1. Can I use grant funding to cover my organisation’s overheads and administrative fees?
Refer to Section 5.3 of the Grant Guidelines. Grant funding cannot be used to cover an organisation's standard ongoing administrative or operating costs, including administrative charges, overheads or indirect costs levied by the applicant organisation.
More broadly, grants do not fund fixed or recurrent expenditure of an organisation that would be incurred irrespective of whether the project proceeds.
Grant funding may only be used for eligible project-specific costs that are directly related to delivering the proposed activities and are consistent with the Grant Guidelines.
Please refer to Section 5.2 ‘Eligible Expenditure’ in the Grant Guidelines: “Employee labour costs related to delivering the core elements of the grant project (business as-usual labour costs will not be supported)”.
2. Can I list Indonesian partner/s in my joint (consortia) application?
Please refer to Section 7.2 ‘Joint (consortia) applications’ in the Grant Guidelines: “In these circumstances, you must appoint a ‘lead organisation’. Only the lead organisation can submit the application form and enter into a grant agreement with the Commonwealth.
The application must identify all other members of the proposed group/consortium and include a letter of support from each of the partners.”
The lead applicant must fulfil the eligibility requirements outlined in Sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the Grant Guidelines. You may list Indonesian partner/s noting Indonesian participation would receive favourable consideration.
3. Can I include team members who do not fulfil Section 4.1 ‘Who is eligible to apply for a grant?’ in my application?
Yes, if those team member are overseas residents/organisations, but please refer to information above under Question 2 and to Section 4.2 of the Grant Guidelines ‘Who is not eligible to apply for grant?’ and ensure that the applicant fulfils all eligibility requirements.
4. Can funding support reciprocal activities in Indonesia and the participation or honoraria of Indonesian partners?
Please refer to Sections 5.2 and 5.3 in the Grant Guidelines. Note activities are not limited by location however would need to demonstrate clear alignment with the objective of the AII’s 2026-27 Grant Opportunity. Section 5.3 ‘What grant money cannot be used for’ includes “…honorariums and/or administrative charges levied by the applicant's organisation.”
5. I have an ABN as a freelancer; do I select "applying as an individual" or as an "entity with an ABN"? Or can I choose either at my discretion?
Please select “entity with an ABN” if you will be undertaking the grant activities as part of the functions of the business listed through the ABN. If this is not the case, then you may select “applying as an individual”.
6. Can our application allocate budget for personnel costs, including hiring a new team member?
Please refer to Section 5.2 in the Grant Guidelines. As outlined, eligible expenditures include “Employee labour costs related to delivering the core elements of the grant project (business as-usual labour costs will not be supported)”. If the new team member is exclusively focused on delivering the grant activity, this would be considered eligible for AII grant funding.
7. Should we include non-eligible costs in the budget, and state their source of income as being other than the AII grant or should we only include costs for which AII grant funds will be utilised?
Please refer to Section 7.1 in the Grant Guidelines. As outlined “The budget should outline co-contributions (in-kind-and/or cash) from your organisation and other parties that demonstrate commitment to the project.” This would also include non-eligible costs which DFAT grant funding would not cover.
8. Regarding Child Protection Guidelines, the grant instructions say to submit "child safety guidelines". What are our obligations to fulfil these besides ensuring we have valid Working With Children Checks?
As per Section 7.1 in the Grants Guidelines, please provide “child protection guidelines if the project involves people under the age of 18 years”. Please also refer to Section 13.6 in the Grant Guidelines for further details including links addressing DFAT’s child protection requirements.
9. Does every person listed in the application need to have a Working with Children Checkat the time of the grant application submission or is it acceptable for some team members to attain these at a later date?
Please refer to Section 13.6 in the Grant Guidelines. All personnel who will be working with children will need to have the relevant working with children checks prior to engaging with people under 18 years of age.
10. Is an educational institution based in Indonesia eligible to apply directly as the primary applicant?
Please refer to Sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the Grant Guidelines and ensure the applicant meets all eligibility criteria.
11. Is my project concept aligned with the priority theme and focuses of the 2026-27 Australia-Indonesia Institute Grants Program?
