The purpose of the 2025 Expansion Grant round is to reduce unmet demand by funding additional financial counselling service delivery in areas of high disadvantage and high unmet demand for services.  

As outlined in our Funding Principles, industry funding is additional to ongoing government funding of financial counselling. The 2025 Expansion Round does not replace the ongoing role of government funding of financial counselling services.  

There are four types of Expansion Grants in the 2025 Expansion Round: 

1. Target Region Expansion Grants – funding additional financial counselling services to address unmet demand in 20 identified regions of high disadvantage 
2. Indigenous Organisation Expansion Grants – funding organisations that are at least 51% Indigenous owned or controlled to deliver additional financial counselling services to address unmet demand in Indigenous communities.
3. State & Territory Expansion Grants – funding additional financial counselling services to address unmet demand within each state and territory.
4. National Expansion Grants – funding additional financial counselling services to address unmet demand for nation-wide services. 

Approximately $22.79 million in total will be awarded in the 2025 Expansion Grant round. 

Please see our 2025-2028 Grants Strategy page for more information.

Grants will be awarded for a three-year period.

Expansion Grants must be used to: 

• provide free financial counselling to help people unable to pay their bills, or at imminent risk of not being able to do so, to address their financial problems through the provision of information, advocacy and/or negotiation  

• provide free financial capability services to help people to build longer-term financial skills, knowledge and capabilities 

FCIF will fund the following: 

• Financial Counsellors
• Financial Capability Workers
• Trainees in either of the above roles

• Professional membership fees
• Professional training and development
• Professional supervision  

• Rent, utilities, telecommunications, insurance expenses
• Interpreting or translating services
• Vehicle or transport expenses
• Technology and equipment expenses
• Client intake and triage costs
• Human resource costs 

Please note that FCIF-funded employees must be paid in accordance with the relevant Industrial Award and FCIF-funded financial counsellors must maintain membership of a financial counselling professional association. 

Expansion Grants must not be used to undertake: 

• Commercial or profit-making activities
• Political activities
• Activities funded by other sources
• Activities not related to financial counselling 

FCIF will not fund the following: 

• Cash payments, or other financial benefits, to clients
• Costs not related to the FCIF-funded activities
• Retrospective costs
• Litigation costs
• Overseas travel
• Funding for staff or operational costs beyond the grant term 

Yes, if your organisation is an Australian registered business.

No, if you or your organisation are: 

• Individuals (including sole traders)
• Government entities 

No. In this grant round we will not fund innovation projects. Opportunities to seek funding for innovation projects will be available in our 2026 Innovation Grant round. 

We encourage you to check whether you meet the eligibility and assessment criteria for this grant round. If so, please apply for this round. We have yet to publish timelines and Grant Guidelines for subsequent rounds, but you will be welcome to also apply for any subsequent round when it opens (assuming you meet its criteria). Please see our 2025-2028 Strategy page for our key funding areas and anticipated timelines. 

Yes. Successful applicants for this grant round, if eligible, can apply for subsequent grant rounds.

No. Our key funding principles, as published on our 2025-2028 Strategy page, include: 
 
FAIR PROCESSES 

• Equity of access to grant opportunities
  • Transparency about decision-making criteria and processes
  • Robust probity measures, including managing conflicts of interest 
  • Using data to help inform the allocation of industry funding 

In order to maintain fairness and equity, organisations currently funded by the Financial Counselling Foundation will be treated the same as any other organisation. 

No. Eligible organisations may submit one application only.

An eligible organisation that operates across multiple state/territory jurisdictions under a single ABN may be eligible to submit multiple applications, subject to FCIF’s prior approval.

FCIF may, at its discretion, award a grant type different to the grant type sought in an application.

Therefore, selecting a less suitable grant type will not disadvantage your organisation.

No. All questions will be available for all applicants on the opening day. This should give you sufficient time to complete your responses.

FCIF staff can only provide general information and advice on completing your application. To maintain fairness and integrity of the application process, applicants cannot be offered individual support or help with their application. Please use the materials on this page for help in setting up an account and completing your application.

Should you experience issues logging in to Blackbaud GrantsConnect, please use their login help documentation. If you are unable to resolve your issues, please contact grants@fcif.org.au.

No. Probity and equity of access are critical across all our processes, as outlined on our 2025-2028 Strategy page. Our probity policies specify that all applicants must have equal access to information, so rather than answer individual queries we publish generalised answers (i.e., not specific to your organisation or application) on our website, where they can be viewed by all. 

To complete the application, you will need to upload:

• Your organisation's most recent audited Financial Report (or equivalent)

You will also need to prepare:

• Risk assessment 
• Grant outcomes 
• Grant budget

No. If your application is successful and your organisation ABN is registered for GST, you’ll be paid GST on top of the approved grant amount. If your organisation ABN is not registered for GST, you will only be paid the approved grant amount. 

Late applications will not be accepted unless you can make a case for an exceptional circumstance. We encourage all applicants to submit your applications well before the due date to avoid last minute issues. 

Once your application form has been submitted it cannot be edited. However, if you have made a mistake that you feel is material to your application and you would like to change your answer, please email grants@fcif.org.au and request your application be published for resubmission.  

Applications will be evaluated against the following criteria:

1. Unmet demand: Evidence of unmet demand for financial counselling services in the nominated service delivery area (30%)
2. Impact: The extent to which the grant activities are expected to reduce unmet demand (30%)
3. Efficiency & capability: The applicant’s capability to deliver the grant activities and the extent to which the grant activities demonstrate value for money (40%)

Please note: To demonstrate unmet demand, applicants must provide financial counselling service delivery data for the nominated service delivery area.

An applicant’s past service delivery performance may be considered during the assessment process.

All grants are subject to our Standard Grant Conditions, which outline obligations for grantees, such as progress and impact reporting, after a grant has been awarded. 

Successful applicants will be notified by 21 January 2026.

We will endeavour to provide general feedback as to why applications are unsuccessful. However, we will not be able to provide detailed individual feedback regarding your application. 

In three years I guess?? Sign up to receive alerts when we announce dates and open grant rounds. 

Funding will commence on 1 March 2025 and continue for three years to 29 February 2028 

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