Employment Assistant Fund- Funding for Workers with a Disability
Australian Department of Education, Skills & Employment
Closing: Ongoing Applications Accepted
The Employment Assistant Fund (EAF) provides financial assistance to eligible people with disability, mental health conditions and their employers to buy work related modifications, equipment, Auslan services and workplace assistance and support services. The EAF is available to eligible people with disability that are about to start a job, self-employed, or those who are currently working. It is also available to people with disability who need Auslan assistance or special work equipment to look for and prepare for a job.
The EAF could help to buy work related modifications and services like:
- the cost of making adjustments to your physical workplace
- modifications to work vehicles
- special equipment for the workplace*
- information and communication devices*
- Auslan interpreting services
- specialist services for employees with specific learning disorders and mental health conditions
- disability awareness training for the workplace (including deafness awareness)
- mental health awareness and first aid training.
The EAF also provides free workplace assessments to help work out what modifications or equipment will best meet your needs. This is called a Workplace Modification Assessment. You usually need to have an assessment when applying for EAF if the assistance being purchased is over $1,000.
Please read the EAF Guidelines for further information about the application process, eligibility, and the type of modifications and equipment that are funded. Alternatively, you can contact a JobAccess Adviser on 1800 464 800 to help you with applying for EAF assistance.
If you are a person with disability that meets EAF eligibility you can submit an EAF application with JobAccess Secure. If you need help to submit an application you can also:
- ask a friend, relative or advocate to help you with your application
- work with your employer to submit an application
- ask your DES, jobactive or Community Development Program provider to help you submit an online enquiry to JobAccess, or call JobAccess on 1800 464 800 and get a JobAccess Adviser to help you to submit an application.
Arts Sector Career Development Grants – Individuals & Groups
Australia Council for the Arts
Closing: Round 6- 1 March 2022.
Please note- Funding and dates for current rounds are under review due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. For further information please contact the Australia Council Artists Services team at: [email protected], or (toll free) 1800 226 912.
Focus: Career Development Grants aim to assist individual artists, arts workers or groups of artists by providing support to further develop skills or improve capacity to build an enduring career in the arts. These grants can support a broad range of activities such as skills and professional development, mentorships, showcases, residencies and other projects directly related to your career development. Supported activities must last no longer than two years from the proposed start date.
Amount: $5,000 to $25,000
To apply you must be registered in the application management system a minimum of two business days prior to the closing date.
Your project must take into account the latest advice regarding COVID-19.
For further assistance and advice from the Australia Council for the Arts, please contact 02 9215 9000, 1800 226 912 (toll-free), or [email protected]
Australian Government – Restart Grants– Help to employ mature workers
Australian Federal Department of Education, Skills and Employment
Closing: Ongoing Applications Accepted.
Restart is a financial incentive of up to $10,000 (GST inclusive) to encourage businesses to hire and retain mature age employees who are 50 years of age and over. Payments are made over a six-month period. Businesses may negotiate how often payments are received.
Links to further information and contacts are available from: Australian Government – Restart Grants
Travel and Accommodation Subsidies
QLD Department of Employment, Small Business and Training
Closing: Ongoing Applications Accepted.
The Department of Education and Training provides financial assistance to subsidize additional costs incurred by apprentices and trainees to eligible apprentices and trainees, who are required to travel at least 100kms return to attend off-the-job training for their apprenticeship or traineeship.
Amount: undisclosed
- The apprenticeship or traineeship must be registered in Queensland.
- The apprentice or trainee must travel at least 100kms return (by direct route), to their training organisation, from their usual place of residence. The apprentice or trainee's usual place of residence may not be a home address if they usually live away from home to attend work (e.g. living in a mining camp for work purposes).
- The apprentice or trainee must attend their closest training organisation able to deliver training in the relevant qualification.
- Claims must be submitted to the department within 6 months from the completion of the training block or attendance period being claimed for. Claims submitted more than 6 months after the last training day will only be paid in exceptional circumstances and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Please view the Travel and Accommodation Allowance: Policy Statement and Guidelines for further details on assessment criteria, travel subsidy rates, special provisions for additional financial assistance and advance claims.
