General Information

Mable Community Grants 2026

Purpose of the Mable Community Grants

Established in 2019, Mable Community Grants is a philanthropic initiative of The Mable Foundation Limited (Mable or Foundation).

The Mable Community Grants must be explicitly used for projects or programs that relieve poverty, sickness, suffering, distress, misfortune, helplessness or disability in the lives of people in Australia who are living with a disability or who are ageing to improve their independence and inclusion within their community. The grants must be targeted or directed to organisations or groups in Australia (with an ABN or ACN).

The Mable Community Grants program has proudly supported 24 grants worth approximately $255,000 to date.

Available grants

In 2026, four grants of $10,000 each will be available for projects that champion independence and inclusion for people with disability and older people.

All grant applications must include a budget breakdown detailing how the $10,000 grant will be spent.

Who is eligible to apply

Organisations or groups (with an ABN or ACN) in Australia that are:

  • Charities
  • Not-for-profit organisations
  • Incorporated associations
  • Community organisations
  • Social or sporting associations or groups

What recipients can use grants for

The Mable Community Grants must be used explicitly for projects or programs that relieve poverty, sickness, suffering, distress, misfortune, helplessness, or disability in the lives of people in Australia who are living with a disability or ageing, to improve their health, independence, and inclusion within their community.

  • At least 90% of the grant funding must be directed specifically toward activities benefiting either of these target groups.
  • For larger projects, recipients can aggregate these funds with other funding or use the grant to complete a particular project stage. The specific details of how the funding will be used must be outlined in the application. 

Examples of eligible grant requests

  • A grant to an organisation that takes people with disability or older people on social outings to prevent them from experiencing social isolation or loneliness.
  • A grant to enhance access for people with disability to mainstream schools.
  • A grant to an organisation that runs gardening classes for seniors experiencing the early signs of dementia, giving their carers respite time.
  • A grant to an organisation that provides counselling services to people learning to live with an acquired brain injury or spinal cord injury.
  • A grant for an organisation to fund a short course that assists seniors in learning new technology literacy skills to improve everyday life and engagement with society.

Examples of activities or projects that the Foundation is unable to support

  • Anything illegal or that may cause or do harm.

  • Retrospective funding: Only items/services purchased after the approval date will be eligible for funding under the grant.

  • Funding with a limited community impact, such as personal development training.

  • Staffing or salary costs.

  • Purchase of land or real property.

  • Capital expenditure, including new constructions, maintenance or refurbishments to shops, offices, or homes.

  • Purchasing physical equipment like cameras, iPads, cars, trailers, etc.

  • Contributions to activities that are the role of peak bodies, such as policy advice, systemic advocacy or research.

  • Items eligible for funding through government programs include, but are not limited to, Medicare, NDIS, and HCPs.

  • Funding that is in support of individuals, reasonable and necessary supports, and activities eligible for funding in a participant's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan.

  • Activities that are the responsibility of other Commonwealth, State, Territory or Local Government bodies for ensuring access and inclusion of people with disability or the ageing population, including, but not limited to:

    • Activities that relate to managing chronic health conditions. 

    • Employment activities that are the responsibility of the Disability Employment Services' Employment Assistance Fund.

    • Education activities that are the responsibility of the National Disability Coordination Officer Program.

    • The cost of teachers or childcare workers to undertake disability inclusion training.

  • Government fees, charges or taxes.

Application Process / How to Apply

  • Mable Community Grant applications open annually.
  • Applications must set out how they specifically relieve poverty, sickness, suffering, distress, misfortune, helplessness, or disability in the lives of people in Australia who are living with a disability or who are ageing to improve their health, independence, and inclusion within their community.

  • Applicants must complete the relevant application form in full and provide appropriate evidence. Consideration will be given to how the funding will meet the stated purposes. 

  • The application may not be considered if an applicant provides incorrect information or fails to address all requested criteria.

  • Before applying, you must read and understand these guidelines, which are part of our terms and conditions. In addition, successful applicants will be required to enter into a grant agreement.

  • Any changes to grant documentation will be published on the Mable website in the Community Grants section.

  • A separate application form must be submitted for each project.

  • The latest version will progress if more than one application is submitted for the same project.

  • To apply, you must:  

    • Complete the online application form on the Mable Foundation Website.

    • All sections of the application form must be completed.

    • All eligibility criteria and assessment criteria must be addressed within the application.

    • A budget outlining how the grant funds will be used, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions, must be submitted.

    • Submit your application/s to Mable Community Grants by the stated deadline.

Entries that are not genuine or incomplete, late or in any way fraudulent or deemed inappropriate or unacceptable by Mable Community Grants Selection Committee will be declared void at Mable's sole discretion. 

Selection process

The Mable Community Grants will be assessed against the selection criteria to ensure compliance. All applications that meet this requirement will then be split into two groups based on the target beneficiaries and reviewed by either Mable's Independent Disability Advisory Council or Mable's Independent Aged Care Advisory Council.

Assessment criteria

All applications will be assessed on their relative merit in promoting independence and inclusivity for people with disability or ageing.  The application must clearly outline the following: 

  • The anticipated impact of your initiative or project on the community.

  • The scale and significance of the project.

  • How the $10,000 grant will be used.

  • What actions will be taken, and how will the applicant ensure the project will be completed within the required timeframe? I.e., no later than 12 months from receiving funding.

Applicants may be contacted for further information throughout the judging process. Any information supplied will form a part of their application.  

At its discretion, Mable may require certain probity checks to be conducted.

Mable's decisions are final. Mable reserves the right not to fund applications if it does not believe they have sufficient merit.

Disbursement of Grant Funding

  • $10,000 grants will be paid in a single transaction unless the grant recipient specifies disbursement according to the details provided in their budget. When this occurs, Mable and the recipient will agree to a timeline before finalising the grant agreement.

  • All grant recipients must provide Mable with a report within 12 months of receiving their grant, outlining how the funds were used and the outcomes achieved.

Media, Promotion and Usage Rights

  • All grant recipients agree to acknowledge that the Foundation is the funder (in part or in full) of the project or initiative and acknowledge the grant origin, where appropriate (e.g., social media, media, launches, marketing, etc.). 

  • Any personal information collected in administering the grant will be handled in accordance with the Foundation's Privacy Policy, available on its website. 

  • All applicants agree that the Foundation has the right to reproduce their names, photographs, materials, comments, and feedback in promotional materials, including, but not limited to, websites, brochures, and other online channels. 

  • All applications must be original and created solely by the applicant/s. All physical copies of applications and supporting materials become Mable's property and will not be returned.

Administrative/Legalities

  • The Foundation may amend this information and these guidelines at any time in its absolute discretion.

  • If there is any dispute regarding the administration, rules, results, and all other matters relating to the Mable Community Grants application, judging, or disbursement process, Mable's decision will be final, and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into.

Download a copy of the General Information for Mable Community Grants 2026.