Communities Innovation Fund: Responses to social isolation and loneliness
The Communities Innovation Fund provides a competitive grants program to support flexible person-centred and place-based responses to social isolation and loneliness in Queensland communities.
The grant program provides up to $200,000 per year to community organisations for innovative projects that create meaningful connections for Queenslanders experiencing social isolation and loneliness.
Background
The first 2 rounds were run in 2023 and 2024.
Purpose of the grant program
In 2026, a total of $1 million was allocated for innovative projects addressing social isolation and loneliness among:
- young Queenslanders aged 12 to 25
- young people 12 to 25 using or experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV), and
- victim-survivors of DFSV of all ages.
Applicant initiatives were also able to contribute to the grant program’s secondary objectives, which included:
- increasing community understanding of social isolation and loneliness including the causes, impacts, barriers and enablers to overcoming social isolation and loneliness
- establishing and maintaining social and community connections and promote inclusion
- supporting capacity building within organisations to respond to those experiencing social isolation and loneliness from within the relevant cohorts.
Eight organisations have been announced as the successful recipients of the 2026 Round of the Queensland Government’s Communities Innovation Fund.
2026 Round Recipients
| Organisation | Project title | Project details | Total grant funding (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campfire Healing Indigenous Corporation | Connection Without Pressure: Safe Circles for Young People and Victim-Survivors | Deliver trauma-informed Safe Circles for young people aged 12-25 using or experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence. | $200,000 |
| Churches of Christ Housing | Shared Table: Monthly Community Lunch Program | Shared Table: Monthly Community Lunch Program. Resident-led communal lunches for young people in a Logan social housing complex to foster social connection and build confidence. | $35,000 |
| Community Resource Unit Ltd. | From Presence to Contribution: Building Community Connectedness | To support young people with disability across Queensland to develop valued social roles and connections through mentoring, training, and community engagement. | $199,955 |
| Fossung Multicultural and Education Services Inc. | Read Together, Belong Together: Breaking Language Isolation for CALD Young People | To reduce social isolation and loneliness among CALD youth aged 12–18 by building literacy through shared reading and guided conversation activities. | $50,000 |
| NQ Ummah Care Ltd. | Connected Townsville | To support migrant and refugee youth aged 12–25 to build connection through soccer matches, leadership workshops, and community engagement. | $140,648 |
| Outback Instincts Ltd | Paws on the Ground: Reducing Loneliness Through Canine-Assisted Social Inclusion | Foster social connection, trust, and peer support for young people disengaged from schooling or impacted by DFSV through animal-assisted activities. | $50,000 |
| Young Change Agents Limited | Young Change Agents Connected Futures | A mental health and social connection initiative for secondary school students across the state, culminating in a Youth Incubator and community showcase. | $169,400 |
| Youth Advocacy Centre | Pathways to Connection Youth Program | To provide Indigenous-led Walking on Country experiences to build peer relationships, cultural connection, and social inclusion for youth aged 12–25. | $72,539 |
Past recipients
- Round 1 successful recipients (PDF, 86 KB) Round 1 successful recipients (DOCX, 134 KB)
- Round 2 successful recipients (PDF, 80 KB) Round 2 successful recipients (DOCX, 135 KB)
More information and resources
- Writing a grant application.
- Ending loneliness together—a guide to evaluating loneliness for community organisations.
- QCOSS resources:
Contact
If you have questions about the grant program, or to be added to our mailing list, please email grantqueries@families.qld.gov.au.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence