Australia’s charity and For-Purpose sector is economically significant, with 2024 revenue reaching $239 billion. Comparable 2023 figures show a contribution of 7.8% of GDP and 4.8% of gross value-add to the Australian economy. Yet despite this scale, the sector still lacks a transparent, comprehensive view of grant funding.
Important baseline information is published by regulators and government agencies, but the broader picture remains fragmented. Funders use different grant-making systems, define giving categories differently, report at different levels of detail and often do not publish complete post-award distribution funding data.
Some record where a grantee is based; others record where a project is delivered. Some publish total program pools; others publish individual grants. This makes it difficult for charities, funders and policy makers to see who is funding what, where funding is flowing, and where gaps remain.
As a result, For-Purpose organisations and funders alike are shaping strategic plans with only partial visibility. For informed decision-making, they want to understand the volume of funding being made available, how grant design is changing, where access is opening or narrowing, and how giving trends are shaping organisations’ capacity for mission delivery. Greater transparency and clearer analytics are therefore not only useful; they are central to better long-term planning and more effective social impact.
To help fill this gap, Strategic Grants is now able to dive into the rich trove of data contained in GEMS Funding Insights, a new module of its Grants Expertise Management System. Drawing on a longitudinal database (since 2012) of grant opportunities across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, GEMS Funding Insights provides analytics of how the design, accessibility and distribution of grant funding has shifted over time.
Strategic Grants GEMS Funding Insights Funding Landscape Report focuses on Australian funding data from FY21 to FY24, using the dataset to identify available funding pools, funder types, geographic distribution, grant categories and access trends.
The findings should be read with an important caveat: the report reflects funding that was advertised or otherwise made available to For-Purpose organisations, including open and by-invitation grants and some government tenders. It is not a record of actual money distributed. What it reveals is scale, direction and patterns across a large dataset, while recognising the limitations of Australia’s fragmented funding data environment.
Key findings
- Available funding has grown substantially, but the picture is complex. Total available funding recorded in GEMS increased from $13.1 billion in FY21 to $19.3 billion in FY24, a rise of 47.3%. However, annual totals are strongly influenced by large government programs, COVID-19 and post-COVID adjustments, and the way funding pools are reported.
- Government remains the dominant force in the grants landscape. The priorities and reporting practices of government and a small number of major philanthropic funders continue to shape sector-wide trends. Growth in funding volume does not automatically translate to easier access for all organisations.
- Philanthropy is expanding, but not necessarily through larger grants. Growth in Private Ancillary Funds and Public Ancillary Funds is broadening the philanthropic base. However, average philanthropic grant size remains comparatively modest and consistent, suggesting growth is being driven more by the number of opportunities than by substantially larger individual grants.
- The administrative load on charities is increasing. As growth is driven primarily by an increase in the number of grants rather than larger average grant amounts, For-Purpose organisations may need to pursue increasingly greater numbers of opportunities to sustain or grow grant income.
- By-invitation and relationship-based funding are becoming more important. The data points to growth in both open and by-invitation grants, with by-invitation grants accounting for a much larger share of philanthropic activity. This reinforces the importance of funder stewardship, visibility and long-term relationship building, while raising questions about transparency and access for smaller, newer or less connected organisations.
- Geographic access favours scale and reach. Most funding remains categorised as available Australia-wide, and funding to “Anywhere in Australia” has increased year on year. Statewide funding is also increasing, particularly through government, favouring organisations able to operate at scale or collaborate across regions.
- Cause-area priorities show both stability and encouraging change. Familiar causes such as community development, health, medical research, social welfare, education and environment remain prominent. At the same time, organisational capacity building has grown significantly, suggesting emerging, practical recognition that strong governance, systems, workforce capability and operational maturity are essential to sustained impact.
What the data means for the sector
Australia is experiencing the emergence of a more complex, competitive and relationship-based funding landscape. More funding may be available overall, but access to that funding is shaped by funder type, geography, grant size, reporting practices, relationships and organisational capability.
This means grant-seeking strategy must become more disciplined and evidence-informed. Reacting to open or competitive grant rounds is not enough. Organisations need clearer or more strategic approaches to accessing new funding opportunities, clearer value propositions, stronger internal systems, and effective, sustained funder stewardship.
The ability to demonstrate outcomes and impact achieved through funding partnerships, organisational readiness and alignment with funder priorities will increasingly influence success.
The rise in smaller and mid-sized philanthropic opportunities also has practical implications. It creates more entry points for engagement, but it can also increase the workload required to maintain grant income. Organisations will need to weigh the value of each opportunity against the effort required to apply, deliver, report and steward the relationship.
The growth in by-invitation funding underscores the importance of visibility and capability. While relationship-based grant-making can support deeper collaboration and more strategic outcomes, it also risks narrowing access for organisations without established networks. This makes transparency a sector issue, not just an organisational one.
For funders, the message is equally important. Fragmented and inconsistent data limits the sector’s ability to learn, coordinate and direct resources where they can have the greatest impact. Better data can help funders understand where their funding is flowing, where gaps remain and whether current practices are unintentionally reinforcing inequity. Improving data quality, consistency and transparency will strengthen decision-making, for funders and grant-seekers alike. It would also support more informed collaboration, spotlight under-funded communities or causes, and help ensure funding design reflects real need.
Ultimately, the data points to a sector that is growing in scale but still constrained by limited visibility of important data. Better insight will not solve every funding challenge, but it can change the quality of decisions made across the system. For charities, funders and policy makers, the opportunity is to move from fragmented information to shared intelligence, and from reactive grant-seeking to more strategic, equitable and impact-focused funding practice. Strategic Grants’ GEMS Funding Insights takes the sector a step in the right direction.
Read the GEMS Funding Insights Funding Landscape Report here.
To explore key findings in this white paper, join a Strategic Grants webinar with Jo Garner: 12pm Wednesday 2 September – Register Here.
For more information about GEMS, GEMS Funding Insights or the GEMS Funding Insights Fundraising Landscape Report 2026 please contact Strategic Grants: [email protected]
About the author
Jo Garner is the CEO & Founder of Strategic Grants. Jo established Strategic Grants in 2009 and in 2012 she launched what is now GEMS – Grants Expertise Management System – New Zealand and Australia’s largest online grant-seeking management system. Jo leads a passionate team of 35, who are all dedicated to working collaboratively with for-purpose organisations to build their capacity and secure grant funding to deliver vital projects to achieve their mission. Jo is a regular presenter at philanthropy and fundraising conferences and is known for her engaging training techniques and facilitation of strategic planning workshops.