Application timeline

• Major Grant opens: 1 July 2026
• Meet with the grants team: 3 July – 6 August 2026
• Grant round closes: 5pm, 10 August 2026
• ‍Assessment and decision making: August - November
• Grant announcement: Late November 2026

What the funding can be used for

• Understanding the legal needs and capabilities of Victorians.
• Improving data and research capability in the justice sector.
• Helping people navigate the justice system and access to legal information.
• Sharing insights and outcomes across sectors.

Types of projects funded

• Research into civil legal or access to justice issues.
• Improvements to systems to collect, understand and use data to improve services or programs.
• Develop systems and processes that build organisational capacity, particularly where there might be benefit across the sector.
• Trial approaches to help people access legal help and navigate the justice system.

Who can apply

• Community legal services.
• Community organisations with an internal legal service.
• Community organisations partnering with a legal service.

We only fund organisations, individuals are not able to apply.

We encourage partnerships and collaborations to share knowledge, resources, provide guidance and expertise where there is shared interest. Partnerships can be with another legal or community service, research body, court, tribunal, or statutory body.

Assessment criteria

The following criteria are considered in the assessment of applications.

• Responds to an important legal issue or need.
• Shows clear evidence of need.
• Supports people experiencing disadvantage.
• Appropriate project design and methodology.
• Is likely to lead to sustainable outcomes.
• A process for sharing the project outputs and outcomes.
• Includes evaluation and learning.
• Demonstrates the organisation has capacity to deliver the project.
• Partnerships and collaborations to improve reach and impact

More information and resources

Measure for Measure

The Public Understanding of Law Survey

Data collection and ethics standards