Building sector capability with $1M+ in grants

In 2025–26, Victoria Law Foundation will invest $1 million to strengthen Victoria’s legal assistance sector.

As part of this commitment, we are pleased to announce 9 new Major Grant projects that harness data and research to help legal organisations better understand and support the legal needs and capabilities of Victorians.

These projects address critical issues from migrant communities and family violence to consumer rights, child protection, climate justice and policing. Each initiative will generate insights that shape smarter policy and practice.

Other projects focus on strengthening legal interventions and improving outcomes for renters, young people, and culturally diverse communities through innovative approaches and robust data use.

We congratulate the successful organisations. Together, these projects will create a more targeted, responsive, and sustainable legal assistance sector.

Explore the 2025-26 projects

Australian Muslim Women's Centre for Human Rights

Strengthening equitable access to justice: Migrant and refugee Muslim women’s experiences with free legal services

$100,000

In partnership with inTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence, examine migrant and refugee Muslim women’s experiences with legal services in family violence matters. Insights from interviews and focus groups will inform recommendations for system change to improve outcomes for culturally diverse victim-survivors.

Consumer Action Law Centre

Balancing VCAT’s scales of justice

$99,966

In partnership with Consumer Policy Research Centre, investigate the complaints process for Victorians to resolve goods and services disputes at VCAT. Research findings and recommendations will be used to influence reforms to enable more Victorians to resolve consumer legal matters.

Eastern Community Legal Centre

Climate and Disaster Legal Data Project

$100,000

In partnership with Windermere and Each, the project will review data and experiences collected from clients impacted by disasters to better understand the extent of unmet legal and related need.

Human Rights Law Centre

Excessive by force: police weapons impacts in Victoria

$100,000

Investigate the use and regulation of crowd control weapons by police. The project is in response to increasing police powers against peaceful protesters, and escalating use of crowd control weapons.

Inner Melbourne Community Legal

Police Accountability Worker intake and advice line

$100,000

Design and trial a Police Accountability Worker Intake and Advice Line to help legal assistance lawyers and community workers respond to police misconduct. The initiative aims to build sector capacity and improve support for individuals experiencing police accountability issues.

Law and Advocacy Centre for Women

Women’s experiences of the intersection between the child protection and criminal legal systems

$100,000

Address gaps in knowledge about the unmet legal and support needs of women who have involvement with child protection and in the criminal justice system. Building on previous work examining issues such as maintaining contact and participating in child protection processes for women in the community, this phase focuses on women in custody, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, to inform system improvements and better outcomes.

Northern Community Legal Centre

The Citizenship Key: Legal Support for Young People Eligible for Australian Citizenship+

$100,000

Provide specialist migration legal assistance to young people to help them obtain citizenship and overcome barriers to education that contribute to disengagement and social inequity.

Tenants Victoria

Exploring the legal pathways of renters - Developing innovative methods for service and system feedback

$99,990

Develop and trial various methods for collecting data about renter’s experience of services and what effect it has had on their legal outcomes. Findings will be used to refine and redesign services to help renters achieve better outcomes.

Westjustice

Uplifting Data Capability Maximising Impact

$100,000

Build the organisation’s data capability to more consistently collect, understand and use data to better understand impact for clients and ensure services are identifying and meeting legal needs.

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