Deadline: 30-Jun-2026
Connellan Airways Trust Grants support individuals in Remote and Very Remote Australia to access education, health, training, innovation, and community development opportunities that may be difficult to reach because of distance and isolation. The program helps reduce barriers created by remoteness and supports activities that create meaningful benefits for individuals and their communities.
Funding of up to $10,000 is available for eligible individuals and organisations located in Remote and Very Remote Australia. Eligible costs may include travel, short-term accommodation, course fees, workshop fees, equipment, materials, innovation-related expenses, and other reasonable costs directly linked to the approved activity.
What are Connellan Airways Trust Grants?
Connellan Airways Trust Grants provide financial support to people living, working, or studying in Remote and Very Remote Australia.
The grants help individuals overcome barriers caused by distance, isolation, and limited access to services, training, education, health opportunities, and community development resources.
The program is designed to support practical opportunities that may not be accessible without financial assistance.
Main Purpose of the Program
The main purpose of the program is to help individuals in remote areas access opportunities that strengthen their skills, wellbeing, knowledge, and community contribution.
The program aims to:
- Reduce barriers caused by remoteness
- Improve access to education and training
- Support health-related opportunities
- Encourage innovation
- Strengthen community development
- Support personal growth and skill-building
- Create meaningful benefits for individuals and communities
- Improve access to opportunities that are otherwise difficult to reach
Geographic Focus
The program supports people in Remote and Very Remote Australia.
Applicants must live, work, or study in a Remote or Very Remote area of Australia for at least two years.
Additional consideration is given to applicants from Very Remote communities.
Funding Amount
Funding of up to $10,000 is available.
The grant supports reasonable and evidence-based costs that are directly connected to the approved activity.
Applicants should request only the amount needed to overcome the specific barrier created by remoteness.
Who is Eligible?
Eligible applicants must:
- Live, work, or study in a Remote or Very Remote area of Australia
- Have done so for at least two years
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
- Seek support for an opportunity that is difficult or impossible to access because of remoteness
- Demonstrate meaningful benefit to themselves or their community
- Request funding for eligible, reasonable, and evidence-based costs
Priority Applicants
Additional consideration is given to applicants from Very Remote communities.
Priority may be given where the application clearly shows:
- Strong barriers caused by distance or isolation
- Limited local access to the opportunity
- Clear personal or community benefit
- Strong connection to education, health, training, innovation, or community development
- Practical and reasonable costs
Key Focus Areas
The program supports activities that improve access, participation, and opportunity in remote areas.
Key focus areas include:
- Education
- Health
- Training
- Innovation
- Community development
- Skill-building
- Access to opportunities
- Remote participation
- Personal development
- Community benefit
- Overcoming distance and isolation
What Types of Activities Are Supported?
The program supports activities that are difficult to access because of remoteness.
Supported activities may include:
- Accredited training
- Workshops
- Education-related opportunities
- Health-related opportunities
- Community development activities
- Innovation projects
- Testing new approaches or solutions
- Skill-building activities
- Professional or personal development opportunities
- Activities that benefit remote communities
Eligible Costs
The grant supports reasonable costs directly linked to participation in an approved activity.
Eligible expenses may include:
- Flights
- Ground transport
- Fuel
- Short-term accommodation
- Course fees
- Program fees
- Workshop fees
- Enrolment costs
- Equipment required for participation
- Materials required for participation
- Innovation-related development or testing costs
- Other reasonable costs directly connected to the proposed activity
Applicants should clearly explain why each cost is necessary and how it relates to the activity.
What is Not Funded?
The program does not support activities or expenses that fall outside its purpose.
Ineligible costs and activities include:
- Retrospective funding
- Activities already completed
- Activities due to be completed before grant outcomes are announced
- Personal living expenses
- University tuition fees
- Boarding school fees
- Sports-related activities
- Arts and creative activities
- Fundraising events
- Prizes
- Donations
- Requests that do not clearly show how remoteness creates a barrier
Remoteness Barrier Requirement
Applicants must clearly demonstrate how remoteness creates a barrier to the opportunity.
This may include barriers such as:
- Long travel distances
- Limited local training options
- Lack of nearby health or education services
- High transport or accommodation costs
- Limited access to specialist programs
- Difficulty participating without financial support
- Reduced availability of professional or community development opportunities
A strong application should directly connect the request to the challenges of living, working, or studying in a remote area.
Meaningful Benefit Requirement
Applicants must show how the grant will create meaningful benefit.
This benefit may be:
- Personal, such as improved skills, health, knowledge, or confidence
- Community-based, such as improved local capacity, shared learning, or stronger services
- Both personal and community-focused
Applicants should explain how the activity will make a practical difference.
Key Concepts Explained
Remote and Very Remote Australia
Remote and Very Remote Australia refers to areas located far from major cities and regional centres, where people often face higher costs, longer travel distances, and limited access to services and opportunities.
Evidence-Based Costs
Evidence-based costs are expenses supported by clear justification, quotes, invoices, program information, travel estimates, or other documentation.