Applications for apprentices/trainees (that are NOT SCHOOL-BASED) can be made through the Government's online Claim Wizard
SCHOOL-BASED apprentices/trainees travel and accommodation application forms are available from your school or the Education Queensland website. You cannot lodge a claim through the same site.
Skilling Queenslanders for Work Program
Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business and Training
Closing: Applications accepted during two funding rounds annually.
The Skilling Queenslanders for Work Program funds training and support for unemployed or underemployed people, with a focus on young people (including those in and transitioned from out-of-home care), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, mature-age jobseekers, women re-entering the workforce, veterans and ex-service personnel, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. There are seven programs that make up the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative. Links to more information and funded projects are available from: Skilling Queenslanders for Work Program.
For general enquiries about Skilling Queenslanders for Work, email [email protected], or phone 1300 369 935.
Currently Closed
Skilling Queenslanders for Work Program
Queensland Government Department of Employment, Small Business and Training
Closed: 19 August 2021
Applications for the 2021–22 funding round of Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative are now open. The program forms an essential part of the Queensland Government's ongoing plan to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19.
Skilling Queenslanders for Work funds skills development, training and job opportunities for job-seekers, disengaged and disadvantaged Queenslanders through targeted skills and training projects. The program focuses on young people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, mature-age job-seekers, women re-entering the workforce, veterans and ex-service personnel, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. More than 70 per cent of participants find work, undertake further training, or return to school around 12 months after exiting a Skilling Queenslanders for Work project.
Community-based not-for-profit organisations, local councils and school Parent and Friends and Citizens associations are advised to check eligibility requirements and application recommendations to apply.
Please visit the Skilling Queenslanders for Work Program page for eligibility requirements and further application information. Questions can also be directed to the QLD Department of Employment, Small Business and Training by phone: 1300 369 935, or email: [email protected]. Applicant organisations are encouraged to contact their local DESBT regional office to discuss their project proposals.
Ecstra Women’s Economic Security Project Grants
Ecstra Foundation
Closed: 12 February 2021
The Women’s Economic Security Project Grants support charities and social enterprises building financial well-being through innovative employment opportunities and tailored financial capability tools for women. COVID-19 has exacerbated issues of economic inequality for many women – including barriers to employment participation, the burden of unpaid and lowly paid work, high levels of financial insecurity and inadequate superannuation.
The economic recovery period will be challenging for groups including young women entering the job market, older women seeking work, Indigenous women, refugee and migrant women. The Ecstra grants will support charities and social enterprises who develop and deliver meaningful employment opportunities for women as part of their response to these challenges.
The funding aims to:
- offer philanthropic support to charities and social enterprises creating meaningful employment opportunities for women who face barriers accessing mainstream paid work
- support organisations to integrate financial capability and personalised support into the delivery of these initiatives
The intended grant outcomes are:
- more opportunities for women to access meaningful and secure paid work through an employer, cooperative or their own enterprise – helping them achieve their career and financial goals
- more women are supported to build their financial capability, confidence and decision making through access to timely, relevant and tailored resources/support
- to enable charities and social enterprises to scale and share sustainable Initiatives
- contribute to the evidence base of ‘what works’ in building women’s economic security and financial wellbeing in Australia.
As a guide, funding proposals should be between $50,000 – $300,000 depending on the scale of the initiative and the relative size of the applicant.
Please refer to the following prior to starting a submission:
Women's Economic Security Project Grant Guidelines
Ecstra’s Funding Principles and Grant Guidelines (provides additional eligibility criteria)
Applications must be submitted through Ecstra’s grant management system via this link, on or before midnight AEST on Friday 12 February 2021.
Please contact Ecstra at: [email protected] if you have any questions, need assistance with submitting your application online or wish to apply through another format.
Skilling Queenslanders for Work Program - Community Organisations
QLD Department of Employment, Small Business and Training
Closing: Round 1 - Closed 30 April 2020.
Round 2 - Closed 8 October 2020.
Funding is available to provide direct assistance to those Queenslanders that need support to gain the qualifications and skills needed to enter and stay in the workforce.
