Organisation grants

The Australian Sport Commission (ASC) has a strong focus on gender equity and continues to strive for women in all their diversity to be actively engaged and equally contributing within the sporting sector. The Women Leaders in Sport (WLIS) programs have supported thousands of women advance their careers, however making systemic changes to achieve gender equity is now a major priority of the ASC.

The WLIS programs have supported more than 28,000 women and over 800 sporting organisations to elevate women leaders in sport. Funded by the Australian Government and managed by the ASC, the WLIS programs aim to make the necessary systemic change to reduce gender inequality and support more women to advance into leadership roles within the sport ecosystem.

The objectives of the program are: 

• Support organisations in the development and/or enhancement of policies, practices, systems and behaviours that lead to a sector that is more equitable and inclusive, particularly in the promotion and advancement of women leaders.
• Provide education and training opportunities for eligible organisations to advance their progress towards their gender equity goals and commitments. Education and training are to be grounded in the principles of intersectionality.
• Address systemic and cultural barriers to inclusion within the sport sector.

Important dates:

Applications are now closed

• Outcomes notified to all applicants June 2025

Guidelines

The WLIS guidelines set out the funding requirements for the WLIS Organisation Grants Program. Please read these carefully prior to applying.

2025-Women-Leaders-in-Sport-Organisations-Grant-Program-Guidelines.pdf

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible you must satisfy all of the following criteria:

• Be a national sporting organisation, a national sporting organisation for people with disability, or be a state/territory sporting organisation of a national body that is recognised by the ASC (Australian Sports Directory), the Australian Olympic Committee or Commonwealth Games Association.
• Have the commitment of, and a letter of support from the Chair or CEO
• Organisation has no overdue WLIS acquittal or reporting requirements with the ASC
• Have not received a WLIS Organisation Grant through the WLIS program within the last 12 months (Please note: this does not include WLIS Executive Program)
• Organisation is not named on the Workplace Gender Equity Equality Agency website as declined to join or are unresponsive to the scheme, opens in a new tab.
• Organisation is not named by the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, opens in a new tab on its list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme, opens in a new tab.

Funding

In 2025, a total of $170,000 (GST excl.) will be available with $15,000 (GST excl.) the maximum funding amount available per organisation.

Organisations are required to contribute towards the grant project, which can be in the form of financial resources, staff contribution or other relevant resources. Additionally, the organisation is responsible for covering all project administration costs.

Grant amounts awarded will be determined as part of the assessment process and may not be the same amount applied for. Amounts will be allocated to make the most effective use of the WLIS program funds

Only one application per organisation will be accepted. If more than one application is submitted, the last submitted application will be assessed.

Successful organisations will receive an ASC funded Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training workshop, with senior leader participation required to champion the initiative.

How to apply

To apply, applicants must:

• check eligibility
• complete the online grant application form on Smartygrants, opens in a new tab
• provide all the information requested
• address all eligibility criteria and assessment criteria
• include all necessary attachments
• submit your application via Smartygrants, opens in a new tab by 5.00pm* (AEST) Monday 7 April 2025.

Please ensure your application is complete and the information is accurate, prior to submitting it. Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). We will investigate any false or misleading information and may exclude your application from further consideration.

If you find an error in your application after submitting it, you should contact us immediately at wlis@ausport.gov.au or by calling 02 6214 1463. Please note: the ASC may not accept any additional information, nor requests from you, to correct your application after applications have closed.

Application changes after the closing date and time are not permitted.

Applicants should keep a copy of the submitted application and any supporting documents.

An automated email from the ASC grant management system confirming receipt of your application will be generated after submission. If you do not receive an email, please contact us on the details below.

If you require any support or guidance with the application process or if you are unable to apply online, please contact us:

Email: wlis@ausport.gov.au or by calling 02 6214 1463

Additional information

Project design

We strongly encourage organisations to ensure women’s voices and gender equity is built into the organisations thinking, when applying for this grant program. To guide the development of your project, consider the following design questions:

• Does it recognise the individual and unique attributes, abilities and needs of women of all backgrounds at different stages of life?
• Which women might it inadvertently exclude?
• How are you accounting for the diverse and intersectional needs of women?
• Does it drive sustained change and impact?

In line with these considerations, we highly recommend organisations review and utilise relevant national frameworks and standards focused on organisational change towards gender equality. These standards can serve as valuable tools for ensuring your project’s design fosters gender equity in a meaningful and sustained way. Some key frameworks to consider are:

• Positive Duty | Preventing Workplace Sexual Harassment, opens in a new tab Positive Duty 7-Standards
• f254fa63-3857-417b-a530-99f4b52660c2
• National Work + Family Standards, opens in a new tab (Family Friendly Workplaces)
• Champions of Change 7-Switches:, opens in a new tab A Guide for inclusive gender equality by design
• Workplace Gender Equality Agency, opens in a new tab (WGEA) 6 Gender Equity Indicators
• Women in high performance coaching action plan - 2023 - Women in High Performance coaching

Assessment and approvals

Assessment

An internal assessment panel will convene and assess all eligible applications against the criteria and value for money. The assessment committee will be made up of ASC staff.

The assessment panel will make their recommendations to the Grant Approver, who is responsible for the final decision including:

• The approval of the grant recipients
• The grant amount to be awarded, and
• The terms and conditions of the grants.

Approval

The ‘Grant Approver for this grant program, is the ASC’s Executive General Manager, Diversity, People and Culture. They will make the final decision as to the grant recipients and funding amounts, after considering the recommendations from the assessment panel and the availability of grant funds for the purpose of the WLIS organisation grants program.

The grant approver’s decision is final in all matters, including:

• the approval of the grant
• the grant funding amount to be awarded
• the terms and conditions of the grant.

There is no appeal mechanism for decisions to approve or not approve a grant.

Enquiries and feedback

If you have any questions regarding the WLIS program, please email wlis@ausport.gov.au

If you wish to lodge a complaint regarding the program this can be done via ASC’s complaints form: https://www.ausport.gov.au/contacts/feedback-and-complaints