Up to $10,000 available for Victorian community groups
Jemena has opened its 2026 Community Grants programme, with grants of up to $10,000 for eligible community organisations in Melbourne’s north-west and communities around Sale.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 28% of Australian households had a cash-flow problem during the past 12 months.
As cost-of-living pressure rises in Victoria, the energy infrastructure company will fund groups that deliver food relief, cost-of-living support, and education and employment services.
For 2026, the programme also expands to sustainability projects, especially work that cuts waste and promotes reuse and recycling.
Jemena General Manager of Corporate Affairs Tania Coltman said community organisations can make a direct difference for families struggling to afford daily essentials.
“When a family is struggling to afford daily essentials, a community organisation can be the difference between going without or putting food on the table,” Coltman said.
Eligible areas in Victoria
Eligible organisations must be based near Jemena’s electricity distribution network in inner north-west Melbourne, western Melbourne, Brimbank, the Melton corridor, the Hume Corridor, and Sunbury and the outer north-west.
Meanwhile, communities around Sale are included in the expanded 2026 programme.
Last year, Jemena supported Our Village Network, which used grant funding to provide cots, prams and clothing to around 500 children affected by domestic and family violence across north-west Melbourne and Gippsland.
Since 2019, Jemena has invested more than $1 million through its Community Grants programme and about $400,000 of that has gone to organisations across Victoria.
Across that period, the programme has supported 106 community organisations.
Coltman said Jemena is seeking applications from groups helping families through cost-of-living pressures, creating education and employment opportunities, and reducing social isolation.
She also said local organisations are often first to spot local challenges and first to deliver practical solutions.
Applications close at 5pm on Friday 14 August 2026 (AEST). More information, including eligible locations, is available at www.jemena.com.au/communitygrants.
