Future Ready 2027-28 program

Eligibility overview

To be eligible to apply for funding through Future Ready:

• an eligible organisation must submit your application. Refer to Organisation eligibility for more details
• your application must adhere to the:
  • partnership arrangements
  • application limits as outlined in the guidelines.
• you must be seeking funding for Organisation eligibility
• you must submit your application by 1:00 pm on 26 June 2026
• your organisation must have no overdue reports from previous or current grants funded via the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
• you must include the mandatory attachments.

Organisation eligibility

Funding is available to organisations based in Victoria.

To be eligible to apply for a grant, your organisation must have a current Australian Business Number (ABN) and be either:

• a registered Victorian government secondary school, or
• a not-for-profit organisation incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 and registered as a not-for-profit through the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, or
• an Aboriginal entity that is incorporated including:
  • Aboriginal not-for-profit organisations
  • Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs)
  • Traditional Owner groups and land trusts, or
• a social enterprise that is an incorporated entity with a clear purpose or mission related to engaging and empowering young people. Social enterprises must attach their constitution with their application and include any other relevant documentation, such as B corp certification.

Social enterprises:

• have an economic, social, cultural or environmental mission consistent with a public or community benefit specifically for young people
• get most of their income from trade
• reinvest most of their profit and surplus in fulfilling their mission (at least 50%).

How to check your Australian Business Number (ABN)

To check your ABN see Australian Business Register (ABR).

How to check your organisation type

For incorporated associations, co-operatives or organisations incorporated through other means, see Consumer Affairs Victoria.

For a Company Limited by Guarantee, see ASIC Connect Online.

For registered charities, see Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) .

For Aboriginal corporations, see Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) .

To check if your organisation is up to date on reporting requirements, please view your current grants in the DFFH Grants Gateway.

Any report which is showing as red is overdue. You must complete the reports before you submit your application to this grant program to avoid disappointment.

Or, email futureready@dffh.vic.gov.au to check whether your organisation is up to date with grant reporting requirements.

Organisations that do not meet these criteria are not eligible to apply for funding. But they might consider partnering with an eligible organisation under an auspice arrangement. Refer to the Auspice arrangements section for more details.

Entities that are not eligible

Entities that are not eligible are:

• government departments and agencies
• local government authorities
• individuals and sole traders
• private (for profit) companies
• non-government schools
• Victorian government primary schools
• charitable trusts.

Unincorporated associations and community organisations with no ABN are not eligible. But they can apply using an auspice.

Auspice arrangements

Under Future Ready, we allow auspice arrangements.

If your organisation is not incorporated or does not have an ABN, you may consider partnering with another organisation that meets these eligibility criteria who will accept legal responsibility for the grant. This is known as an auspice arrangement. If the application is successful, your organisation delivers the activity. But the auspice organisation handles:

• signing the grant funding agreement with the department
• ensuring the legal and financial requirements of the grant and funding agreement are met
• receiving and distributing grant funds under the funding agreement
• ensuring completion of all project activities
• submitting reports and financial acquittals on behalf of your organisation.

If you want to propose an auspice arrangement the application must include:

• a letter of support from the auspice organisation
• a memorandum of understanding outlining roles and responsibilities between the 2 organisations.
• For more information on auspice arrangements, see the DFFH Grants Gateway.

Partnership arrangements

To apply for Future Ready funding, not-for-profit organisations, Aboriginal entities and social enterprises must partner with one or more Victorian government secondary schools.

Victorian government secondary schools may choose to apply on their own or in partnership with an eligible organisation or school.

Partnership applications should:

• show strong value for money
• have broad benefit (reach a large number of students)
• aim to achieve common goals and outcomes for all parties involved.

For example, schools and organisations within the same or neighbouring regions may choose to collaborate to coordinate Future Ready delivery and share resources.

One organisation or school within the partnership will need to:

• identify as the lead applicant
• submit the application on behalf of the partnership
• nominate the primary contact person coordinating the partnership and application.

You must include a letter of support from each partner school as part of the application. This is to confirm their commitment to the project. It is a mandatory attachment and forms part of the eligibility requirements.

Applications that list primary schools or non-government schools as partners are ineligible.

Application limits

All eligible applicants, including Victorian government schools and organisations, may submit only one application per funding round.

Because applications can include partner schools, both schools and organisations should have processes in place to:

• avoid duplication
• ensure each Victorian government secondary school is included in only one application per round.

