Call for Applications: Maitri Grant Program (Australia)

Through this program, they encourage innovative projects and partnerships that reflect the dynamism of the bilateral relationship, fostering life-long connections in trade, education, innovation, research, arts, and culture.

Focus Areas

• Broadly, the Centre invites submissions for Maitri grants that help support it achieve outcomes against its four strategic pillars:
  • Business Engagement: As a catalyst for business, the Centre is focused on supporting business research which helps Australian companies access and understand market opportunities in India, with a particular focus on projects that:
    • Accelerate commercialisation of research
    • Showcase innovative collaboration opportunities specific to Australia and India.
    • Investigate new strategies for Australian companies to engage with India.
    • Disseminate case studies, analyse regulatory environments, or research emerging sectors where Australia and India can collaborate for mutual benefit.
  • Policy discourse: The Centre supports more informed public discourse about both countries and the relationship. The Centre welcomes projects that:
    • Enhance quality dialogue of issues relevant to the bilateral relationship
    • Facilitate stronger Australian media representation in India and informed coverage of Australia in India.
  • Diaspora engagement: The Centre is a platform for diaspora champions and is, keen to support projects that mobilise Indian Australians to advance engagement with India and increase awareness of the value the Indian diaspora brings to our bilateral relationship. Focus areas include projects that promote and support Indian Australian leaders across business, academia, science, the arts and civil society.
  • Cultural connections: The Centre aims to act as a facilitator for cultural connections between Australia and India, to foster lasting relationships and institutional ties through flagship projects and creative industries. Key focus areas include:
    • Fostering flagship programs which promote collaboration between Australian and Indian cultural institutions. E.g. partnerships between major art galleries or cultural festivals that facilitate regular artist exchange and joint exhibitions.
    • Encouraging long-term partnerships between universities, research institutes, and arts organisations in both countries. These collaborations could include co-hosted residences, film festivals, or digital platforms that showcase joint creative projects.
    • Enhancing people-to-people links across a wide range of fields, including culture, sport, and science. For instance, bilateral sports tournaments, cultural immersion programs, and science exchange programs.
    • First Nations engagement through the promotion of First Nations art and culture in India through exhibitions, festivals, or collaborative projects with Indigenous communities in India. This could also include supporting First Nations businesses to connect with Indian markets, potentially through trade missions or business mentorship programs.

Funding Information

• The level of funding requested under the Centre’s grants can range between AUD 50,000 and AUD 2,000,000.
• The Centre is unable to provide funding for any taxation purposes, including GST. Any taxation requirements are the responsibility of the applicant(s) and cannot be paid for with grant funding from the Centre. It is recommended applicants seek legal and/or financial advice including on eligibility for tax exemptions, before applying.
• Per eligibility requirements, the grant funding will need to be paid into an account within an Australian financial institution.
• Duration: Proposals may be funded for up to a maximum of three years.

Ineligible Costs

• The Centre is unable to fund:
  • ongoing salaries or wages
  • capital expenditure/works, including construction works to property, the purchase of land and vehicles
  • the covering of retrospective costs
  • purchase of equipment (e.g., technical equipment, musical instruments, computers, videos)
  • activities which are already commercially viable in their own right
  • activities that provide direct commercial advantage to the applicant (e.g., promotion of own business)
  • costs incurred in the preparation of a grant application or related documentation
  • subsidy of general ongoing administration of an organisation such as electricity, phone and rent
  • study tours or activities undertaken by schools where travel by a significant number of students is the principal element of the proposal, or
  • completed projects.

Project Details

• Applications have a finite number of words to respond to the questions. Please ensure you prioritise the most important information first to adequately demonstrate the purpose of your proposal. In addition to the Key Selection Criteria prompts, the assessors will need to understand:
  • A brief description of the activity.
  • The expected outputs that will be delivered (exhibitions, trade show, performance, policy paper, etc).
  • The primary location of where the activity will take place.
  • Who will be included in the grant (performers, singers, artists, DJs, etc).
  • How it is aligned to the Centre’s Strategic Plan.
  • The audience of the activity.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications may be submitted by one entity or a consortium of partners. Applications may be submitted by businesses, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, or other entities.
• Applicant organisations can originate from any country; however, they must be able to operate in Australia.
• Applicant organisations need to be able to meet the requirements of DFAT’s due diligence process, including:
  • ABN registration with a business or other recognised registration/accreditation body
  • Not listed on sanctions lists, including those published by the Australian Government, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or the Inter-American Development Bank.
  • Other background criminal and reputational checks.

Selection Criteria

• All applications to the Maitri Grant Program must demonstrate their alignment to three key selection criteria:
  • How the proposal will align to the Centre’s pillars and intended outcomes.
  • How effective and efficient the applicant will be in delivering the grant.
  • How the applicant will deliver sustainable outcomes beyond the grant period.
  • In addition to the selection criteria, applications will be compared against each other to assess value for money and ensure diversity in the spread of projects.

For more information, visit Centre for Australia-India Relations.