Great Ydeas Small Grants Program
Applications now open!
Applications are now open for the 2021 YWCA Canberra Great Ydeas Small Grants. This year, we have a total of $16,000 in general and specialised grants available.
Find out what Great Ydeas is all about, what you can apply for, and how to submit your application below.
No idea is too small: if you think it’s a worthy project, why not apply?
Still not sure? Join our online information session on 4 March to find out more and ask questions of previous recipients.
About Great Ydeas
YWCA Canberra’s Great Ydeas Small Grants Program provides grants up to $2500 to support women and girls in the ACT, including female-identifying people, and non-binary people, to pursue their passions and improve our community.
The program was launched in 2010 in celebration of our 80th anniversary. Since then, Great Ydeas grants have helped more than 60 local women and girls to progress projects including establishing a podcast, launching a public awareness campaign, running empowering programs for girls, attending a conference and launching a social enterprise.
Priority is given to projects that empower women in our local community, and that have the potential to grow beyond the initial funding provided.
For those new to applying for grants, we have developed a helpful toolkit to navigate the grant application process.
If you have any questions, get in touch at caf.team@ywca-canberra.org.au. You can also review our frequently asked questions page and find out about past recipients.
Funding available
There are four types of grants available:
- YWCA Canberra’s Great Ydeas Grants general pool ($10,000 available for grants of up to $2500 each)
- Canberra Innovation Network Great Ydeas Innovation Grant ($2000)
- Beyond Bank Great Ydeas Community Grant ($2000).
- Sustineo Great Ydeas Empowerment Grant ($2000).
To be eligible for the grants:
- You must be a member of YWCA Canberra. Please check you’re a member first by emailing the Communication, Advocacy and Engagement team.
- You must be a women or girl, including female-identifying people, or a non-binary person.
- Your grant project/opportunity must take place after 30 April 2021 and be completed by 30 June 2022.
- You must fill in the entire application form.
- Your application must be received by 11:55 pm on Wednesday 31 March 2021.
- You must live in Canberra or the immediate surrounding region.
Note: when you apply for a grant, you will have the option to receive an email receipt of your submission. We highly recommend you choose this option. If you have asked for an email receipt and don’t receive it, please email caf.team@ywca-canberra.org.au as soon as possible.
Great Ydeas: General grants
YWCA Canberra offers grants of up to $2500 each to support women’s empowerment and leadership. These grants are available to girls and women of any age to help fund a start-up, new project, professional development, or more.
Apply for a YWCA Canberra Great Ydeas Grant.
Beyond Bank Great Ydeas Community Grant
The Beyond Bank Great Ydeas Community Grant provides a grant of $2000 to a girl or woman of any age to pursue a project relevant to, or connected to, contributing to your local community.
Apply for a Beyond Bank Great Ydeas Community Grant.
Canberra Innovation Network Great Ydeas Innovate Grant
The Canberra Innovation Great Ydeas Innovate Grant provides a grant of $2000 to a girl or woman of any age to pursue an entrepreneurial activity, such as a social enterprise start-up, or other small business idea.
Apply for a Canberra Innovation Network Great Ydeas Innovate Grant.
Sustineo Great Ydeas Empowerment Grant
The Sustineo Great Ydeas Empowerment Grant provides a grant of $2000 to support a project or professional development opportunity that focuses on activities that build skills and capacities in a community, or the skills and capacity of the recipient, to achieve their collective or individual goals.
For example, you might apply to fund the launch of a community activity that empowers young women through learning a new skill, bring together women and girls from diverse communities to address a particular social, educational or health issue, or for a training opportunity that will enable and empower you to pursue your chosen career.
In addition to the above eligibility requirements:
- Your project must be relevant, or connected to either community or individual skills and capacity building.
- We encourage applications from those of diverse cultural backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Canberra-based community members with origins from across the Pacific Islands region.