Please note:

• Victorian government secondary schools – if a school submits its own application, it cannot be listed as a partner school on another application.
• Eligible organisations – when including partner schools in their application, they must ensure each school is not submitting its own application or is listed as a partner on another application.
  

Eligible activities and costs

Eligible activities and costs may include:

• all activities that address the program priorities and costs in direct association with:
  • delivering associated objectives
  • supporting students to take part.
• activities that complement and add value to existing school-based curriculum programs, frameworks and policies rather than duplicating existing initiatives or outcomes
• a reasonable amount of funding (based on your project’s scale) may be allocated for project coordination and staffing costs including:
  • ongoing staff or short-term staffing costs directly related to the activity
  • relevant training and development activities to enhance the skills, knowledge and safety of young people and volunteers in the program.
• reasonable transport costs to support participants, staff and volunteers to get to and from program activities. Covering transport costs for students is highly encouraged, particularly for students in rural and regional areas where these costs can be a barrier to taking part
• initiatives that support students in:
  • higher education
  • employment pathways.
• inclusive social or cultural events or opportunities for creative learning if they align with the program priorities like:
  • art
  • music.

Organisations not registered for GST can use grant funds to cover the cost of GST from goods and services purchased with the department’s grant funds.

For more information, including what this means for your grant application, see the DFFH Grants Gateway.

Ineligible activities and costs

Activities or costs that will not get funding include:

• activities outside of Victoria
• activities that are already funded through another local, state or Commonwealth Government programs
• buying, maintaining or upgrading facilities or non-related equipment
• admin, staff or operational costs that are not directly associated with implementing or delivering the project
• venue hire fees where the applicant owns the venue. You can include the value of this cost as an in-kind contribution)
• significant equipment purchases for use beyond the scope of the project.

Mandatory attachments

Eligible applications must include the following:

• a valid public liability insurance certificate
• for partnerships, a letter of support from each:
  • partnering organisation
  • Victorian government secondary school. This should include details on each partner’s role in delivering the program.
• for auspice arrangements, a letter of intent or similar from the auspice organisation.
• social enterprises must attach their constitution with their application.

Applications must be in by 1 pm on 26 June 2026 via the DFFH Grants Gateway.

Applications open: 18 May 2026

• Read the program guidelines (this document).
• Read How to write a grant application
• Check that your organisation and proposed activity meet the eligibility criteria.
• Contact the Office for Youth if you have any questions: futureready@dffh.vic.gov.au.

Prepare and submit application: 18 May – 26 June 2026

• Register or log in to the DFFH Grants Gateway.
• Find the grant under ‘Available Grants’.
• Answer all questions. The department will not accept incomplete applications.
• Attach relevant or mandatory documents with the application.
• Submit the application by the due date and time.

Applications close: 1 pm Friday 26 June 2026

• The department will not consider late or incomplete applications.

All applications undergo the following assessment process:

• Eligibility assessment: We assess all applications against the eligibility criteria. The eligibility assessment determines whether the application should proceed for merit assessment.
• Merit assessment: We assess eligible applications against the merit assessment criteria listed below.
• Assessment panel: A panel that includes representatives from the department reviews all applications.
• Ministerial approval: The Minister for Youth makes the final decision based on the recommendations from the assessment panel.
• Application outcome: The department notifies all applicants of the outcome of their application by email.

Merit assessment

All aspects of your application will inform the assessment. This includes:

• project details
• responses to the merit assessment criteria
• content of mandatory attachments.

We assess all eligible applications against the following criteria

Please note: the assessment criteria are linked to the program priorities listed under the program overview.

Project overview

Weighting: 20%

Applicants must:

• describe the proposed Future Ready project for delivery, including:
  • the aims and objectives
  • the intended benefits for young people
  • how the proposed project aligns with the 3 Future Ready priorities.
• outline the local needs and opportunities for the proposed project in your community. Support this information by including relevant statistics, data and consultations conducted with:
  • young people
  • students
  • community members
  • schools.

Project delivery

Weighting: 35%

Applicants must:

• explain the delivery of the proposed project, including:
  • the delivered activities and the expected outcomes for students
  • how outcomes will be measured
  • how planned activities will deliver on the Future Ready priorities.
• describe opportunities for students to develop transferable skills, such as:
  • decision making
  • communication
  • teamwork
  • project management
  • leadership.
• describe how the project incorporates youth-led approaches. This includes how students get involved in the design, planning and delivery.
• outline risk management processes. Describe how the Victorian Child Safe Standards are used to ensure the safety and wellbeing of young people participating in Future Ready.
• show value for money, considering the:
  • scale of the project
  • strength of student participation
  • number of participants
  • impact, and how these factors align with the requested funding amount.