Please refer to Section 2.1 of the Grant Guidelines. This for applicants to determine based on the information provided in the Guidelines. The AII Secretariat cannot provide advice on individual project concepts.
12. How do the Grant Guidelines’ eligibility requirements and prioritising of cross-cultural partnerships apply to Indonesian-based organisations with Australian leadership?
The individual or entity applying for the grant needs to fulfil all the eligibility requirements outlined in the Grant Guidelines (Sections 4.1 and 4.2).
13. Are there specific restrictions regarding funding allocations for field logistics, training materials, or local travel within Indonesia for training activities?
Please refer to Section 5.1 in the Grant Guidelines.
14. Is my activity eligible for application?
Please refer to Sections 5.2 and 5.3 in the Grant Guidelines and to the response to Question 11 above. Applicants may determine eligibility based on the information provided in the Guidelines. The AII Secretariat cannot provide advice on individual project concepts.
15. Am I eligible to submit a new application for a 2026-27 grant while my current AII-funded project from a previous year’s grant round is ongoing?
Yes, you are eligible to apply. Please provide relevant details for your current grant in your application in the relevant field.
16. I am an Australian permanent resident with an Australian bank account but am also a member of an Indonesian entity which would serve as the Indonesian project partner. Am I eligible to apply?
Please see Sections 4.1 and 4.2. If you fulfil these requirements then you are eligible to apply. If you hold Australian permanent residency and have an account with an Australian financial institution, then being an overseas resident/organisation as well would not exclude you from applying.
17. Is my organisation eligible to apply for the grant?
See Section 4.1 on eligible entities.
18. How can I tell if my proposed activity or expenditure is eligible for funding and/or aligns with the Indonesian capability and language theme?
The Grant Guidelines outline the types of activities and outcomes the Australia-Indonesia Institute supports, as well as activities and costs that are ineligible. If a particular activity or expense is not specifically listed as ineligible and you are unsure whether it would be eligible, please consider whether it clearly supports the grant objectives, outcomes and the Indonesian capability and language theme. Applicants should focus on demonstrating how their proposal contributes to the aims of this grant round and delivers meaningful outcomes aligned with the Guidelines.
19. How can I tell if a particular cost is eligible under the grant? E.g. a publication or educational resource that will be distributed free of charge; labour costs of a project team member; teacher release or backfill; development and delivery of additional activities associated with an existing teaching course; support for disability access requests, etc.
Sections 5.2 and 5.3 of the Guidelines outline eligible and ineligible expenditure. If a particular cost is not specifically listed as ineligible, applicants should consider how the proposed cost contributes to delivering an eligible grant activity and achieving the project's objectives. Applicants should clearly explain how proposed costs support project delivery, align with the intent of the grant and represent value with relevant money.
20. Do all the participants benefiting from the project need to be Australian citizens or permanent residents?
No, the Guidelines do not require all project participants or beneficiaries to be Australian citizens or permanent residents. Eligibility requirements are limited to those specifically set out in Section 4.1 of the Guidelines. The requirement to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident applies to the applicant, not to every person involved in or benefiting from the project.
21. Is Australian student travel to and project-related activities in Indonesia eligible for AII grant funding? Can funding support more than one participant travelling from Indonesia to Australia, and vice versa?
Please refer to Section 5.2 in the Grant Guidelines, particularly, "travel for more than one person must be fully justified in any application. Travel for a larger number of people will only be considered (fully or partially funded) where it specifically focuses on the proposed grant activity, and no other suitable options are available (e.g. online attendance). "Please also note Section 5.3 stipulating that grant funds cannot be used for "scholarships or study tours for individual students".
22. Can I allocate grant funds to the purchase of materials to produce artworks relevant to the grant objectives?
Yes, if the materials will only be used for the purposes of the grant, i.e. not equipment which you would use for other future activities. Materials related to artwork creation can be classified as production costs which would be eligible.
