2025 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants
Grant:
2025 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants
Age Groups:
4-7 | 7-13 | 13-18
Grant amount:
Up to $5,000 each
Number of Projects:
Approximately 100
Grant application date open:
25 February 2025
Grant application date close:
Friday 28 March 2025 (3pm AEST)
Contact Email:
2025 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants
Applications are now open for the 2025 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants. Delivered by Landcare Australia and funded by the Victorian Government’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, these grants encourage children and young people to get involved, value, and actively care for Victoria’s biodiversity and natural environment.
Focus Areas
Biodiversity includes the variety of plants, animals, insects, and all living things in our natural environment. These grants provide young Victorians with exciting opportunities to participate in biodiversity focused projects. Projects can focus on one of two focus areas or a combination of both.
Focus Area 1: Biodiversity focused education activities: educating, involving, and engaging young people in valuing and actively caring for Victoria’s biodiversity and natural environment.
Examples of projects that can be funded include (but not limited to)
- Incursions and Excursions focussed on Victoria’s biodiversity
- Incursions by local experts on wildlife conservation
- Excursions to wildlife sanctuaries or parks to learn about local biodiversity
- Educational resources, technology and equipment to support biodiversity education and citizen science activities
- Habitat creation, restoration or enhancement for Victoria’s native plants and animals
- Traditional Owner or First Nations Welcome to Country or Smoking Ceremonies as part of the funded project
Focus Area 2: Biodiversity focused on-ground projects: engaging young people to improve biodiversity through creating, enhancing, or restoring habitat for Victoria’s native plants and animals.
These types of projects could include planting indigenous vegetation at a school to improve habitat for Victoria’s native animals, removing invasive weeds to address threats to biodiversity, or working with a local Landcare group on a project at a Council managed reserve.
Previous grant recipients have undertaken projects including:
The Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants are open to primary and secondary schools, Scouts, Girl Guides, youth groups, Junior Landcare groups, and youth environmental volunteer groups in Victoria. To be eligible, applicant schools or groups must work with young people living in Victoria, who are preferably under the age of 18 years.
These grants support the delivery of Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037– the Victorian Government’s plan to stop the decline of our native plants and animals and improve our natural environment, so that it is healthy, valued and actively cared for.
Cross-border schools with Victorian students are eligible to apply.
Apply immediately to support the next generation of Landcarers to protect Victoria’s biodiversity.
Applications close at 3pm, 28 March 2025.
How to apply
- Read the guidelines and project example and budget info sheet. For detailed information explaining what we do and don’t fund, check out the guidelines.
- Login or register to start your grant application on the Landcare Australia Grants Site.
- Chat to your colleagues, local Landcare or Friends group or Landcare facilitator about your project idea.
- Complete your application by 3pm, Friday 28 March 2025.
Who can apply?
Schools (primary, secondary or special), Scouts, Girl Guides, youth groups, and Junior Landcare groups in Victoria. Cross-border schools that have Victorian students are eligible to apply
Ready to apply?
Get your application in now.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What kind of project is eligible for funding?
Examples of Focus Area 1 activities or projects that can be funded include:
- a biodiversity focused educational incursion by a scientist/environmental educator or Landcare facilitator working in biodiversity conservation
- an excursion to undertake an education program at a wildlife sanctuary
- students collecting Waterwatch data to monitor water quality of a local creek
- design and installation of interpretive signage for an area of indigenous plants
- a biodiversity focused art project that involves young people in creating the art.
Focus Area 2 – Biodiversity focused on-ground projects: engaging young people to improve biodiversity through creating, enhancing, or restoring habitat for Victoria’s native plants and animals.
Examples of Focus Area 2 activities or projects that can be funded include:
- planting indigenous vegetation at a school to create and improve habitat for Victoria’s native animals
- removing weeds to address threats to biodiversity
- working with a Landcare group to plant indigenous vegetation at a Council managed reserve.
Projects can be for either Focus Areas 1 or 2, or a mixture of both.
What kind of project is NOT eligible for funding?
- Edible gardens including vegetable gardens, herb gardens, compost/worm farms and bush tucker plants
- Projects that focus on the development of recreational facilities, school beautification, amenity, capital works or other school buildings and grounds projects
- General sustainability education, or products, not clearly linked to biodiversity
- Feeding native animals, creating habitat for exotic animal species or planting projects using species that are not local indigenous species
Are there any conditions for receiving a grant?
The final report must include:
- Information on the project achievements (outcomes and outputs) and any other project highlights and key learnings
- Photos (high resolution, 1MB or more) during project delivery for both education and on-ground projects, and/or after completion of on-ground projects
- Reporting is undertaken online. Landcare Australia will send you the link to an easy to complete online form shortly after you have received your grant
- The deadline for project completion and the final report to be submitted is 31 October 2025
To read the full list of terms and conditions, click here.
Can a Landcare or Friends group submit an application?
Can my school/group submit more than one application?
Guidelines and Assessment Criteria:
- Information Sheet 3 – What are Indigenous Plants? (includes plant list template)
Where can I find more information?
If the information in the Guidelines doesn’t answer your question, email grants@landcareaustralia.com.au or phone Landcare Australia on 1800 151 105.