About the Social Impact Grants

Social Impact Grants

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• Eligibility

  All UTS staff members and students are eligible to apply. This includes professional and academic staff and both undergraduate and higher degree research students. We encourage researchers and practitioners at all career stages, including early career researchers to apply.   
   
  Students who apply will need to have a nominated staff supervisor for their project, who will receive the funds, act as a mentor and take joint responsibility for the project.   
   
  Projects and staff from the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion are not eligible for funding.  
   
  All applications must have a UTS staff member as the project lead. While each application must have a project lead from UTS, we encourage project teams made up of people from different faculties, fellow universities, community organisations or industry.  
   
  Previous Social Impact Grant recipients may apply but will not be considered for a similar or related project in the 2027 round.     
   
  Equity and Inclusion theme: to be eligible for this grant, you must have an internal partner (another faculty, unit or division). You must also get endorsement from your Dean (faculties) or relevant Pro-Vice Chancellor/Deputy Vice Chancellor (Units, Centres, Divisions etc).  
   
  Healthy Communities: to be eligible for this grant, you must have an external partner (a person, group or organisation outside of UTS). You must also provide a letter of endorsement from that community partner and receive endorsement from your Dean (faculties) or relevant Pro-Vice Chancellor/Deputy Vice Chancellor (Units, Centres, Divisions etc). 

• Themes

  The Social Impact Grants support research projects and practical initiatives aimed at making a positive change on campus and/or in the wider community. To apply, your project must align to one of the following focus areas from the UTS Social Impact Framework:  
   
  Equity and Inclusion  
   
  Projects aligning to this theme aim to support UTS students and staff from a range of equity groups by promoting equity, accessibility and inclusion, removing barriers, and enabling full participation in university and society, regardless of background, lived experience or identity. These projects should also contribute to creating a more welcoming campus. 

  
  Equity groups may include: 

  • Students from low socioeconomic (low-SES) backgrounds 
  • Students from rural, regional, and remote areas 
  • First Nations students and staff 
  • Culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) communities 
  • People with disability 
  • LGBTIQA+ communities 
  • Women 
     

  In 2027, two grants will be dedicated to advancing anti-racism at UTS, in alignment with the university’s Cultural Diversity and Anti-Racism (CDAR) Action Plan. We are seeking grant proposals that will address systemic racism, support culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) staff and students, and foster a more inclusive, safe, and equitable campus.  
    
  UTS staff and students are strongly encouraged to submit proposals that respond to the CDAR Plan, which may include building anti-racism capability, race literacy and racial dignity, creating culturally safe spaces, elevating CARM voices and leadership, or strengthening belonging and intercultural connection within the UTS community. 
   
  Healthy Communities   
   
  Projects aligning to this theme aim to foster health, belonging, and social resilience by co-creating solutions with communities through respectful, reciprocal partnerships that drive cultural, social, environmental, and economic prosperity for a thriving society.

   
  Projects in this theme must involve a partnership between the university and an external community partner. Eligible community partners may include: 

  • An NGO or charity 
  • A peak body organisation or activist/advocacy group 
  • An individual community member 
  • A grassroots community organisation 
  • Traditional Owners or Elders 
  • A local health district 

  
  Industry partners, commercial entities, and other universities are not considered eligible community partners under the Healthy Communities theme. 

• Endorsement

  Applications under the Equity and Inclusion theme must get endorsement from your Dean (faculties) or relevant Pro-Vice Chancellor/Deputy Vice Chancellor (Units, Centres, Divisions etc). We also encourage you to seek feedback from your Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee to strengthen your applications.  
   
  Applications under the Healthy Communities theme must also provide a letter of endorsement from their community partner and receive endorsement from your Dean (faculties) or relevant Pro-Vice Chancellor/Deputy Vice Chancellor (Units, Centres, Divisions etc).  

• How to apply

  Applications open on 1 September 2026 and close 26 October 2026 at 11.59pm. 
   
  All applications must be submitted online, through the Good Grants platform. 
   
