Community Legal Grant
Help the community to navigate civil legal issues and the Victorian justice system.
Community Legal Grants support projects that improve community understanding of a civil legal issue or help to navigate the Victorian justice system where there is a demonstrated legal need.
Community legal services or community organisations working in partnership with a legal service, can apply for up to $20,000 to:
- develop new information or an intervention that addresses a legal issue for a specific community
- pilot a project that offers a new approach to delivering legal information or access to legal help
- trial a strategy to gain insights applicable in other programs or services.
Grant criteria
In addition to meeting the object of Victoria Law Foundation and our grant aims, priority will be given to applications that can demonstrate the guiding principles:
Evidence
Evidence of legal need and a good case that the response is likely to make a difference.
Impact
Projects that have potential to reach significant audiences – this could be the scope or size of the target audience group or by addressing a critical legal issue experienced by a specific group of Victorians.
Application Timeline
2023/24 applications are now closed.
Eligibility
Community Legal Grant applications are open to community legal and not-for-profit organisations.
Eligible organisations include community legal centres, community organisations with an internal legal service or a not-for-profit organisation in partnership with a legal service.
Non-legal organisations are required to partner with an organisation with suitable legal expertise to ensure accurate legal information is provided to the audience group.
We only fund organisations – individuals are not able to apply.
We prioritise projects that can demonstrate how they will meet legal need and are ready start in 2024/25.
Preparing your application
If you are interested in applying for a grant, we offer a range of guidance supports and resources to help.
- Contact the Grants Manager to discuss your proposal.
- Ensure your proposal meets the grant criteria.
- Read the information about developing your proposal.
- Download a copy of the application questions to prepare your proposal.
Submit an application
We use SmartyGrants to manage our grant applications.
Related Resources
Keep up with the latest
Subscribe to our Grants newsletter for the latest grant information, support to apply and completed projects.
Case studies
Learn more about some of the projects funded by our grants.
Delivery of community legal education to help culturally and linguistically diverse young people increase their literacy on family violence issues and shift attitudes that allow it to occur.
A video project designed to increase awareness and use of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights by showing how it can benefit Victorians.
Community Legal Grant
projects we've funded
A series of information sessions for Sudanese, South Sudanese and Congolese community members in the Shepparton region to increase understanding and awareness of Australian laws and the legal system.
A peer legal education project that will educate, empower and help women in the West Heidelberg region navigate the legal system when experiencing family violence and related legal issues.
This project will work with young Sudanese people, and their families, to improve their understanding of and confidence in the legal system. Project partner, Springvale Monash Legal Service (SMLS) will embed a community lawyer two days a week at Afri-Aus Care in Dandenong and Pakenham.
A service for Victorian employees seeking legal advice in relation to contracts and documents related to their employment or other work.
A resource to inform people living with HIV of their rights and protections when disclosing their HIV status.
Keep in touch
Email or send an online message to our teams.