Building digital skills grant

$3,000 – $20,500 funding so you can run a program to support over 50’s to be connected. Applications now open.

Round 10 applications are now closed.

Round 11 applications will open from August 4 to August 29. 

Building Digital Skills grants help organisations deliver free Be Connected digital literacy programs to older Australians in their community.

Building Digital Skills grants of up to $20,500 help organisations to support older Australians aged 50+ through free digital mentoring sessions. A range of resources and support materials are available to help organisations to deliver this program, including the learning courses available on the Be Connected learning site.

By providing the Be Connected program for free using this grant, recipients will help older people to develop their digital skills and confidence.

Building Digital Skills grants are offered by Good Things to community organisations in Australia through the Be Connected program. Please read our guidelines and T&C’s carefully before applying for this grant funding.

An old couple with her grandchild taking a selfie

Tips to apply for this grant

Did you know that there are specialist contracts available? Application templates? 

Watch our video to learn some tips that help you apply for a Building Digital Skills Grant.

5 tips to apply for the Building Digital Skills Grant

Our funding to provide free digital skills support to over 50s

Check if you’re eligible for a specialist grant

Specialist grants with reduced learner numbers are available for organisations in remote areas OR working with people over 50 with disability, from CALD communities or First Nations communities.

Read the guidelines

Avoid mistakes in your application by reading our Grant Guidelines, Terms and Conditions and information carefully.

Be clear how the money will be used

Use our grant budget template in your application. Explain how you are planning to use the funds. Demonstrate value for money.

Make the most of the word limit

Use all the space available to explain your digital skills program. Be specific and avoid jargon that we can’t understand. Use our project plan template to describe your program in more detail.

Don’t leave it to the last minute

Avoid mistakes by taking your time to apply. The questions you need to answer are in the grant guidelines. Prepare and apply in advance of the deadline.

Our grants and support team are happy to help if you have any questionsApplications for Building Digital Skills Grants are open year round.

More information and to apply: goodthingsaustralia.org/grants-and-opportunities

Learn more about this grant

Learn more about how a Building Digital Skills Grant could work for your community.

Building Digital Skills grants fund community organisations to provide free digital skills support to older Australians aged over 50 years.

These support sessions can be provided either one-on-one or in groups.

Grant funding can be used to pay for the costs of providing this support, including:

  • staff and volunteer expenses
  • program marketing
  • devices and internet
  • room hire
  • catering
  • transport for participants to and from sessions
  • translators for your group sessions

In your grant application, you will need to submit a budget using our template letting us know how you will spend the funds. Read the grant guidelines and contract to find more details on how this grant can work for you.

Organisations with a Building Digital Skills grant will be required to use the Be Connected learning resources and the Digital Skills Checkers for this program. You may also use other learning resources in your support sessions.

Organisations are required to to report who they have supported as learners and their progress in our my.GoodThings platform. 

These are Be Connected program requirements. Support is available to help you to use these tools. Read the grant guidelines to find out more.

There are two types of Building Digital Skills grants – standard and specialist contracts. 

Our standard grant contracts are available in four sizes:

  • $3,000 to support 30 older people
  • $5,200 to support 75 older people
  • $10,500 to support 150 older people
  • $20,500 to support 300 older people

There are eligibility criteria you must meet to apply for these grants. Read the grant guidelines to find out more.

There are two types of Building Digital Skills grants – standard and specialist contracts.

Not every community is the same, and some have additional challenges for community organisations to reach and support to improve their digital skills.Our specialist grant contracts have a reduced number of Older Australians to support in recognition of this.

Specialist contracts are available to organisations who support people that are:

  • Supported in remote and outer regional areas
  • Older Australians with disabilities
  • Older Indigenous Australians
  • Older Australians from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities.

Specialist grant contracts come in two sizes:

  • $3,000 to support 15 people
  • $5,200 to support 37 people

There are specific eligibility criteria you must meet for the specialist contracts. Read the grant guidelines to find out more.

Check out the next rounds available and the application and payment dates. These rounds will have $3,000, $5,200, $10,500 and $20,500 contract sizes available.

Round 11

ActivityDate
Application period4 August to 29 August 2025 at 23:55 (AEST)
Notification of results12 September 2025
Payments released*From 15 September 2025
Delivery start & finish date1 October 2025 – 30 September 2026

Round 12

ActivityDate
Application period1 September to 3 October 2025 at 23:55 (AEST)
Notification of results10 October 2025
Payments released*From 13 October 2025
Delivery start & finish date1 November 2025 – 31 October 2026

Round 13

ActivityDate
Application period7 October to 31 October 2025 at 23:55 (AEDT)
Notification of results14 November 2025
Payments released*From 17 November 2025
Delivery start & finish date1 December 2025 – 30 November 2026

Round 14

ActivityDate
Application period3 November to 28 November 2025 at 23:55 (AEDT)
Notification of results12 December 2025
Payments released*From 15 December 2025
Delivery start & finish date1 January 2026 – 31 December 2026

Round 15

ActivityDate
Application period2 February to 27 February 2026 at 23:55 (AEDT)
Notification of results13 March 2026
Payments released*From 16 March 2026
Delivery start & finish date1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027

Round 16

ActivityDate
Application period2 March to 27 March 2026 at 23:55 (AEDT)
Notification of results10 April 2026
Payments released*From 13 April 2026
Delivery start & finish date1 May 2026 – 30 April 2027

Round 17

ActivityDate
Application period30 March to 1 May 2026 at 23:55 (AEST)
Notification of results15 May 2026
Payments released*From 18 May 2026
Delivery start & finish date1 June 2026 – 31 May 2027

*Payments will take around 3 working days to reach the nominated bank account.

Please note all dates are subject to change. Check grant guidelines for details for each round.

Please read our grant guidelines carefully before you apply. They contain critical information that can help you understand eligibility and what you need to do for the grant. The guidelines also include a list of all the grant application questions to help you prepare.

Use our project plan and budget templates in your application. Download them in advance, fill them in, then upload into the online application form.

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