The Autism Works in the Community Grants Program is the 2025 grants program from the Office for Autism, Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

The Autism Works in the Community Grants Program 2024 opens on 12 March, 2025. Applications close on 9 May, 2025. Refer to the Funding Guidelines for details.

To be eligible for funding, organisations must be based in South Australia and be:

• Non-government; and incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1985; or the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006,
• An Australian Public or Private Limited Liability Company under the Corporations Act 2001;  or
• A Partnership registered under the Partnership Act 1891; or
• Registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission with a comparable legal status; or
• An Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation.

The following organisations or partner organisations are ineligible for funding:

• Organisations that do not operate in South Australian
• Organisations that have outstanding obligations for grants previously awarded by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet or other South Australian Government departments
• Primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions
• Commonwealth, state or local government departments and agencies.
• Individuals or organisations applying on behalf of an individual

Community Grants HubExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal Link (external site)External Link (external site)External Link
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The Funding CentreExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal LinkExternal Link (external site)External Link (external site)External Link

Contact the Office for Autism on 08 7133 7900 or email officeforautism@sa.gov.au

The Office for Autism is committed to providing an inclusive application process. If you are not able to use the online application form, the Office for Autism will accept applications in alternative formats. Contact us on 08 7133 7900 or email officeforautism@sa.gov.au for more information and assistance.

To enable the assessment panel to make an informed decision, ensure you answer all questions in the online application form and provide enough information about the project, so the assessment panel understand what the funding will be used for and who will benefit.

For example:

Provide a short summary of the project – describe what the project will do, how it will do this and the anticipated outcomes (the purpose, how it will be delivered and what will be achieved)
Provide information about how the project complements your organisation’s existing programs and services.

Supporting documentation required includes, but is not limited to:

• copy of your organisation’s Constitution
• minutes from the most recent Annual General Meeting (must be within last two years)
• most recent end of year financial report showing assets, annual income and expenditure (must be within last two years).
• quotes for budget items $100 and over.

It is important to check the Guidelines for a full list of supporting documentation required, as the requirements are different for different organisation types and depending on your project.

Organisations can apply once per round.
Organisations with regional offices can submit one application per regional office.
Partnering organisations can submit one application per partnership.
Partner organisations can submit one application per round or per regional office, if multiple regional offices.

Your organisation can expect to receive notification by the end of June, 2025.

The funding period is from 1 July, 2025, to 30 June, 2026. All funds must be expended within this time period.

Your organisation must use the funds in line with the project description outlined in your grant proposal and grant agreement. If you anticipate changes to your project, please contact the Office for Autism on 08 7133 7900 or email officeforautism@sa.gov.au as early as possible to discuss any changes to your project. If you are unable to complete the project or use grant funds for purposes other than outlined in your grant agreement, you may be required to return the funds to the Office for Autism. No changes will be considered after the end date of the grant agreement.

List all project items in separate rows in the budget. Ensure you check the Guidelines for information about what items are eligible for funding. If you have many items, you can group them by types (e.g. hire of equipment). A detailed budget can be provided in an attachment.

A quote should be provided in an attachment if the item (or total of the grouped items) is $100 or over.

Your budget will change depending on your organisation’s GST registration status.

If your organisation is registered for GST, you must not include GST in your budget. This means if you receive a quote of $1,100 including GST, the amount listed in your budget should be $1,000. If your application is successful, GST will be added to your total grant monies received. For example, if the total request in your application is $5,000, you will receive $5,500 including GST.

If your organisation is not registered for GST, you must include GST in your budget. This means, if you receive a quote for Hall hire of $1,100 including GST, the amount listed in your budget should be $1,100.

Matched funding is required for projects with a requested budget of $20,001 or more, as follows:
*Metropolitan Adelaide applicants must contribute at least one dollar for every dollar of South Australian Government funding. Metropolitan Adelaide comprises the South Australian Government regions of Eastern Adelaide (including CBD), Western Adelaide, Northern Adelaide and Southern Adelaide.
*Regional and remote South Australian applicants must contribute at least one dollar for every two dollars of South Australian Government funding. Regional and remote South Australia comprises Greater Adelaide (Adelaide Hills, Barossa Light and Lower North, Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island) and country Regions (Eyre and Western, Far North, Limestone Coast, Murray and Mallee, Yorke and Mid North).

*Autistic-led organisations – matched funding requirements are half that of non-Autistic-led organisations, as follows:
oMetropolitan Adelaide applicants must contribute at least one dollar for every two dollars of South Australian Government funding.
oRegional and remote South Australian applicants must contribute at least one dollar for every four dollars of South Australian Government funding.

Autistic-led organisations are defined as organisations with Autistic leadership and/or a majority of staff at all levels of the organisation are Autistic.

No. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be accepted. If you are having trouble with the application process, contact the Office for Autism on 08 7133 7900 or email officeforautism@sa.gov.au for assistance before applications close.

If the grant round is still open, contact the Office for Autism on 08 7133 7900 or email officeforautism@sa.gov.au

Yes. All items purchased with grant funding require receipts to be kept for five years. A copy of all receipts over $100 must be submitted when your organisation acquits the funding.

For partnerships, this answer should relate to the ineligible partner entity (auspice).

The Office for Autism recognises the importance of raising Autistic voices in all aspects of the work that we do and Autistic voices have been instrumental in shaping the Autism Works in the Community Grants Program 2025.

While is it not a requirement that projects, training and services delivered through the Autism Works in the Community Grants Program are Autistic-led, applications for projects that are Autistic-led will be viewed favourably. The assessment committee understands that co-design can be implemented in various ways and will assess each application on their individual merits.