RDA Great Southern

27/10/2026

Our friends at Great Southern Development Commission have just launched the latest round of RED grants. These grants are amongst the best going around our wonderful state for catalysing social and economic impact, with so so many examples of high impact businesses, not for profit and community initiatives and social enterprises supported over the years.

With up to $200K available all Great Southern leaders in this realm should have a REDs application high on their priority list. Applications close 14 January so take the time to get yours ready.

Info sessions, workshops and all the detail are here: https://gsdc.wa.gov.au/our-support/regional-economic-development-grant
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Applications are now open for Round 9 of the Regional Economic Development (RED) Grants program, with eligible Great Southern organisations able to apply for up to $200,000 in funding.

RED Grants supports locally driven projects that:
📍 Increase or sustain jobs
📍 Expand or diversify industry
📍 Develop skills and capability
📍 Attract new investment
📍 Improve productivity

25/10/2026

Southern Ports Community Investment Program supports well over 100 grassroots organisations and community groups each year - and applications are open now. Funding of up to $5,000 is available to support initiatives which promote positive outcomes across our three key funding areas of environment, education and community.

Applications close Friday 6 November.

www.southernports.com.au
Southern Ports

20/10/2026

On Friday the RDA team gathered to join the Albany Community Foundation lawn bowls fundraiser. Working across Katanning, Denmark and Albany, we don't all get together often, and most of us had 0-1 games of experience under our belts, so it was a lot of fun catching up, learning what an 'end' is..and avoiding the ditch!

It was great to see so many local businesses and groups turn out to support this event - 140 attendees in total gave up their Friday afternoons to support the important work of Albany Community Foundation (ACF) raise $4,339!

ACF support those most in need in our community - individuals who have fallen through the gaps and facing hard times - with support such as:

-$1800 in food & fuel vouchers for a woman receiving palliative care
-$400 to help house a pet for a young homeless person
-$448 payment to assist a client with a broken hot water system
- $1800 for a co-payment for car repairs for a lady & her children fleeing domestic violence

Shout out to the amazing crew at Merrifield Real Estate for organising, cooking and feeding us through the arvo. And the generous prize sponsors.

16/10/2026

Already in Albany, or weighing up a move? This is a chance to do work that matters at the nexus of economic and social impact, in a small team with big reach.

RDA Great Southern is hiring, and we want standout people.

Our remit is the entire Great Southern, comprising 11 Local Government Areas, including our home base in Albany – one of Australia’s most in-demand regional destinations: third nationally in the Regional Movers Index in 2024, with net internal migration up 26% in 2026. Come help shape where the region goes next.

We’re a locally led not-for-profit backing the Great Southern’s priorities. We connect government, business, not-for-profits and First Nations communities, and we lead and operate the Great Southern Universities Centres (Study Hubs) in Albany, Denmark and Katanning.

🤝 Engagement Lead: build trust-based relationships, convene events and give the region’s priorities a clear, credible voice.

📊 Business Analyst: turn regional opportunities into funded projects through grant writing, feasibility studies and investment cases.

🗂️ Operations Administrator: keep the organisation and our Study Hubs running across finance, governance, compliance and student support.

📍 Albany-based, with regional travel
⏱️ 0.6–1.0 FTE each (negotiable), 12 months fixed term with a view to permanency

We’re hiring for talent and tasks: For the right person, we’ll consider combining up to two of these roles into a single full-time position.

We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Great Southern is Menang, Goreng, Wagyl Kaip and Southern Noongar country.

✉️ Send a one-page cover letter outlining your interest in the role, and what you would bring to it, along with your CV to [email protected]. Applications are assessed on a rolling basis, so don’t wait.

https://rdagreatsouthern.com.au/employment/

09/10/2026

⏰ Closing THIS MONDAY: $15K grants for regional businesses using digital innovation, through 'Innovate With NBN' Grants. NBN Australia

Now in its seventh year and delivered with the Regional Australia Institute, the Innovate With NBN Grants Program backs regional and remote businesses using the NBN network to lift digital participation, stimulate local economies and challenge traditional markets.

💰 7 × $15,000 grants, one for each of the following categories:
🏆 AgTech and Environment
🏆 Arts, Culture & Tourism
🏆 Education
🏆 First Nations Business
🏆Health and Wellbeing
🏆Innovation for Productivity
🏆Women in Regional Business
🏆 Plus a $20,000 Innovate with nbn Champion Award for one exceptional entry

✅ Open to businesses connected to the nbn network and located in regional Australia, with an ABN and matching bank account (one category per application)
🎥 Keep it simple: tell your story (problem, solution, impact) and a 60–90 second phone video is perfectly fine
📅 Closes 9PM WST, Monday 12 October 2026. Winners announced 16 November.

If you’re a Great Southern business using connectivity to reach further, whether you’re a First Nations enterprise, a women-led business, a farm, a tourism operator or a health or education provider, now’s the time to put your hand up. Don’t overthink it. The strongest applications explain the problem, the solution and the impact in a simple, authentic way.

