Look Over the Farm Gate – Community Grants

About the program

The Victorian Government has established the Look Over the Farm Gate community grants program as part of the 2025 Drought Support Package to help communities come together and support farmers and farming families under stress. 

The program is administered by the National Centre for Farmer Health on behalf of the Victorian Government.

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 mental health initiatives or other creative ideas — reflecting the diversity of the communities they serve.

What funding is available?

• Grants between $1,500 to $5,000 for eligible community organisations and groups in Victoria. (Please refer to the Program Guidelines for full details.)
• Successful applicants will receive an event resource pack from NCFH including digital and printed mental health and wellbeing resources tailored to farming communities.

Applications are open until the program budget is expended, or 20 April 2026, whichever comes first. Events must be run by 30 April 2026.

Prior to applying for funding, applicants should read the Program Guidelines.

What kind of activities can be funded?

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.

Need more inspiration? Explore our Community Resilience Hub for practical ideas and real-life resilience building examples.

Who can apply?

Applicants must be a member of the agriculture industry or farming community or be able to demonstrate current links to a local farming community (eg, through activities such as supply and services, community support, healthcare delivery).

We also encourage you to partner or connect with your local shire, local service providers, speakers, and community leaders when planning your event.

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. You will need to:

• Submit event details and purpose
• Submit a detailed, itemised budget
• Be able to provide proof of expenditure for grant acquittal

Funding conditions

Applicants must:

• Agree to the Terms & Conditions of the grant, outlined in the Program Guidelines.
• Hold valid public liability insurance (or be auspiced by an organisation that does).
• Acknowledge funding support from the Victorian Government’s Drought Response in all event marketing and advertising.
• Complete a post-event survey.

See the timeline below for information on the application and funding process. This timeline is indicative only and may be subject to change when the program is experiencing a higher than usual number of applications.