Applications are now open for up to $385,000 in funding for community-based initiatives in 2023.
Since 2009, we have provided more than $5.6 million in community grants to run projects that encourage more Australians and their families to talk about organ and tissue donation and register to be a donor. We know that increasing awareness about donation results in more people saying ‘yes’ to donation.
Young people are a critical audience group for the Organ and Tissue Authority’s National Program. Only 10% of young people aged 16 to 25 years are registered on the AODR, a figure significantly lower than the registration rate for eligible Australians of all ages (36%).
Most young adults want to be organ donors, but they typically overestimate how difficult it will be to join the register, according to research by the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA) for the Organ and Tissue Authority in 2021.
Our goal for the 2023 grants program is to increase the number of new registrations and raise awareness about donation among young people.
Grants will be offered across two categories:
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National events – national community awareness events that reach a mass youth audience to encourage registrations on the Australian Organ Donor Register.
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Innovative digital projects – strategic digital activities targeting young people to encourage registrations on the Australian Organ Donor Register.
In the past, successful projects delivered by community partners have included:
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targeted digital advertising campaigns
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educational resources for secondary school students
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awareness days to get the community talking about organ and tissue donation
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video resources and distribution strategies for specific cultural groups.
On our grants page you can find more information about who is eligible to apply for a grant, how to apply, and guidelines to support your application process.
We look forward to assessing your applications and working with our 2023 community partners to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation.
Applications for 2023 funding open Friday 11 November 2022 and closes at 10:00am AEDT, Monday 12 December 2022. Successful community grants are expected to be announced in February 2023.