Community-based not-for-profit organisations can apply for funding to start projects in local communities across Queensland. Local councils and school Parents and Citizens' and Parents and Friends' associations are also able to apply for funding under some programs.
There are two regular funding rounds each financial year, taking applications for five of the initiative's seven programs:
Funding rounds for Community Organisations 2020-21:
Round 1- open until 5pm (AEST) Thursday 30 April 2020
Round 2- Currently being finalized
Further application information, including program guidelines and fact sheets, is available from: https://desbt.qld.gov.au/training/community-orgs/funded/sqw
Tailored Assistance Indigenous Employment Grants (TAEG)
Australian Government, National Indigenous Australians Agency
Closed: 11 June 2021
Tailored Assistance Employment Grants (TAEG) connect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with real and sustainable jobs. There are three streams of funding:
- Employment – support for job seekers to address barriers to recruitment and improve retention in the workplace, and support for employers to engage and retain job seekers into ongoing jobs, including post-placement support
- School-based traineeships – support for secondary students to gain work experience and prepare for post-school transition into further study or employment
- Cadetships– support for university students to receive paid work-placement opportunities during the course of their study
Activities should deliver outcomes that will:
- increase employment and retention rates
- increase work-readiness
- increase the successful transition of secondary and tertiary students into ongoing employment
- lead to certified and transferrable qualifications.
Applicants must demonstrate that funding will deliver employment outcomes (jobs), and must identify the demand for the jobs in the organisation, region and/or industry.
Payments will be based on the achievement of individual milestones for job seekers. The amount paid for milestones will be negotiated with the NIAA Regional Office, detailed in the Employment Grant Schedule and weighted to the achievement of 13 and 26 weeks in employment.
Please refer to the 'How Do I Apply' section at following link for specific TAEG application guidelines, key documents and further resources for making applications: TAEG's.
For enquiries, please contact your local Regional Office on 1800 079 098 to discuss your proposal and the application process.
Applications can be made via the official TAEG's website.
If you are experiencing difficulties submitting your application, please contact the Indigenous Advancement Strategy Assessment Management Office at [email protected]
Regional Employment Trials
Australian Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business
Currently Closed
Focus: Provides local stakeholders in selected regions (including businesses, not-for-profits and local government agencies) with grants to trial local approaches to delivering employment related projects. The objectives of the program are to deliver:
- strong connections between regional stakeholders, including employment services providers
- employment initiatives that meet local needs
- improved awareness of local labour markets
- the potential for improved regional employment outcomes
Your project must demonstrate that it:
- provides opportunities and assistance to help unemployed people prepare for and find work
- has at least $10,000 in eligible expenditure
- You must complete your project before 30 June 2020.
Amount: From $7,500 to $200,000
Details for eligibility criteria, application guidelines, key documents and further information are available at: https://www.business.gov.au/Grants-and-Programs/Regional-Employment-Trials
Application forms for current rounds can be accessed at: Application Portal Link
Queensland Government Back to Work Employer Support Payments
Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business and Training
Closed: 30 June 2021
Support payments of up to $20,000 are available for eligible employers who hire eligible unemployed Queenslanders throughout regional Queensland and in some areas of South East Queensland (SEQ).
The Back to Work program is designed to give businesses the confidence to employ Queenslanders who have experienced a period of unemployment. Support payments are available to eligible employers who hire a previously unemployed Queenslander who has experienced a minimum period of unemployment directly prior to commencing work with them.
This program is not a wage subsidy. The decision to employ someone is at the discretion of the employer and must be a business decision that is independent of the availability of the Back to Work support payment.
The program is offered in Central Queensland, Far North Queensland, North Queensland, North West Queensland, South West Queensland, the Wide Bay Burnett and some areas of South East Queensland (SEQ).
Employers can make an online application through QGrants after the eligible employee completes four weeks of continuous paid employment. Initial applications must be received within eight weeks of the employee completing four weeks of continuous employment.
Guidelines for Funding and Resources
For all general program enquiries please send an email to either Back to Work Regional, or Back to Work SEQ, or call: 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
Applications can be made via the QGrants online portal.
Further information can be accessed at the Back to Work Program - Employer Support Payment.