  The Good Grants platform will allow you to save your application progress as you go. Late and incomplete applications will not be accepted for review.   
   
  If you wish to prepare your responses to the application questions prior to completing the online application form, please email us at socialimpactgrants@uts.edu.au for a blank copy, citing either Healthy Communities or Equity and Inclusion.
  OR 
  If you require more information or have any issues with GoodGrants, we encourage you to email us at socialimpactgrants@uts.edu.au

• Funding

  There are no restrictions or requirements on how the grant funding should be used. However, you must provide a clear description detailing how you plan to allocate the funds with estimated costings.     
    
  The grant can be used flexibly to fund entire projects or specific aspects of initiatives. For example, it could support a project from the ideation phase to the delivery phase. It can also act as a catalyst to advance a current project or assist in evaluating a project. 

• Grant recipient requirements

  Successful applicants will be required to attend a 3-hour evaluation workshop in early 2027.   
    
  All grants must be financially acquitted by early December 2027, with project outcomes completed or near completion by January 2028.    
    
  All grant recipients must also complete a final project report and work with the Centre for Social Justice’s communications team on a case study of their work. 

• Selection process

  All completed applications received will be shortlisted to confirm they meet eligibility requirements.    
   
  Shortlisted applications will then be reviewed and selected for funding by a panel comprised of:    

  • Pro Vice-Chancellor (Social Justice & Inclusion) (Chair)   
  • A faculty Dean    
  • Two representatives from faculties at various stages of career
  •  A community member  

  Please note, applications in the Equity and Inclusion stream related to student mental health will also be assessed by the Student Services Unit.   
   
  Successful applications will be notified mid-December 2026, via email. The Social Impact Grants Team will then work with all successful recipients in 2027 to release the funds and commence the project.   

• Selection criteria

  Grant applications will be assessed based on the following criteria. All applications must also align with either the ‘Healthy Communities’ theme or ‘Equity and Inclusion’ theme. 

  • Social Impact: The project should demonstrate the potential to create meaningful, positive, and lasting change by advancing UTS’s commitment to social justice and contributing to positive outcomes for communities within UTS, beyond UTS, or both. 
  • Clear Outcomes: The intended outcomes should be clear and achievable within the given timeframe and resources, with a detailed plan to demonstrate these outcomes.  
  • Engagement: The project should show active involvement with the intended beneficiaries and key stakeholders. This may look different for each stream:  

  Healthy Communities stream: The project should show significant engagement with their community partner, including how they co-identified and co-designed the project, and how they will be involved ongoingly. A brief letter of endorsement from the partner must be provided. The project should also demonstrate meaningful input from the intended beneficiaries (i.e., the end-users) in shaping the project’s goals, design, and delivery - ensuring it responds to real needs and is grounded in lived experience.  

  Equity and Inclusion stream: The project must be a cross-university partnership, with projects partnered with another UTS division and/or faculty. The project must demonstrate meaningful cross-university consultation and engagement, showing how the need for the project was identified in collaboration with the intended beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders and how key stakeholders have been involved in shaping the project’s design and planned implementation.  

  • Project Feasibility: The project activities and use of funding should be detailed, clear, and achievable within the given timeframe and resources.  
  • Expertise: The project lead/team should have existing expertise in the subject area.  
  • Risk Management: Potential risks and mitigation strategies should be clearly identified.  
  • Dissemination: There should be a clear plan for how the project findings will be shared.  
  • Endorsement: All projects should be endorsed by the Dean (Faculties), or relevant Pro-Vice Chancellor/Deputy Vice Chancellor (Units, Centres, Divisions etc). Projects in the Healthy Communities theme must also provide a brief letter of endorsement from their community partner. 

• Key dates

  • 1 September 2026: Applications open  
  • 8 September 2026: Social Impact Grants information session  
  • 26 October 2026: Applications close  
  • Mid December 2026: Successful applicants notified  
  • Feb 2027: Required half-day evaluation workshop for all grant recipients  
  • July 2027 Progress check-in  
  • 8 December 2027: Total grant budget must be expended  
  • 28 February 2028: Final report due