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Funding to boost participation of girls and women in STEM and entrepreneurship
Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship Round 5
Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship grants encourage participation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics leading to STEM education and careers.
Closing date: Wednesday 18 February 2026 5:00pm AEDT Wed 18 Feb 2026 5:00pm AEDT
What do you get?
Grants between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 for projects that increase women’s and girls’ participation in STEM and entrepreneurship.
Who is this for?
Australian businesses, publicly funded research organisations, vocational education and training providers, TAFE institutions and not-for-profit organisations to deliver projects that support women and girls to build STEM skills and succeed in STEM education and careers.
About the program
The Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship program supports investment in gender equity initiatives that aim for lasting systemic change by eliminating barriers for women’s participation in STEM education and careers, and entrepreneurship.
The program objectives are to:
- increase awareness and participation of girls and women in STEM education and careers
- increase awareness and participation of girls and women in other parts of the innovation ecosystem including innovative businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurial activities and careers
- increase the number of women in senior leadership and decision making positions in government, research organisations, industry and businesses.
The grant opportunity provides funding to deliver co-designed projects that:
- reduce and/or mitigate systemic and cultural barriers to participation in STEM education, careers, innovation and entrepreneurship by girls and women
- reduce the multiplier effect of intersectional barriers to participation, development and leadership of girls and women in STEM education, careers, innovation and entrepreneurship
- address inequality or discrimination against girls and women in STEM education, careers, innovation and/or entrepreneurship, by either:
- increasing awareness and understanding of the barriers to participation of girls and women in STEM education, careers, innovation and/or entrepreneurship
- increasing participation, development and leadership of girls and women in STEM education, careers, innovation and entrepreneurship, including senior leadership and decision-making positions in government, research organisations, industry and businesses
- broadening and strengthening networks and support for girls and women in STEM education, careers, innovation and entrepreneurship.
This is a high-level comparison of the differences in the grant opportunity guidelines from round 4.
Full requirements for round 5 are set out in the grant opportunity guidelines. You must refer to, understand, and comply with, the round 5 grant opportunity guidelines when preparing your application.
- The minimum grant amount has increased from $500,000 to $1 million (Section 3.1).
- The maximum grant amount has increased from $1 million to $2 million (Section 3.1).
- In-kind contributions can now be counted towards eligible project costs (Section 3.1).
- The maximum project length has been extended from 3 years to 5 years (Section 3.2).
- Project eligibility (Section 5.1) has been updated:
- projects must now be co-designed with the target audience to be eligible. The co-design requirement is also assessed under Assessment Criterion 1 and expected in the project plan attachment
- the previous requirement for projects to scale up or extend an existing project has been removed.
- Assessment criteria (Section 6) have been updated, including:
- introducing co-design with the target audience as a criterion
- strengthening focus on increasing support for women at key career transition points
- adjusting criterion weighting.
Check if you can apply
You can apply if you meet the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria are a set of rules that describe who we can consider for this grant. You can apply if you:
- are an eligible entity
- have an eligible project
- have eligible expenditure.
The rules are in the grant opportunity guidelines.
You can apply if you:
- have an Australian business number (ABN)
- are one of the following entities:
- an entity, incorporated in Australia
- a publicly funded research organisation (PFRO) or publicly funded research agency (PFRA) as defined in section 14 of the grant opportunity guidelines
- a government or non-government vocational education and training (VET) provider as defined in section 14 of the grant opportunity guidelines, or technical and further education (TAFE) institution
- an incorporated not for profit organisation.
- meet the additional eligibility requirements specified in the grant opportunity guidelines (section 4.2).
You can’t apply if you are:
- an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme
- an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
- an individual
- a partnership
- a primary or secondary school (however, primary and secondary schools may be part of a joint application if the lead applicant is eligible)
- an unincorporated association
- a Commonwealth, state and local government agency or body (including government business enterprises other than eligible PFROs, PFRAs, VET providers and TAFE institutions)
- a trust (however, an incorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust).
Partner with other organisations
Joint applications are acceptable, provided you have a lead organisation who is the main driver of the project and is eligible to apply.
The lead organisation must fill out the application form.
If we give your group the grant, the lead organisation:
- signs the grant agreement
- is responsible for making sure your group follows the rules in the grant agreement.
Your project must:
- reduce and/or mitigate systemic and cultural barriers to participation in STEM education, careers, innovation and entrepreneurship by girls and women
- reduce the multiplier effect of intersectional barriers to participation, development and leadership of girls and women in STEM education, careers, innovation and entrepreneurship
- address inequality or discrimination against girls and women in STEM education, careers, innovation and/or entrepreneurship, by either:
- increasing awareness and understanding of the barriers to participation of girls and women in STEM education, careers, innovation and/or entrepreneurship
- increasing participation, development and leadership of girls and women in STEM education, careers, innovation and entrepreneurship, including senior leadership and decision making positions in government, research organisations, industry and businesses
- broadening and strengthening networks and support for girls and women in STEM education, careers, innovation and entrepreneurship
- include project evaluation that will track the progress of your project, and your ability to effect lasting systemic and cultural change
- be co-designed with the target audience of the project
- have at least $1,000,000 (excl. GST) in eligible expenditure.
How to apply
Check if you’re ready to apply for a grant
Finding a suitable grant opportunity is just the start of the process to get funding. The application process can take time and effort. Understanding the entire process will help you be grant ready and may improve your chances of getting funding.
Use our checklist to find out what it takes to apply for a grant.
When you're ready to apply
When the online form is available, you can apply using our online portal.
- Create or log into your portal account.
- Follow the instructions to complete your application.
- Submit your application before the close date.
Make sure you include enough detail and supporting evidence in your application to help us decide whether to award you the grant.
Don’t submit the application until it’s complete. You can’t correct a mistake.
First we check that you meet the eligibility criteria. Then your application is assessed against the assessment criteria.
We will establish a committee comprised of experts to assess applications.
The committee will assess your application against the assessment criteria and compare it to other eligible applications in a funding round before recommending which projects to fund.
The assessment criteria are a set of rules that describe how we must assess each application.
We give each criterion a certain number of points.
The committee decide whether to award you the grant based on the total number of points your application receives and how it performs in comparison to other eligible applications.
- Assessment criterion 1: Project alignment with policy intent (50 points).
- Assessment criterion 2: Capacity and capability to deliver the project (30 points).
- Assessment criterion 3: Long term impact (10 points)
- Assessment criterion 4: Impact of the grant funding on your project (10 points)
The committee may also seek additional advice from independent technical experts or advisors to inform the assessment process.
The amount of detail and supporting evidence you provide should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant amount requested.
The program delegate makes the final decision.
Apply now
Apply for the Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship: Round 5 grant opportunity now.
Before you apply, make sure you:
- read and understand the grant opportunity guidelines.
Sample applications
The best way to understand what information you need to provide is to start an application. We have also provided a version to download at the bottom of this page.
Technical help
See our customer portal's frequently asked questions to help with your queries. If you can't find your answer, contact us for assistance.
We can’t consider the application you submit after the close date under any circumstances.
Diversity in STEM
This opportunity is part of the Diversity in STEM suite of initiatives, which provides funding for a range of grant opportunities to support equity, diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers.
The Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship Program supports the development of a thriving, skilled and diverse STEM workforce and puts into action the Government’s National Gender Equality Strategy. It expands the focus of existing Women in STEM programs to maintain support for women and girls and gender diverse/non-binary people, while also encompassing a broader diversity of cohorts underrepresented in STEM.
Contact
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