Retrospective Funding
Retrospective funding means funding for activities or expenses that have already happened. This program does not support retrospective funding.
Community Benefit
Community benefit refers to positive outcomes that extend beyond the applicant, such as shared skills, improved local services, stronger leadership, or better access to knowledge and opportunities.
Innovation-Related Expenses
Innovation-related expenses may include costs for developing, testing, or improving new approaches, products, services, or solutions that respond to remote community needs.
How the Program Works
Applicants apply for support to participate in an eligible activity connected to education, health, training, innovation, or community development.
The activity must be difficult or impossible to access without financial assistance because of remoteness.
Applications should explain the opportunity, the costs, the barrier created by distance or isolation, and the expected benefit.
How to Apply
Applicants should prepare a clear application that explains their eligibility, the activity, and the need for support.
Suggested Application Steps
- Confirm that you live, work, or study in Remote or Very Remote Australia.
- Confirm that you have been in a Remote or Very Remote area for at least two years.
- Confirm that you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
- Identify the opportunity you want to access.
- Explain why the opportunity is difficult or impossible to access because of remoteness.
- Prepare a budget of up to $10,000.
- Include only eligible and reasonable costs.
- Provide evidence for costs where possible.
- Explain the personal or community benefit of the activity.
- Check that the activity will not be completed before grant outcomes are announced.
- Submit the application according to the Trust’s requirements.
Assessment Considerations
Applications may be assessed based on eligibility, need, cost reasonableness, and expected benefit.
Assessment may consider:
- Applicant’s connection to Remote or Very Remote Australia
- Length of time living, working, or studying in the area
- Strength of the remoteness barrier
- Relevance of the activity to education, health, training, innovation, or community development
- Reasonableness of requested costs
- Evidence supporting the budget
- Personal benefit
- Community benefit
- Priority for Very Remote applicants
- Clarity and feasibility of the proposed activity
Expected Results
Funded activities should help individuals access meaningful opportunities and strengthen remote communities.
Expected results may include:
- Improved skills and qualifications
- Better access to training or education
- Stronger health and wellbeing outcomes
- Increased participation in community development
- Development or testing of innovative solutions
- Reduced barriers caused by distance
- Improved confidence and capacity
- Benefits shared with remote communities
- Greater access to opportunities for people in isolated areas
Why It Matters
People in Remote and Very Remote Australia often face additional costs and barriers when trying to access education, training, health, innovation, and community development opportunities.
Distance and isolation can make participation difficult, even when the opportunity could create strong personal or community benefits.
Connellan Airways Trust Grants help reduce these barriers by supporting practical costs that make participation possible.
Tips for Strong Applications
A strong application should clearly explain the link between remoteness, the opportunity, and the expected benefit.
Applicants should focus on:
- Clear evidence of living, working, or studying in a Remote or Very Remote area
- Strong explanation of the barrier caused by distance or isolation
- A practical and realistic budget
- Clear evidence for requested costs
- Strong link to education, health, training, innovation, or community development
- Meaningful personal or community benefit
- Clear activity timeline
- No retrospective costs
- Clear explanation of why support is needed
Applicants should avoid general statements and clearly show why the opportunity cannot be accessed without financial assistance.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should carefully check eligibility and funding restrictions before applying.
Common mistakes include:
- Not showing a clear remoteness barrier
- Applying for an activity already completed
- Applying for an activity that will finish before grant outcomes are announced
- Requesting personal living expenses
- Requesting university tuition or boarding school fees
- Applying for sports, arts, or creative activities
- Requesting funding for fundraising events, prizes, or donations
- Providing unclear cost evidence
- Not explaining the community or personal benefit
- Submitting a request that does not align with education, health, training, innovation, or community development
FAQ
What are Connellan Airways Trust Grants?
They are grants that support individuals in Remote and Very Remote Australia to access opportunities in education, health, training, innovation, and community development.
How much funding is available?
Funding of up to $10,000 is available.
Who can apply?
Applicants must live, work, or study in a Remote or Very Remote area of Australia for at least two years and be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
What costs can be funded?
Eligible costs may include travel, fuel, ground transport, short-term accommodation, course or workshop fees, equipment, materials, innovation-related expenses, and other reasonable costs directly linked to the approved activity.
What activities are not funded?
The program does not fund retrospective activities, personal living expenses, university tuition fees, boarding school fees, sports activities, arts and creative activities, fundraising events, prizes, or donations.
Is community benefit required?
Applicants must demonstrate meaningful benefit to themselves or their community. Strong applications clearly explain how the activity will create practical outcomes.
Are Very Remote applicants prioritised?
Additional consideration is given to applicants from Very Remote communities.
Conclusion
Connellan Airways Trust Grants help individuals in Remote and Very Remote Australia overcome barriers caused by distance, isolation, and limited access to opportunities. With funding of up to $10,000, the program supports eligible costs linked to education, health, training, innovation, and community development activities.
Strong applications will clearly demonstrate eligibility, a genuine remoteness barrier, reasonable evidence-based costs, and meaningful benefits for the applicant and their community.
For more information, visit Connellan Airways Trust.