Look Over the Farm Gate – Community Grants

About the program

The National Centre for Farmer Health, as part of the Victorian Government‘s drought support, is delivering a Community Grants Program – Look Over the Farm Gate – to help communities come together and support farmers and farming families under stress. 

We know how vital strong, connected communities are in building resilience during tough times. This grants program empowers local organisations to deliver events and initiatives tailored to their unique needs. The focus is on activities that support mental wellbeing and bring people together — whether through capacity-building initiatives or other creative ideas — reflecting the diversity of the communities they serve.

What funding is available?

• Grants of up to $5,000 for eligible community organisations and groups in Victoria. (Please refer to the Terms & Conditions for full details.)
• In addition, successful applicants will receive an event resource pack from NCFH to support the delivery of their event. This pack includes digital and printed mental health and wellbeing resources tailored to farming communities.

Activities must be conducted before 31 October 2025.

Types of activities for your event

Whether you are being creative or responding to a specific need, get those ideas flowing! If it connects your community and supports mental wellbeing – it’s worth applying! Here’s a few ideas to get you started.

Explore our Community Resilience Hub for more inspiration and practical ideas. Developed through the Resilient Farming Communities project—evaluated by NCFH and focused on strengthening resilience in agriculture-dependent communities—this initiative supported 11 projects across Victoria, delivering over 220 activities.

We encourage you to connect with your local shire, local service providers, speakers, and community leaders when planning your event. For support with event planning or to enquire about National Centre for Farmer Health team involvement, please contact us.

Who can apply?

Anyone who is able to demonstrate links to a farming community can apply – including, but not limited to, community and/or farmer groups, sporting clubs, volunteer organisations, service providers, incorporated bodies, private businesses, local government organisations and healthcare providers. 

How to apply

To help plan your event and prepare this application, please read Tackling the Tough Topics: A step-by-step guide to plan mental health and wellbeing events in farming communities. This guide provides practical templates, case studies and top tips which will help you to design an event that is tailored to your community’s specific needs. 

Applications are now open! 

Complete the online questionnaire below to submit your application.

Get in quickly— applications are open until funds run out!

See the timeline below for information on the application and funding process.

Update 7/7/2025 – We are experiencing a very high number of applications. To give each application the careful consideration it deserves, extra time is needed to work through them all. Please note the following changes to timelines:

• A member of our team will be in touch within 10 working days of receiving of application.
• Applicants will be notified of the outcome within 20 working days of application date.
• Processing of payments for successful events remains the same.

Events – coming soon!