- Details of all necessary permits and approvals already obtained.
- Where approvals have not yet been obtained, the process for securing them and their current status.
- Strategies to mitigate potential delays in securing permits and approvals.
- Contingency arrangements should required permits or approvals be refused.
- A clear approach to project delivery.
- Appropriate project logic and methodology.
- Effective governance arrangements.
- Adaptive management approaches.
- Risk identification, management and mitigation.
- Appropriate insurance arrangements.
- Sound budget and administrative processes.
- How project partners and community stakeholders will be leveraged to sustain outcomes.
- How stewardship activities, site monitoring and maintenance will continue beyond the grant period.
Applications will also be competitively compared against other eligible applications and considered for value with relevant money, including the quality and fit of the proposal, financial and non-financial costs and benefits, and the applicant’s relevant experience and performance history.
How do I get the Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program?
To put forward a competitive application, applicants should demonstrate:
- Strong alignment between the proposed project and the Reef 2050 Plan and at least one Reef Trust Outcome.
- Clear and measurable environmental benefits for key Reef species and habitats.
- A substantial program of practical on-ground activity, with at least 50% of the project budget allocated to on-ground works.
- A clear understanding of the specific threats affecting the proposed project sites and how activities will address them.
- Evidence-based selection of locations, species and habitats to maximise impact.
- Meaningful and documented engagement with all relevant Traditional Owners and local communities.
- Respect for cultural protocols and evidence that Traditional Owner advice has informed project design.
- A strong community stewardship network involving appropriate communities, partners and stakeholders.
- A robust Monitoring and Evaluation Framework with baseline data, measurable targets and indicators.
- Effective use of the Reef Stewardship Monitoring Toolkit.
- A proven track record delivering projects of a similar scale and complexity.
- Access to appropriately skilled and experienced personnel.
- Clear project governance, methodology, project logic, risk management and administrative arrangements.
- A realistic and well-supported project budget demonstrating value for money.
- Appropriate planning for permits, approvals, insurance and project risks.
- Strong partnerships capable of supporting delivery and sustaining outcomes beyond the funding period.
- A credible plan for ongoing stewardship, monitoring and maintenance after the grant concludes.
- All required evidence and mandatory attachments in the required format.
Information to prepare for the Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program application
Applicants should prepare:
- Applicant legal entity and ABN information.
- Authorised contact details.
- Organisation and governance information.
- A short project title.
- A plain-English project description.
- Proposed project service areas.
- Detailed addresses or location information for on-ground activity sites.
- Proposed project start and end dates.
- Details of project partners and consortium arrangements, where applicable.
- Requested grant funding by financial year.
- Bank account details and bank verification documentation.
- Responses to all three assessment criteria.
- Evidence of due diligence in identifying all relevant Traditional Owner groups.
- Evidence of engagement with all relevant Traditional Owner groups.
- A Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, with a maximum of 20 pages.
- A detailed project plan incorporating project logic and risk management and mitigation, with a maximum of 50 pages.
- A detailed project budget using the mandatory template.
- Consolidated letters of support from project partners, where applicable.
- Consolidated letters of support from all consortium members, where applicable.
- The Trust deed and subsequent variations where applying as a Trustee on behalf of a Trust.
The sample application form confirms that failure to provide the required Traditional Owner evidence, Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, mandatory project budget or detailed project plan can result in the application being deemed ineligible.
Applying for the Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program
Applications are submitted online through GrantConnect, with the application lodged to the Community Grants Hub.
Register your interest with GrantHelper to explore your alignment with this grant and how we can assist you to increase your chances of success.
Protecting the Great Barrier Reef – Community Stewardship Program resources
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