Grants of $100,000 or more per year supporting environmental conservation work taking place within Australia and across multiple areas including land, freshwater, marine, and coastal.
On this page you will find
What is the Environment Grants (EG)?
The Ian Potter Foundation’s Environment Grants support ambitious, transformative, and applied conservation initiatives that strengthen Australia’s natural ecosystems.
These multi-year grants focus on protecting and restoring biodiversity, building climate resilience, and supporting innovative environmental solutions across terrestrial, freshwater, marine and coastal environments.
The program particularly seeks projects that address urgent environmental issues such as climate change, land degradation, invasive species, and biodiversity loss.
The Environment Program uses a two-stage process:
Stage 1 – Expression of Interest (EOI)
- Submit online during the open round.
- EOIs are reviewed; applicants may be contacted for clarification.
Stage 2 – Full Application (Invitation Only)
- If shortlisted, applicants prepare a full application using the online GivingData portal.
- Supporting documentation and the detailed budget template are required.
- Final decisions are made by the Board of Governors.
Environment Grants level of support
Grants:
- The Foundation generally considers large grants of $100,000 or more per year, and most grants are multi-year. This is the recommended minimum level for institutions and organisations; however, smaller organisations may be considered for smaller amounts delivered over multiple years.
Co-contribution:
- The Foundation rarely funds 100% of any project. Applicants should demonstrate other confirmed or potential sources of funding and clearly outline how the project will be financially supported beyond the Foundation’s contribution.
- Co-contribution is not mandatory, but co-funding is strongly encouraged and expected for most organisations seeking large-scale support.
Environment Grants important dates
- Expressions of Interest (EOI) Close: Thursday 11 December 2025, 5pm AEDT
- Full Applications (by invitation only) Close: Thursday 26 March 2026, 5pm AEDT
- Grant Announcements: Late June 2026
- Register your interest with GrantHelper
Environment Grants objectives
The Environment Grants aim to support projects that:
- Address significant, national-scale environmental challenges such as land degradation, climate change, invasive species and biodiversity loss.
- Deliver forward-looking, adaptive and innovative approaches to landscape and ecosystem resilience.
- Strengthen ecological connectivity, improve ecosystem health, and protect high biodiversity value areas.
- Incorporate First Nations engagement, integrating Indigenous knowledge and leadership where appropriate.
- Use strong scientific evidence and bring together expert partnerships.
- Demonstrate potential for replication, scaling, or broad sector application.
- Leverage additional resources and support wider policy or systems improvement.
Projects and expenditure eligible for Environment Grants support
The Foundation will prioritise projects:
- that are forward-looking, adaptive and prioritise landscape and ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change.
- that work at a landscape/ecosystem scale, with a focus on connectivity to ensure ecosystem functionality.
- that focus on places of High Biodiversity Value, rare or threatened ecosystems, or those with high concentrations of threatened species.
- that engage strongly with communities and/or utilise citizen science to maximise community participation, voice and agency.
- that ensure First Nations engagement is best practice, and Indigenous knowledge is sought and incorporated as appropriate.
- have a strong, scientific evidence base and partnerships with appropriate experts.
- that can be scaled and replicated or adapted for broad application.
- that can leverage further resources, influence policy improvements, or assist governments to meet Australia’s international climate or nature obligations.
The Foundation does not fund:
Specific Exclusions
- Pure research in the Environment stream.
- School education or engagement programs.
- Projects or research relating to renewable energies, sustainable materials or capital works.
General Exclusions
Projects will not be considered if they involve:
- Recurrent expenditure with no future provision.
- Capital or endowment funds.
- Research for undergraduate, masters or doctoral programs.
- Auspicing – the applying organisation must directly run the project.
- Public charitable purposes outside Australia.
- Applications previously declined by the Foundation.
- Organisations with uncleared or unacquitted previous IPF grants.
- Existing projects already underway or commenced before the indicated date.
Other Environment Grants important details that you will need to know
Organisations eligible for Environment Grants support
Eligible organisations must:
- Be Australian charitable organisations with the appropriate Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Item 1 status and Tax Concession Charity (TCC) status.
- Be the organisation directly running the project (auspicing is not allowed).
- Demonstrate governance structures, financial stability, and project delivery capability.
University applicants must contact their Advancement/Research Office before submitting an EOI or application.
See the guidelines for full details of organisational requirements.
Environment Grants assessment criteria
The guidelines do not provide weightings; however, based on the Foundation’s program priorities, applications are assessed on the extent to which the project:
1. Aligns with Environmental Priorities
- Addresses urgent issues such as biodiversity loss, climate change, invasive species, water resource pressures, or land degradation.
- Targets high biodiversity value ecosystems or threatened species.
2. Demonstrates Strong Project Design
- Shows robust planning, clarity of purpose and achievable outcomes.
- Has a clear monitoring, evaluation and learning approach.
- Demonstrates scientific credibility backed by evidence and/or expert input.
3. Builds Partnerships & Engagement
- Includes strong collaboration with community groups, researchers, landholders, First Nations organisations and/or government agencies.
- Incorporates co-design, shared learning and cross-sector knowledge transfer.
4. Demonstrates Scalability or Broader Influence
- Shows potential for replication, adaptation or expansion.
- Contributes to broader sector innovation, policy improvement or industry practice shifts.
5. Shows Organisational Capability & Readiness
- Demonstrates financial capacity, stable governance and project management capability.
- Shows a realistic and credible approach to co-funding.
6. Embeds First Nations Engagement & Knowledge
- Applies best-practice First Nations inclusion.
- Incorporates Indigenous Knowledge where appropriate.
How do I get the Environment Grants?
Applicants must:
- Read and understand the guidelines.
- Ensure eligibility for the funding. Applicants that do not meet all the eligibility criteria will not be considered.
- Deliver the project/s as outlined in the application.
- Provide complete information requirements.
To be competitive, applicants should demonstrate:
- A clear, evidence-based understanding of the environmental issue being addressed.
- Strong alignment with the Environment Program objectives and priorities.
- A project design grounded in science, research, and expert guidance.
- Meaningful First Nations engagement that reflects best practice.
- Genuine collaboration with partners who add expertise and value.
- A scalable or replicable project model that benefits the broader sector.
- Realistic budgets that show co-funding or resource leveraging.
- Clear outcomes, impact pathways and measurable benefits to ecosystems.
Information to prepare for the Environment Grants application
Applicants should prepare the following before submitting an EOI:
- Project overview and outcomes summary.
- Detailed budget with co-funding sources (secured and unconfirmed).
- Evidence base, research references, and expert endorsements.
- Details of partners and their roles.
- Plans for monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
- Confirmation of DGR Item 1 and TCC status.
- First Nations engagement plan (where appropriate).
See the guidelines for full details of information requirements.
Applying for the Environment Grants
All applications must be submitted through the GivingData portal.
Register your interest with GrantHelper to explore your alignment with this grant and how we can assist you to increase your chances of success.
Environment Grants resources
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