We are looking for projects that meet the following criteria: 

1. The organisation or group must be based in Australia, and the proposed project must take place in Australia 
2. The beneficiaries and/or participants of the proposed project must be primarily young people under 25 years old 
3. The proposed project must be completed in the next 12 months 
4. The organisation or group must be registered in Australia and possess an ABN (or you must be auspiced under an ACNC registered organisation). You do not need to have DGR status.

Applications will open on Wednesday 23 October 2024. Applications will remain open for four weeks. Applications will close on Monday 18 November at 5PM AEDT. 

Once applications close, our judging panel will review and assess all applications between Tuesday 19 November, and Tuesday 3 December. We will notify all applicants of the outcome of their applications by Thursday 5 December. If you successfully receive a grant offer, we will aim to have all funds disbursed before the end of 2024. 

We have designed the application form to be as light as possible for applicants. We want you to spend more time doing the important work you are doing rather than spending hours applying.

We recommend setting aside between 60-90minutes to complete this application. This includes filming your video.

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First and foremost, we are seeking projects that will unleash creativity in young people, and encourage them to pursue their own passion projects. 

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In 2022, the Melbourne chapter of FIRST Robotics pitched us an event that they wanted to run in Victoria to increase the number of FIRST teams from the region. The event was a 2-day tournament for local teams to compete and build community.
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In the past we have funded FIRST Robotics and Red Dirt Robotics.

1. The funds received may be only used for the purposes outlined by your organisation in your grant application. If the proposed activity does not proceed before the funding period deadline, it is your organisation’s responsibility to let us know as soon as possible so that we can agree on an appropriate course of action. If you wish to make any changes to the timeframe, project focus or expenditure of your grant, please let us know as soon as possible and before any grant funds are spent. All changes must be approved by Blackbird Foundation before activities can proceed and funds are used.

2. During the funding period your organisation remains registered or auspiced under a registered ACNC organisation.

3. Funding is provided for a one-year period. All grant funds must be used within the 12-month funding period.

4. Grantees will provide 1 x case study, 1 x long form article or video, and 3 x short-form updates communicating the impact of the grant. These can take the form of a 700+ blog post, a 3-minute+ video, and 3 x social media posts tagging and acknowledging Blackbird Foundation. These stories will form part of the Acquittal Report.

5. Your organisation is required to submit an Acquittal Report to us by 1 December 2025 or within 3 months of completing your proposed project – whichever comes first. Failure to provide acquittal reports by these deadlines will be taken into account when considering future funding applications from your organisation.

6. Your organisation is required to take part in a post-funding survey and interview within 3 months of completing your proposed project.Your organisation must have reasonable safeguards for working with vulnerable people, in line with the ACNC guidelines. We request proof of any child safety policies, training, licenses and certifications, risk assessments and safeguards you have in place for working with vulnerable people before the disbursement of funds. We expect all grantees to maintain these safeguards during the 12-month funding period. If a breach occurs during this period, we reserve the right to terminate the grant offer and request the return of unspent funds.