Indian-Australian community organisations, cultural collaborators and businesses with an idea that builds links with India have a new funding opportunity. Applications have opened for the 2026–27 Maitri Grant Program, with individual grants ranging from $75,000 to $800,000 under the current round’s guidelines.
The opportunity is about more than celebrating a shared heritage. It supports projects that turn Australia–India connections into lasting cultural, economic and public benefits. For Indian Australians who already work across both countries, the practical question is whether an existing network can become a well-planned, eligible project.
What has been announced?
Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on 6 November 2026 that applications were open for the Maitri Grants and Fellowships programs. Both rounds opened on 5 November and are administered by the Centre for Australia-India Relations.
According to the minister’s announcement, the Maitri programs have supported more than 110 projects since the Centre’s establishment in 2023. The new round continues that work across business, culture, education, research and sport.
For the main grant opportunity, the November 2026 guidelines provide for up to $7 million to be paid in the 2026–27 financial year, supporting activities running over as long as three years. The guidelines anticipate most individual grants will fall between $150,000 and $500,000, although the permitted range is wider.
Funding is competitive, not an entitlement for every eligible applicant.
Which projects could fit?
The program seeks initiatives that strengthen the bilateral relationship and support Australia’s economic engagement with India. Published priorities include:
- Business collaboration: clean energy, education and skills, agribusiness, tourism and two-way investment.
- Market knowledge: helping businesses, including small and medium enterprises and First Nations businesses, understand opportunities in India.
- Cultural connections: high-impact exchanges, performances, exhibitions and institutional partnerships that deepen Australians’ understanding of India.
- Sport and policy: collaboration that builds economic engagement or contributes useful ideas about the Australia–India relationship.
- Diaspora engagement: drawing on Indian-Australian knowledge and networks to strengthen connections between the countries.
For example, a proposed cultural exchange with an Indian partner or an industry knowledge-sharing workshop might be worth exploring against the criteria. These are possible project directions, not confirmation that a particular proposal will qualify.
A local celebration needs a clear connection to the program’s objectives; being an Indian community event alone does not establish eligibility.
Check eligibility before investing time
The current 2026–27 guidelines should be your starting point, rather than funding figures or eligibility summaries from a previous round.
Section 4 lists requirements including an Australian Business Number, GST registration, an account with an Australian financial institution and an Australian location. It also specifies Australian citizenship or permanent residence and the eligible applicant types, which include incorporated associations, registered charities, companies and other listed entities.
Because requirements must be applied to the particular applicant structure, organisations should ask the Centre if anything is unclear before preparing a full submission. Do not assume that an informal group, an overseas organisation or an individual on a temporary visa can apply on the same basis as an eligible Australian applicant.
Groups can make a joint application, but the lead organisation must meet the eligibility requirements and take responsibility for the application and grant agreement.
What the grant will not pay for
This is project funding, not a general operating subsidy or a business-expansion fund.
The guidelines exclude costs such as ongoing salaries, routine rent and administration, equipment purchases, construction, retrospective expenditure and preparing the application itself. They also exclude start-up seeding, business expansion and activities providing a direct commercial advantage to the applicant, such as promoting its own business.
Some project-specific labour, venue hire, travel and production costs can be eligible. Build the budget around section 5 of the guidelines, not assumptions about what another grant previously covered. Do not begin grant activities before a grant agreement is executed.
How to prepare a stronger application
Start with the outcome, then the activity
Explain what will change because of the project: who benefits, what they gain, how success will be measured and which relationships will continue after funding ends.
The assessment criteria cover alignment with the program’s objectives, delivery capability, sustainable impact and innovation. A familiar activity needs a convincing explanation of what is different and why public funding is justified.
Prepare the evidence early
Before submitting through SmartyGrants:
- Confirm the lead applicant’s eligibility and partner responsibilities.
- Prepare a project management plan, including risk management, communications and an indicative budget with expenditure timing.
- Obtain the required organisational approvals, referee support and partner letters.
- Check each assessment question and attachment requirement in the current form.
- Save a copy and submit before the closing time.
The grant deadline is 5pm AEDT on Monday 14 December 2026. Use the stated time zone when planning your submission; it is not 5pm local time everywhere in Australia.
A separate opportunity for policy research
The Maitri Fellowships round closes later, at 5pm AEDT on 15 February 2027. It supports Australian organisations engaging fellows on geostrategic or geoeconomic policy issues, including inward, outward and two-way research exchanges.
Individuals cannot apply directly for that fellowship grant. Researchers should review the fellowship-specific guidelines with a suitable Australian organisation rather than confuse it with the main project grants.
Your next step
Read the Maitri Grants program page, download the 2026–27 grant guidelines and check the official application portal. Direct eligibility questions to maitrigrants@dfat.gov.au.
For the Indian community in Australia, this is a timely opportunity to turn cross-border connections into a credible public-benefit project—not simply a larger event budget.
Sources: Foreign Minister’s announcement, 6 November 2026; Centre for Australia-India Relations: Maitri Fellowships.