Major Research Grants Program – Australia

Deadline: 02-Aug-2024

Lowitja Institute is offering Major Research Grants to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations.

Lowitja Institute research commissioning aims to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to transform their ideas into aspirations that meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and improve health and wellbeing outcomes within a generation.

The Lowitja Institute Major Research Grant program is coordinated by the Research and Knowledge Translation team. The program’s intended outcomes are to contribute to improvements in social and cultural determinants of health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by commissioning research that is high-impact and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This will influence policy and practice, through rapid translation of community priorities, for improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing.

Lowitja Institute awards grant funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations across Australia, with a focus on building capability and capacity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to conduct the research.

Lowitja Institute’s Research Agenda 2024–26 aims to achieve positive health and wellbeing benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across four key themes:

• Self-determination – This theme seeks to uphold historical, contemporary and future truth-telling as a fundamental process for the decolonising of health and wellbeing policy and practice. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the right to regain control to lead research and decision-making processes to contribute to social transformation throughout generations.
• Sovereignty – This theme seeks to acknowledge the political and intellectual sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It upholds sovereignty in the political discourse including determining the agenda, the creation, governance, control, and protection of knowledge.
• Cultural determinants – This theme seeks to recognise the importance and relatedness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural determinants which includes the knowledge systems as integral part to strong health and wellbeing.
• Racism – This theme recognises the ongoing legacy of colonisation and the impacts on health, and healthcare delivery and access. It seeks to uphold Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights to culturally safe systems free of racism through privileging community-led solutions to policy development and implementation to health service management and delivery, research, education and training, to improve health system quality and safety.

Priorities and Objectives 

• At Lowitja Institute, the aim is to ensure that the research they commission is of high impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, that it represents value for money, it is led and owned by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and has direct benefit to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Lowitja Institute Research and Knowledge Translation team is here to support bringing this vision to life through ensuring ongoing collaboration with the grant recipients, including training and education. The objectives include:
  • investing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-driven best practices in health research
  • enhancing and growing the capability of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce
  • mobilising research knowledge for effective translation.

Funding Information

• The funding available is for two years with a maximum amount per project of $200,000 (excluding GST). The research projects must be no longer than the funding timeframe. Successful applicants are also eligible for an additional $20,000 (excluding GST) after the first 12 months, to support knowledge translation activities. The research team will be required to develop a Knowledge Translation Plan for the release of the additional funds.

Eligible Activities 

• Provided by a Lowitja Institute Major Research Grant must be spent on costs that are directly associated with the research project.
• Please note that not all expenditure on your grant activity may be eligible for grant funding. The Lowitja Institute CEO makes the final decision on what is considered eligible expenditure and may provide additional guidance on eligible expenditure if required.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible to apply, applicants must meet the following criteria:
  • An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person must be leading the research as a Chief Investigator (CI). A non-Indigenous person can be the Project Lead, but not the Chief Investigator.
  • Only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations are eligible to apply. They must have an Incorporation Number and be governed by a majority of identified board members (above 51%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have been elected by the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
  • Organisations must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or Indigenous Business Number (IBN), and an account with an Australian financial institution.
  • Organisations must not have outstanding reports, acquittals or serious breaches relating to any Australian Government funding (a serious breach might be one that has resulted in termination of a grant agreement).
  • Organisations must not be bankrupt or subject to insolvency proceedings.
• Applicants must maintain at all times, and provide evidence of:
  • Certificates of Currency for Public Liability insurance to a minimum of $10 million in respect of any claim or series of related claims
  • Professional Indemnity insurance to a minimum of $10 million in respect of any claim or series of related claims
  • Worker’s Compensation insurance for all employees and sub-contractors involved in delivery of the services.

Ineligible

• Lowitja Institute will not accept applications from the following:
  • If your organisation is already in receipt of funding under the Lowitja Institute 2022–25 Major Research Grant
  • Individuals and consultants
  • Non-Aboriginal groups or organisations
  • For-profit organisations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses
  • Federal and state government agencies and bodies
  • Public schools or universities
  • Unincorporated Aboriginal organisations or groups
  • Organisations that have not met project requirements, including acquittal and reporting for grant funding received from Aboriginal Affairs NSW in the previous two years
  • Auspice organisations.

For more information, visit Lowitja Institute.