Notifications & Alerts

Scam Alerts

Possible scam alert

The Department of Social Services (DSS) has recently received reports of an email scam where a scammer posing as a representative of the department has emailed members of the public offering a $120,000 grant under the Social Enterprise Development Initiative program. The scammer requests the victim’s contact details, and then sends through a false ‘grant certificate’ to notify them they have been selected, which includes a falsified signature of a senior department officer. To gain access to the payment, victims are then told they need to pay a $250 fee to unlock a debit card. 

If you are contacted by one of these scam attempts, do not provide any personal or financial information. 

Scams and how to report them

If you are concerned that a phone call, SMS, voicemail or email claiming to be from the ATO, the Community Grants Hub or the Department of Social Services is not genuine, do not reply to it. We encourage you to:

  • report the scam to the National Anti Scam Centre on the Scamwatch website
  • you can also report it to the relevant government department using the contact details on their website
  • for scams relating to the Department of Social Services contact the fraud reporting hotline on 1800 054 312, or email the fraud mailbox at [email protected]
  • contact the ATO on 1800 008 540.

If you have already provided information or are concerned that a crime has or may be committed, please immediately contact the police, your bank or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) if it relates to your passport details.

It is important to know that Departmental officers at the Department of Social Services do not:

  • cold call members of the public to promise grant funding
  • contact members of the public through social media or email to offer grant opportunities.  Legitimate grant opportunities are published on GrantConnect. Legitimate grants will never require the recipient to pay a fee to access the amounts, and debit cards are not used to disburse grant payments
  • contact members of the public seeking personal information, such as bank details, passport or license numbers.

It is a serious matter to impersonate a Commonwealth public official. It may even be a criminal offence carrying a penalty of imprisonment in some circumstances.

Further advice on scams and information on where to get help if you think you have been scammed is available from the National Anti-Scam Centre Scamwatch website.

If you think you have been scammed, find out where to get help.

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Open Grants

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Postal Concessions for the Blind (PCB) Program

blind man sitting on a bench, Photos - Envato Elements

Grant Category

Services for People with Disabilities

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Closed non-competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The PCB Program aims to improve access to information and resources for people who are blind or vision-impaired by providing concessional or no-cost postal rates for the cost of posting certain items and products used by people who are blind or vision-impaired.
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Natural Heritage Trust’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Program – Capacity Building Grants Round 2

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Grant Category

Farming

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
The Capacity Building grants will support farmers to have better access to knowledge and skills relating to best practice climate-smart sustainable agriculture approaches. Round 2 will provide up to $16.58 million (GST exclusive) for grants of up to three years from 2025-26 to 2027-28.
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Inclusion and Accessibility Fund: Australia's Disability Strategy (ADS) – Community Attitudes

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Grant Category

Services for People with Disabilities

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Targeted competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The Inclusion and Accessibility Fund aims to support grass roots efforts to create safe and inclusive communities by improving understanding and shifting mindsets in relation to disability, and barriers to inclusion of people with disability.
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Native Title Anthropologist Grant Program 2025-2028

Australian Government crest and Attorney General’s Department

Grant Category

Indigenous Arts and Culture

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Attorney General’s Department
The program is part of the Government’s wider investment in the native title system. It aligns with Government commitments to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which sets out 4 Priority Reforms and 17 socioeconomic outcomes which aim to improve the lives of First Nations people.
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Strong and Resilient Communities Activity – Inclusive Communities (SARC – IC) Round 4 Grants

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Grant Category

Social Inclusion

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Open competitive

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Social Services
The Strong and Resilient Communities - Inclusive Communities (SARC – IC) Round 4 grants aim to support vulnerable and disadvantaged people on pathways to self-reliance and empowerment through local, community-driven solutions that support them to participate socially and economically by providing grant funding for one-off, time limited projects of up to 2 years.
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Forestry Industry - Support Plantation Establishment Round 3 - Batch 2

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Grant Category

Agriculture

Closing Date & Time

AEDT

Selection Process

Demand-driven

Delivered on behalf of

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
This grant supports the establishment of new long rotation softwood and hardwood plantation forests and assists the sector to respond to the projected growth in demand for domestically sourced timber resources, contributing to Australia’s carbon emissions reduction commitments.
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