The Australian Government has doubled their investment to support high performance Para sport in 2025 and 2026 in an effort to reduce barriers for athletes, and the high performance sport system is implementing a range of initiatives to do so, collectively termed the Para System Uplift.
The positive impacts of most Para System Uplift initiatives will be felt over the medium and long term and are collectively designed to create a sustained positive change. Whilst these new systems are being built, there is a need to provide short-term support for the current high performance Para athletes to help them address immediate needs.
The Para Athlete Barriers Fund is a one-off grant program to support categorised athletes to overcome individual barriers to their progression or performance in Para sports.
Grant amount
A total funding pool of $225,000 is available.
The maximum grant amount available to any individual is $4,000.
The amounts may vary between applicants and may not be the full amount applied for. Funds received by applicants will not be exempt from tax.
This is a one-off grant program.
Para-Athletes-Barriers-Fund-Guidelines-Final-21032025.pdf
The Australian Sports Commission is committed to making information accessible to as many people as possible.
If you have difficulty reading the grant guidelines document and would like to receive these Guidelines in an alternate format such as large print or plain text – please get in touch with us via ParaAthleteBarriers@ausport.gov.au
Applications now closed
- Applications open: 11:00 AM (AEDT) Friday 21st March 2025
- Applications close: 2:00 PM (AEST) Monday 5th May 2025 *
- Assessment of applications: May 2025
- Notification of outcomes: June 2025
- Funded Activity to be completed by: 30 June 2026
* Applications must be submitted before 2:00pm AEST. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Please note the time differences for each state below on Monday 5th May 2025.
- NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS: 2:00pm
- QLD: 2:00pm
- SA & NT: 1:30pm
- WA: 12:00pm
Who is eligible to apply for a grant?
To be eligible to apply for the Para Athlete Barriers Fund you must, at the time of application:
- be an athlete categorised by a recognised National Sporting Organisation (NSO) or National Sporting Organisation for people with Disability (NSOD) in a para sport
- be categorised into one of the following disciplines as per the Athlete Categorisation Framework:
- Podium
- Podium Ready
- Podium Potential
- Developing
- Emerging
- be actively participating with a recognised NSO/D in training and competition within their para sport;
- have no anti-doping rule violations any time; and
- have no match fixing offences at any time.
Who is not eligible to apply for a grant?
You are not eligible to apply if you are:
- an individual or athlete that is not currently supported by an ASC recognised NSO/D, as listed in the ASC Sports Directory, and/or is not categorised as per the Athlete Categorisation Framework
- not in a Para sport discipline; or
- an organisation.
What can the grant funding be used for?
The grant can be used to overcome any barriers that are limiting your capacity to perform or progress in your sport.
You may only apply for the grant to offset expenses that are occurring between 5th May 2025 and 30th June 2026.
Applicants must describe in their application:
- What barrier/s are preventing the applicant from progressing and/or performing in their sport?
- What impact will the reduction/removal of the barrier have on their performance/progression?
- If the barrier was reduced/removed, how this would influence their performance/progression?
Athletes should work with their coaches and/or Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Manager, to consider how access to the Para Athlete Barrier Fund may be beneficial to support their performance and/or progression.
Eligible expenditure items include, but are not limited to:
- travel to attend training or competition/events
- obtaining athlete classification
- carer support
- performance support
- accessing training facilities
- accessing coaching services
- competition entry fees
- childcare whilst training or travelling for sport
- high performance equipment, engineering or equipment maintenance
- professional development opportunities
Examples of eligible expenditure
- Gary competes in the sport of Para archery. Gary is currently categorised as Podium Potential and has been travelling interstate regularly to connect with his coach. Gary would like to be able to have more face-to-face time with his coach. Gary applies for an amount of $2,750 to cover airfare, accommodation and transportation expenses to be able to access his coach an additional four times this year. This would allow Gary to have greater access to coaching and positively impact his performance.
- Georgia competes in Para athletics and is classified as Developing. Georgia is currently completing a traineeship in mechanics. Georgia lives a distance away from her SIS/SAS gym and applies for a $1,500 grant to be able to purchase a membership to a gym that is closer to home and work. This would allow Georgia to focus on her priorities of work, training, and recovery, leading to enhanced performance outcomes.
- Nick competes in Para alpine skiing and is categorised as Podium Potential. Nick has just been categorised after starting the sport only a couple of years ago. Nick would like to compete in an international event as identified by his coach that his NSO is unable to fund. Nick and his coach feel this would be beneficial as it would allow Nick an opportunity to compete and familiarise himself with the international travel and race day preparation processes. These are areas he and his coach identified requires additional support. Nick applies for $4,000 to contribute to flights to Italy, accommodation and ground transport costs during a series of competitions. This tour would help him access high level competition, giving Nick further experience with travel and race preparation.
- Karrie competes in Wheelchair rugby and is categorised at Podium ready. Karrie has a Wheelchair rugby chair that was pre-owned and not suited to her and has been causing her hip pain as it isn’t suited to her disability. Karrie would like to be able to have assistance to fund a new chair that would better suit her and her needs. She has a quote for a new chair totalling $12,000. Karrie would like to apply for a $4,000 grant to contribute to the cost of the new chair. By allowing Karrie to access part-funding for her chair, this will allow Karrie to have better outcomes as her equipment would be more specific to her requirements.
How to apply
Before applying for the Para Athlete Barriers Fund, applicants must read the grant guidelines
Only one application may be submitted per athlete.
If you are under 18 years of age you must obtain the agreement of your parent or guardian to apply.
When submitting an application, applicants will be able to select between a written and video response for certain components of the form.
If selecting to respond via video:
- the video must not be more than 2 minutes in length per question
- must address the question prompt on the application form
- must be uploaded by providing an accessible link in the application form.
To complete the application, applicants must:
- provide all the information requested, including current athlete categorisation details, personal bank account details, and residential address details
- address all eligibility criteria and assessment criteria; and
- provide contact details of your parent(s)/guardian(s) if under 18 years of age.
How will applications be assessed?
The eligible applications will be assessed against the following criteria through a competitive process:
- Applicant demonstrates what their barriers are and how they are limiting their performance and/or progression in Para Sports
- Applicant explains how the grant funding will be spent to assist in overcoming the described barriers, and
- The financial assistance is likely to have a high impact on their performance and/or progression.
The Assessment Panel may discuss applications with a key contact at the nominated NSO/D or other HP system partner (e.g. Paralympics Australia) to verify that the expenses identified are aligned with the performance and/or progression needs of the athlete and are not already being funded by other organisations. Applicants will be asked in the application form whether they consent to the details of their application being shared with the NSO/D or other HP system partner before contact is made. Applicants may choose not to consent to this, and their application will still be considered equally.
What are the reporting requirements?
When requested by the ASC (likely between January and June 2026), all grant recipients will be asked to complete the Para Athlete Barrier Fund recipient survey detailing how the grant funding was spent and its impact on supporting their progression/performance. A proportion of grant recipients will be asked to provide evidence of the use and expenditure of the approved grant through an audit process, which may include receipts for expenditure of the grant.