Effective support for all students

Weighting: 30%

Applicants must:

• describe how the project will reach young people experiencing structural disadvantage. This includes young people who:

  • are in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage
  • face complex barriers to participation in education and local community
  • are disengaged or at risk of disengagement from education.

  This may also include young people who:

  • are recently arrived, refugees and asylum seekers
  • live in regional and rural Victoria
  • are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders
  • are culturally diverse
  • have a disability
  • identify as LGBTIQA+
  • face social isolation or disadvantage.
• demonstrate an understanding of the barriers these young people face. Please outline appropriate ways the project will:
  • engage these young people and deliver positive outcomes
  • create a safe and inclusive environment that supports their participation.

Organisational experience and capability

Weighting: 15%

Applicants must:

• show their organisation’s experience and capability to deliver a successful program. And achieve its objectives, including but not limited to:
  • relevant past experience and work with schools, communities, students, volunteers, mentors and partner organisations
  • strategies to build connections, networks or partnerships
  • governance, program management, and risk management processes
  • staff, resources, and in-kind contributions available to support delivery.
• if relevant, describe how proposed activities complement and add value to existing school-based curriculum programs, frameworks and policies, rather than duplicating existing initiatives or outcomes.

Notification of application outcomes

All applicants will receive written notification of the outcome of their application.

If your application is successful, the department will tell you of any specific conditions attached to the grant.

If your application is unsuccessful, you can ask for feedback within one month of being advised of the outcome.

All decisions to do with the funding application, eligibility and assessment process are final. This includes any decision to offer or award a grant under the program or to withdraw or cancel the funding agreement.

• You must submit any variation to the approved project to the department for approval before starting.
• A youth worker, teacher or other qualified person must be available to support young people to take part in the program.
• All staff and people aged 18 or older who have unsupervised contact with young people must have a Working with Children Check.
• You must have policies and processes in place to meet the Victorian Child Safe Standards. This includes changes that came into effect from 1 July 2022.

Insurance requirements

You must have public liability insurance and any other insurance that is relevant to the activities of your project. The department will ask for proof of insurance that covers the project period.

Non-government organisations funded to deliver services for children must be:

• incorporated
• appropriately insured against child abuse.

For more information, see Department of Justice and Community Safety's Funding requirements for organisations providing services to children.

Legal responsibilities

You must ensure the project activity follows relevant:

• legislation
• regulations
• by-laws and codes.

It must also meet the requirements of any Commonwealth, state, territory or local authority.

It is your responsibility to be aware of laws and protocols that regulate the way you conduct your work.

Funding acknowledgement

Successful applicants must acknowledge funding from the Victorian Government. Guidelines are included in the Victorian Common Funding Agreement (VCFA).

Activities to acknowledge Victorian Government support include:

• logo presentation on any activity-related publications, media releases and promotional material
• inviting the minister to open any funded activities.

Funding agreements

If successful, you must enter a legally binding Victorian Common Funding Agreement with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. You must do this within 30 days of notification. If a funding offer is not accepted during this period, it may be withdrawn.

The funding agreement will be based on the VCFA. The VCFA outlines:

• the grant’s terms and conditions, including use of funds
• key deliverables and due dates
• reporting requirements.

You need to deliver the funded activity as set out in the funding agreement. You also need to meet all reporting and other requirements on time. For more information, see Victorian Common Funding Agreement.

If your application is successful, your organisation’s name and key project details will be published on Victorian Government websites and included in the department’s annual report, such as your:

• project name
• description
• grant amount.

Payment of grant funds and reporting requirements

Funded organisations will:

• be paid on completing agreed project milestones and deliverables outlined in the VCFA
• complete progress reports including updates on progress against your project plan and budget
• deliver a final report including a project acquittal and evidence of project outcomes.

You must:

• spend funds on the project as described in the VCFA
• return any unspent funds to the department.

Milestone payments are made via electronic funds transfer (EFT) once deliverables are met, in line with the VCFA.

Goods and services tax

• GST is paid if the grant is funding a good or service, and if the recipient organisation is registered for GST.
• GST is not paid if the recipient organisation is not registered for GST.
• GST is not paid if the recipient organisation is a government entity. For example, school, local council.
• GST is not paid if the grant is not funding a good and/or service.