05/10/2026

Applications are OPEN for the 2027 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, with $15K for WA rural women leaders. Australia's leading award for women leading in rural and emerging industries, businesses and communities (agriculture, forestry and fisheries included) is looking for its next cohort:

💰 $15K grant for each state/territory winner to grow a project, business or program
🏆 Extra $20K for the National Winner and $15K for the National Runner Up
🎓 Professional development training, a workshop with fellow winners and access to a national alumni network
✅ Open to women 18+ who are Australian citizens or permanent residents, with an existing, live project, business or program making a difference in rural, regional or remote Australia (no formal qualifications needed)
📅 Closes 5pm AEST, Weds 4 Nov 2026

What some past WA winners are doing with their grants:
🏆 Louise O'Neill (2022), Denmark: Farm Life Fitness runs live online fitness classes and wellbeing workshops for rural communities, employing only people from rural areas. Her grant went towards scaling the community and building its online home.
🏆 Mandy Walker (2024), Wongan Hills: Co-manager of Walkers Diesel Services, Mandy is building a collaborative model so Wheatbelt engineering businesses can join the defence supply chain and buffer themselves against seasonal swings in agriculture.
🏆 Michelle Moriarty (2023), South West: Founder of Grief Connect, supporting widowed people through online groups, counselling and telehealth, and using her grant to extend the program's reach.
🏆 Isabella Thrupp (2025), Kimberley: Station manager and founder of Prinking in Pindan, a clothing brand born on cattle stations. She went on to be named National Runner Up.
🏆 Angela Teale (2026), Geraldton: Aerospace engineer and Starsite co-founder, using the Award to build STEM pathways into the space industry for regional and Indigenous communities.

💡 Still at the idea stage? The Rural Women's Acceleration Grant opens on the same dates.
🙌 Know a woman who should apply? Nominate her through "Champion Her", then share this post with her.
🔗 https://agrifutures.com.au/opportunities/rural-womens-award/

02/10/2026

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has launched Launchpad, a $30M program backing Australia's early-stage clean energy innovators.

The Great Southern has amazing pioneering experience in the clean energy space, establishing among the first large utility scale and community owned wind farms 25 years ago, as well as being recognised as having one of the premier wind and wave energy generation resources in Australia.

Launchpad has two rounds open now: one funding startups directly, the other funding the accelerators, incubators and hubs that help them grow. Here's what each round supports.

🚀 STARTUP ROUND ($15M)

💰 $500K baseline grant with no matched funding required, supporting around 12 months of activity.
🔧 Optional top-up of up to $500K for deep tech or capital-intensive needs like equipment and prototypes.
🔬 Technology and product development at TRL 3 or above, with a clear pathway to commercialisation.
🏢 Open to for-profit Australian companies, including university spin-outs and research commercialisation companies.
🎤 Streamlined application: a short form, a 10-slide pitch deck and a two-minute video.

🌐 ECOSYSTEM ROUND ($15M)
🌱 Acceleration, incubation and other support services for Australian renewable energy, electrification and energy efficiency startups.
💵 Grants of up to $5M per applicant, funding programs for up to four years.
🤝 Strong industry, investor and mentor partnerships are a major focus of ARENA's assessment.
🏛️ Open to companies, not-for-profits, charities, universities, research institutions and industry associations.
🗣️ Collaborative process: ARENA will work with applicants as they develop their proposal.
🚫 Funds services only: no passing cash through to startups, and no idea-stage programs.
⏰ Applications close late October 2026 (startup round). The Ecosystem Round stays open until funds are exhausted, so start the conversation with ARENA early.

The Great Southern's talent and energy resources combined with the resources of WA's GreenTech Hub (GTH is a compelling partner as it can provide a WA link into national programs and coordinate potential partners) represent a great foundations for regional innovators through this program. Get in touch and we'll be happy to connect you with our friends at Greentech Hub for a conversation.

🔗 https://arena.gov.au/funding/launchpad-program/

23/09/2026

23/09/2026

Round 3 of the On Farm Connectivity Program CLOSES 15 OCT with rebates up to $20,000 for WA farmers. Primary producers in agriculture, forestry and fisheries can now apply for rebates to boost connectivity and take advantage of connected machinery and sensor technology on their properties.

💰 $10M available in Round 3, with rebates from $1,000 to $20,000
🎯 Priority given to new applicants
🤝 Applications via your supplier
📅 Closes 15 October 2026

Feedback from past recipients includes:
💡David installed mobile signal booster and GPS receivers "We will use both of these items all across the property, giving much needed signal to areas of our property"
💡Tracey found the application process straightforward and has encouraged farmer friends to take part in future rounds "It is an amazing program, especially for older farmers who may not have typically invested in connectivity solutions without support."
💡Murray is a viticulturist and used the grant to improve his vineyard’s climate monitoring and said the process to apply for the Program was very simple "The supplier was aware of the process and assisted us a lot"

If you're a Primary Producer in the Great Southern with connectivity gaps on your property, now's the time to check the Approved Supplier list and get a quote. More info at https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/media-communications/regional-communications-programs/better-connectivity-plan-regional-and-rural-australia/farm-connectivity-program -studies

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15/09/2026

Applications are now open for the $2.7M Visions of Australia Program with typical grants between $20K-$250K in two streams, for local museums, galleries, and cultural organisations to research, design, and tour exhibitions across state borders.

The funding goals are to ensure regional and remote communities gain equitable access, and encouraging practical partnerships, co-curation, and skills transfer across the cultural sector. Grant Guidelines:

🔵Open to Australian incorporated arts and cultural organisations with an active ABN.

🔵Development Funding Stream offers highly flexible funding for planning/design

🔵Touring Funding Stream requires at least three venues outside WA home state, including regional or remote stops.

🔵Past Recipients include:
-Artback NT: $114,159 (Development funding)
- Museum of Australian Photography: $138,644 (Touring funding)
- ACMI: $247,400 (Touring funding)

Apply online: https://www.arts.gov.au/funding-and-support/visions-australia -group-who