Vanuatu Australia Community Grants Program

They strongly encourage applications for projects that would benefit disadvantaged groups including women, youths, those with disabilities, and those from isolated communities.

Key Streams

• This year, they welcome applications under two key streams:
  • The Community Infrastructure stream will primarily support small-scale community projects that seek to achieve practical and tangible outcomes of high development impact for communities. They welcome applications in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector (including innovative solutions such as solar water panels and composting toilet designs), along with high impact community infrastructure such as school or community playgrounds, market houses, cooperatives, solar lighting (including in schools and market houses), climate change mitigation infrastructure and sports facilities. They also welcome applications for items such as cement, for retrofitting existing community buildings to make them more accessible. They will prioritise projects which support disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, women and children.
  • The Decentralisation Fund stream facilitates the procurement of high-quality equipment appropriate for community use for preparing for, and responding to, natural disasters. This could include community-owned gardening, land clearing, basic building and repair, food storage, food preservation and storage related items. Applicants would need to demonstrate how the tools will benefit the community, and how the assets will be maintained. They also fund sporting equipment and uniforms.

Funding Information

• The Australian High Commission funds projects up to VUV4.7 million.
• Applicants may apply for projects that take up to one year to complete.

Eligible Projects

• They will favourably consider projects that:
  • are located in disadvantaged rural areas
  • support communities to become self-reliant
  • have a significant local contribution, for example labour, materials, freight or additional financial contributions made by the community

Ineligible Costs

• They will generally NOT fund the following:
  • commercial ventures (except if profit generated flows to the community rather than an individual or family)
  • trucks and other vehicles
  • boats and outboard motor engines
  • spare parts or maintenance and repairs
  • wages for project workers
  • travel (domestic or international)
  • office rental costs, telephones or any routine or recurring running costs
  • school/course fees
  • government offices (including provincial governments)
  • promotional events

Eligibility Criteria

• Communities, individuals, local registered NGOs, academic institutions or other organisations engaged in development activities in Vanuatu. Projects should preferably originate from communities. It is important that communities demonstrate their support of the project, and should ideally be involved in its design, development and implementation. Funding is not available to any projects where there is government involvement, including provincial governments.

For more information, visit Australian High Commission.