About the activity

The Strong and Resilient Communities (SARC) Activity provides grant funding to organisations for one-off, time limited projects. These are community-driven and designed to help vulnerable and disadvantaged people participate socially and economically.

SARC helps build strong and resilient communities that support people to:

  • overcome disadvantage
  • provide greater community engagement
  • promote participation and belonging
  • promote better education, training and employment
  • build self-reliance and empowerment.

SARC supports one-off, time limited projects for up to 2 years. It does not assist ongoing service delivery.

Find a service near you

Visit the DSS Grants Service Directory(Opens in a new tab/window)

SARC - Inclusive Communities Grants

SARC - Inclusive Communities Grants (SARC – IC) is funded from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2028.

The $63 million SARC - IC Grants will run over 5 rounds, with projects commencing from 1 July 2022 and ending 30 June 2028.

It aims to improve the social and economic participation of 4 target groups:

  • young people aged 12 to 18 years who are, or are at risk of:
    • being disengaged or marginalised
    • having limited engagement with education/training
  • people with disability
  • women who are, or are at risk of, experiencing isolation or discrimination
  • unemployed people who face individual barriers to employment.

Grant outcomes

  • Round 1 (1 July 2022 – 30 June 2024): 38 not-for-profit community organisations
  • Round 2 (1 July 2023 – 30 June 2025): 32 not-for-profit community organisations
  • Round 3 (23 October 2024 – 30 June 2026): 34 not-for-profit community organisations

They will deliver projects in metropolitan, regional and remote areas across Australia.

Learn more about Australian Government grant opportunities and grant awards

Visit GrantConnect(Opens in a new tab/window) 

Strong and Resilient Communities Evaluation

In January 2020, the Social Research Centre conducted an evaluation of the SARC grant activity. It found that SARC was promoted effectively and targeted a diverse range of groups. It also positively contributed to:

  • community cohesion
  • economic participation
  • engagement with services
  • positive community attitudes.

We have improved the design and focus of the SARC Activity based on the findings of the evaluation. 

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