Gift of the G.A.B. - March 2025

Gift of the G.A.B. – March 2025

(Grants Admin Bulletin)

Grants Administration Manual (GAM) Update Project  

Reminder:  Share Your Feedback on the GAM – Slido Poll Closes 31 March!

There’s still time to have your say! The Slido poll on the GAM is open until 31 March, and we want to hear from you. Your feedback is invaluable in shaping future improvements and ensuring the GAM meets your needs. If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts. 

Access the poll here:   GAM Usage and Awareness Slido survey      

Thank you for your input—it makes a difference!

Lauren Gray and Maryanne Fazekas: GAMFeedback@niaa.gov.au

Grant Facts: Did You Know?

This section provides an opportunity to highlight important or little-known grant-related facts or points of interest that should be front of mind for administrators.  

Q. What is a constitutional and legislative risk assessment, and do I need one?  

A. See below; and yes, you do!

Like other Commonwealth agencies, the NIAA must have constitutional and legislative authority for the money it spends. 

• The IAS generally draws its constitutional authority from Section 51(xxvi) of the Constitution (the races power) as IAS grants are administered for the benefit of First Nations peoples. 
• Legislated authority is drawn from Items 35 to 39 of Part 4 of Schedule 1AB of the Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Regulations 1997 which sets out the 6 programs under the IAS³.  

Program areas must request a Constitutional and Legislative Assessment (CLA) (formerly called a Constitutional Risk Assessment) from the Australian Government Solicitor (AGS) to determine the level of Constitutional and Legislative risk for any new grant program. The assessment is generally undertaken as part of the NPP process. If the grant program/opportunity is not a part of an NPP, program areas will need to request a CLA from the AGS during the Grant Design Phase. The Department of Finance will require a copy of the CLA when reviewing a GOG.  If there is a pre-existing CLA, it must be less than five years old to be considered current by the Department of Finance.

More information: Contact the Grants Front Door for general queries. Contact Legal Services Branch - CommercialLaw@niaa.gov.au to request a Constitutional and Legislative Assessment from the AGS. 

Link to Grant Design FAQs here: Grant Design FAQs

FUSION Reminder

All FUSION Resources are available on the Grants Front Door.  
FUSION – Frequently Asked Questions  
FUSION – Module Task Cards  
FUSION – Decision to Execution Resources and Task Cards  
FUSION – Release Notes  

Upcoming Grant Opportunities with other agencies

Attention Regional and Program staff:

Each month we will promote any new GOGs released (including by other agencies) and published on Grant Connect that may be relevant to your stakeholders. 

Registering on Grant Connect is easy ? 

This month there are four new Grant Opportunities, see details below: 

GO ID: GO7581

Indigenous Repatriation Program – Museum Grants 2025-26

Current Grant Opportunity View - GO7581: GrantConnect

Agency: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts

Publish Date: 3-Mar-2025

Close Date & Time: 30-May-2025 11:00 pm (ACT Local Time) 

Location: ACT, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, QLD, NT, TAS

Selection Process: Targeted or Restricted Competitive

Indigenous Repatriation Program – Museum Grants 2025-26 aims to:

• Identify the origin of Indigenous Australian ancestral remains and secret sacred objects held in the eight funded museums' collections
• Empower Indigenous Australian communities to be involved in the repatriation of their ancestral remains and secret sacred objects
• Repatriate Indigenous Australian ancestral remains and secret sacred objects to their community of origin

GO ID: GO5900

Local Investments Funding Grant Opportunity

Current Grant Opportunity View - GO5900: GrantConnect

Agency: National Indigenous Australians Agency

Publish Date: 28-Nov-2022               

Close Date & Time: 30-Jun-2025 12:00 pm (ACT Local Time)

Location: ACT, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, QLD, NT, TAS

Selection Process: Closed Non-Competitive

The Local Investments Funding Grant Opportunity enables strategic and rapid response to address local issues to benefit First Nations people and facilitate improved community and government engagement.  The objective of a Local Investments Funding grant is to deliver outcomes, aligned to community needs government priorities and Closing the Gap targets by providing funding of no more than $125,000 (GST exclusive) for:

• generally small scale, short-term, one-off proposals to address immediate local need and which have community support;
• a variety of activities, ranging from small scale infrastructure and cultural activities, through to a co-contribution to larger projects; and
• activities that leverage other government funding and may include co-contributions for larger projects with other governments, local councils or organisations.

GO ID: GO6636           

Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program, Closed Non-Competitive Grant round 2024-25

Current Grant Opportunity View - GO6636: GrantConnect

Agency: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts

Publish Date: 4-Dec-2023   

Close Date & Time: 30-Jun-2025 11:30 pm (ACT Local Time)
Location: ACT, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, QLD, NT, TAS

Selection Process: Closed Non-Competitive

Funding will be provided to organisations for activities that best contribute to delivery of the following Program outcomes:   

1. a professional, viable and ethical Indigenous visual arts industry that features strong participation and provides economic opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
2. the continued production, exhibition, critique, purchase and collection of Indigenous visual art.

GO ID: GO4966

Performance of representative body functions

Current Grant Opportunity View - GO4966: GrantConnect

Agency: National Indigenous Australians Agency

Publish Date: 22-Jul-2021   

Close Date & Time: 30-Jun-2026 11:30 pm (ACT Local Time)

Location: ACT, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, QLD, NT, TAS

Selection Process: Closed Non-Competitive

Description: The Native Title Act 1993 (the Act) provides for the Australian Government, through the National Indigenous Australians Agency, to fund entities to perform the ‘representative body’ functions listed in section 203B of the Act. These functions include assisting native title claimants and holders to progress native title claims, negotiate native title agreements and resolve native title disputes. 

This grant opportunity will continue the delivery of these services by funding selected entities to perform these functions.