Event Grants

Broadmeadows Street Festival 01

The Event Grants Program provides support for event organisers in assistance with developing and delivering vibrant, inclusive and engaging events in Hume City.

These events may be big or small, however they will share one thing: making a positive difference to the Hume community.

Event Grants Program 2024/25

The 2024/25 Event Grants Program -  Round 1 is now open.

We are proud to support events that build community connections that will benefit Hume City. We provide funding between $2,000 - $30,000, depending on the category you apply for and the expected number of guests attending. 

Round 1 will be open from Monday 29 January 2024 to Tuesday 12 March 2024 4pm and is open to:

  • Community and Neighbourhood Events (small and medium) taking place between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024.
  • Major Events and Established Major Events taking place between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025.

Round 2 will be open from Monday 27 May 2024 to Monday 1 July 2024 and is open to:

  • Community and Neighbourhood Events (small and medium) taking place between 1 January 2025 and 30 June 2025. 

Note: All Major Events and Established Major Events must apply during Round 1.

To learn about the application process and for more detailed information, please refer to the 2024/25 Events Grants Program Guidelines(PDF, 3MB).

Who can apply?

Eligible Applicants – Community and Neighbourhood Small and Medium, and Major Events Categories

Applicant organisations must meet the following criteria:

  • be a community group or organisations based in Hume. They may be incorporated, or auspiced. y be a business or not for profit organisation based in Hume.
  • the community group, organisation or business making the application must be incorporated, or auspiced by another organisation. (See auspicing in Program Definitions).
  • be the event organiser with the right to hold and/or re-schedule the event that is the subject of the application.

Eligible Applicants – Established Major Events

Applicant organisations must meet the following criteria:

  • be an established Major Event are which has taken place in Hume Council area for a minimum of 3 years. 
  • be an event organised by Hume based community groups or organisations. They may be incorporated or auspiced.
  • volunteers contribute significantly to the development and delivery of the event.
  • be the event organiser with the right to hold and / or re-schedule the event that is the subject of the application.

See Program Guidelines(PDF, 3MB) for more information.

What events do we fund?

Event Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, the event must:

  • take place between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025.
  • be held in Hume City. 
  • be an organised public gathering that brings people together for a common purpose by some pre-arrangement.
  • open to members of the public and is publicly announced or advertised, whether ticketed or not.
  • be covered by public liability insurance of $20 million. (Applicants will be required to provide evidence of public liability insurance prior to the release of any funds).

In addition to this, applicants must undertake to comply with all event planning requirements, including obtaining appropriate event permits as required.

See Program Guidelines(PDF, 3MB) for more information. 

Grants available

Applicants can request a mix of financial or in-kind funding from the Event Grant Program.

Financial Grant

The amount of grant funds you can apply for is linked to the size and expected attendance for your event. 

 Category

How many people are expected to attend?

How much you can apply for:

Community and Neighbourhood Events - Small

Up to 1,000 people attending throughout the event

Up to $2,000

Community and Neighbourhood Events - Medium

Between 1,000 and 3,000 people attending throughout the event

Up to $12,000

Major Events

Minimum 3,000 people attending throughout the event

Up to $20,000

Established Major Events

Minimum 5,000 people attending throughout the event, for established major events that have operated in Hume City for three or more years

Up to $30,000

*Applications from commercial businesses or ‘for profit’ enterprises must be able to demonstrate matched cash funding for any grant amount requested.

In-Kind Grant

Applicants can also apply for other Council services as an in-kind grant request. This might include a request for Council to waiver venue or park hire fees, event permit fees, bin hire fees, etc.

For in-kind grants requests, please discuss your application with the Events team prior to submission.

Using SmartyGrants

Applications for the Hume City Council Event Grant are made via SmartyGrants online portal.

Using SmartyGrants

  • If you are a new user, you will need to set up a login before you begin.
  • If you have previously used SmartyGrants for any application (not just Hume City Council) you can use the same email address.
  • SmartyGrants lets you complete sections of your application in stages, save your progress and return to it later (you don’t need to do it all at once). Your application will be stored online, so there’s no need to save it to your computer.
  • Allow plenty of time to complete your online application, so that if you run into difficulties, you have time to fix it.
  • As part of completing the form, you need to upload supporting documents. Files must be no greater than 25mb but are best kept under 5mb each.
  • Please ensure the supporting documents you upload are the appropriate documents required for your application. See What documentation do I need for information on the documents you need to supply.
  • To avoid losing your work, remember to regularly save your progress in SmartyGrants every 10-15 minutes, as the form logs you out after 30 minutes of inactivity.
  • Make sure you hit the Submit button when you are ready. If the Submit button is grey, there is something incomplete or wrong in your answers. Check all sections highlighted red. Once you have submitted you will be sent an email confirmation. If you don’t hit Submit, Council cannot see your application, so it won’t be considered.

You can also refer to the SmartyGrants Applicant Guide for help.

Apply for your event

Applications for up to 1,000 people attending throughout event.
Community and Neighbourhood Events - Small

Applications between 1,000-3,000 people attending throughout the event.
Community and Neighbourhood Events - Medium

Applications for minimum of 3,000 people attending throughout the event.
Major Events

Applications for a minimum of 5,000 people attending throughout the event, for established major events that have operated in Hume City for three or more years.
Established Major Events

Event Grant Information Sessions

The Event Grants Program provides support for event organisers to develop and deliver vibrant, inclusive and engaging events in Hume City.  These events may be big or small, however they will share one thing: making a positive difference to the Hume community.

This online session will be an opportunity to ask Council staff any questions you have as you develop your grant applications.

There will be two online information sessions, where Council staff will be available to answer any questions you have about Hume’s Event Grants.  Please register to attend via the eventbrite links below.

These will be offered on:

Thursday 15 February 10.00am - 11.00am
Session 1

Thursday 22 February 5.00pm - 6.00pm
Session 2