Our Grants

Our approach

The Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, and extends this acknowledgement to all Traditional Custodians of nations where we fund organisations and activities. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and to the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Foundation has a current focus on young people, especially in rural and regional New South Wales and Queensland. We see our role as backing young people with innovative opportunities that advance their independence, social purpose and future security. We fund work that supports 12-30 year olds across four focus areas: Decent Work, Caring for the Environment, Contributing to Society and Exploring Christian Faith and Values. VFFF believes that all young people in Australia should have access to opportunities that support them to thrive and flourish in life and community.

Grants to individuals

Applications are open for the NSW round of Backing the Future!

Please visit our Backing the Future grants page to find out more information.

What is a Backing the Future grant?

Backing the Future awards $50,000 grants to 20 individuals* or groups of individuals** whose work supports rural and regional young people aged 12-30 to:

Access Decent Work
Care for the Environment
Contribute to Society; or
Explore Christian Faith and Values.

Backing the Future is delivered in partnership with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR).

Each year, VFFF and FRRR will open applications for both a NSW and QLD round. 10 grants will be allocated per funding round.

We are eager to support early-stage work that might not otherwise be eligible for philanthropic funding. For this reason, Backing the Future does not accept applications from registered charities or organisations.

Other exclusions include: individuals seeking support for scholarships, public fundraising appeals, disaster appeals, political projects, litigation and/or political lobby groups.

*Applicants must be aged 18 or older.

** Groups of individuals will need to nominate one primary applicant to undergo the selection process and lead the project.

How do I apply?

Applicants should read through the information located on the Backing the Future grants page prior to starting their application. This page includes:

Key application dates
How to apply and who assesses these grants
Case studies on past recipients
Frequently Asked Questions.

Grants to organisations

VFFF provides grants to organisations to strengthen capacity, facilitate innovation and support program delivery and enable partners to operate more effectively beyond the conclusion of the grant. We especially aim to support organisations through critical times of transition or development.

These grants are made across VFFF’s four focus areas by invitation only. The VFFF team proactively seeks granting opportunities aligned to the funding outcomes in each focus area and initiates discussions with aligned organisations.

Each year, our aim is that at least 60% of our granting supports young people in rural and regional areas.

VFFF looks to:

Back new ways of thinking and working, supporting organisations that are forward-looking and ready to take ambitious steps to bring their ideas to fruition
Strengthen organisations we believe in by funding core operations
Support evidence-based approaches to create change and evaluation of impact
Direct funds towards organisations that demonstrate clear evidence of demand from the young people they seek to support
Support young people to shape what they want for their future
Connect young people with others who have similar goals and support collaborative work.

Grants to organisations must be aligned with one or more of VFFF's four focus areas: Decent Work, Contributing to Society, Exploring Christian Faith and Values and/or Caring for the Environment.

Types of grants to organisations

These grants are made across VFFF’s four focus areas by invitation only. The VFFF team proactively seeks granting opportunities aligned to the funding outcomes in each focus area and initiates discussions with aligned organisations.

→ Exploration grants are one-off grants of between $25,000 and $75,000 to enable organisations to undertake a discrete piece of work that has the potential to significantly contribute to their impact by progressing thinking on an opportunity or challenge they face. This type of grant enables VFFF to respond to the funding needs of organisations in a timely way. Please note receiving an Exploration Grant is not a guarantee of consideration by VFFF for a further grant proposal. Examples may include (but are not limited to) undertaking an organisational review; designing a new way of working; exploring the feasibility of geographic expansion; exploring the potential market and operating model for a new social enterprise.

→ Multi-year grants are designed to respond to the needs of organisations whether that be by strengthening organisational capacity and core operations*, facilitating innovation or supporting program delivery.

→ Strategic partnerships are large, multi-year partnerships established with organisations to deepen the impact of our grant making strategy. We see these grants as a two-way partnership working alongside an expert organisation to deliver the work and leverage our collective knowledge, networks and learnings. Current VFFF strategic partnerships are with:

Australian Schools Plus – Fair Education Program (2016-2024; $11.5M)
Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) – Investing in Rural Community Futures Program (2018-2024; $5M)
UNSW Centre for Social Impact – Social Impact Leadership Australia Program (2020-2026; $3.1M)
Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL) – National Youth Employment Body and Youth Employment Policy Reform (2023-2026: $2.6M)

*The majority of VFFF grants are core operations and capacity building. These grants fund organisational costs at the discretion of the organisation. This may include salaries and overheads that maintain the everyday operation of an organisation and/or investing in core processes such as strategic or business planning, board development and governance, measurement and evaluation, leadership development, fundraising, IT and other infrastructure.

VFFF does not provide funding for: Scholarships, public fundraising appeals, endowment funds established to provide a corpus for institutions, disaster appeals, political projects, litigation and/or political lobby groups or individual churches.