23. Do "Indonesian partner" or "Indonesian participation" refer specifically to an Indonesia-based Indonesian citizen or organisation, or can Indonesian diaspora members living in Australia constitute Indonesian participation? If participation through Indonesian diaspora satisfies the above, what form of written confirmation would be appropriate where those participants are community members and/or volunteers of the applicant organisation?
Please refer to Section 5.2: "For all grant applications, favourable consideration will be given to: applications that include written confirmation of working directly with an Indonesian partner or of Indonesian participation." This could include the Indonesian diaspora. You may include the relevant details in the Organisation Capability Statement and/or in your application responses to Criterion 2 and/or 3.
24. The previous grant round included lower value projects, does that mean smaller grants will be favoured in the assessment process this year?
Please refer to Section 3.1 'Grants available'. Applications must be between $50,000 to $400,000 to be eligible.
25. Is the grant value of $50,000 - $400,000 for all the projects or per submission?
Per completed application form. Your application may include multiple projects, each with differing values, but the total amount of your submitted application must be between $50,000 to $400,000.
26. Can international/regional organisations apply, either independently or through a consortium arrangement with eligible Australian and Indonesian partners?
Please apply as a consortium with a primary applicant who fulfils the eligibility criteria as per the Guidelines.
27. Can a project build on an existing collaboration, course, network or intellectual property? If so, who owns the intellectual property from the grant activities?
The Guidelines do not prohibit building on an existing foundation, provided the grant funds support new eligible activities rather than business-as-usual, recurrent costs or a completed project. Applicants should explain the additional activity, outcomes and value delivered by the grant. Please refer to the IP clauses in the Standard Commonwealth Grant Agreement, available here: Standard Grant Agreement. DFAT grant agreements are based on this template.
28. What should the independent referee reports address, and what types of organisations should provide them?
Section 7.1 requires two short, signed independent referee reports from individuals with no financial interest in the project. Referees should comment on the project's objectives and the strategies to achieve them. Each referee should provide different perspectives on the proposal and work for different organisations.
The referees cannot be Australia-Indonesia Institute Board members or employees of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
29. Do support letters need to include specific dollar values for in-kind contributions and resource commitments?
Under Section 7.1 of the Grant Guidelines, support letters should demonstrate a partner's commitment to and role in the project. Letters should describe the partner's intended involvement, contributions and collaborative activities. Where known, applicants are encouraged to include details of financial or in-kind support, but support letters do not need to assign specific monetary values if these have not yet been determined. Any co-contributions should be included in the activity budget.
30. How detailed must the project budget be noting our design, partner participation and costs are still being refined?
The activity budget must reflect a realistic breakdown of costs. Applicants are responsible for submitting complete and accurate information and should provide reasonable, justified costings that clearly relate to project activities and demonstrate value with relevant money.
31. Is there a preferred number or concentration of Indonesian partners we should include in our application?
No preferred number of partners is specified.
32. What child protection documentation must be submitted for projects involving people under 18?
Section 7.1 of the Guidelines requires the applicant to submit child protection guidelines that meet DFAT's Child Protection Policy where a project involves people under 18 years old. Section 13.6 also requires successful applicants to conduct a DFAT child protection risk assessment where the project may involve contact with, work with or impact children. You do not need to submit this assessment at the application stage.
33. Can I include Indonesian government agencies and/or diplomatic representatives as partners in my grant application?
If the Grant Guidelines do not explicitly specify an exclusion, then you may include any partners you deem appropriate.
34. Can a contribution towards construction of a building be considered an eligible project cost?
No, building/construction costs are explicitly ineligible. Refer to Section 5.3 of the Guidelines.
35. Can an applicant seek funding for a PhD or other individual study?
No, Section 5.3 excludes scholarships and study tours for individual students/individuals.
36. What information and attachments must be submitted, and can supplementary documents be included in my application?
Applicants must complete the Smartygrants application form, address all eligibility and assessment criteria, provide an activity budget and submit the attachments listed in Section 7.1 of the Guidelines. Applicants should attach only requested or relevant documents including the Organisational Capability Statement, CVs and letters of support from partners.
37. Is it possible to review examples of past successful AII grant applications?
The AII is unable to provide past applications. You can view public information on previous successful grants on the AII website.