Maker Projects Community STEM Engagement Grants

Maker Projects Community STEM Engagement Grants

Supports community-led not-for-profit groups that deliver hands-on STEM activities for youth through collaboration with partner organisations.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Maker Projects Community STEM Engagement Grants 2026 is an Australian Government grant program administered through the DISR Business Grants Hub at business.gov.au, designed to foster creativity and inquiry-based STEM learning for students and young people under 18 through hands-on, community-delivered educational activities. The 2026 round was open with a closing date of 17 June 2026. Grants range from $20,000 to $100,000, and applicants must contribute at least 20% of eligible project expenditure from their own resources, with a minimum project expenditure threshold of $25,000. Projects must complete by 30 June 2028.

This program is exclusively open to not-for-profit entities: eligible applicants include incorporated non-profits, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporations, incorporated associations, publicly funded research organisations, and VET providers. For-profit companies, individuals, sole traders, and government bodies are ineligible. Applicants must operate through a collaborative partnership with at least one established partner organisation. Labour costs are capped at 30% of total project costs and domestic travel at 20%. The program particularly targets projects benefiting underrepresented groups including women and girls, First Nations peoples, youth in regional and remote areas, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disabilities, and youth from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

The three assessment criteria weight reach and impact most heavily at 50 points, followed by impact of grant funding at 30 points, and organisational capacity at 20 points. A minimum of 50% on each criterion is required. Applicants maximise competitiveness by demonstrating broad geographic or demographic reach, a robust collaborative partnership structure, and evidence that STEM content will be delivered by qualified scientific or engineering experts. Programs that explicitly serve multiple target equity groups and document measurable learning outcomes are best positioned.