Are you applying for the first time?

Eligibility

In general, CBF funding is limited to community radio stations broadcasting under a long term community radio licence or a temporary community broadcast licence (TCBL). However, individual grant categories have specific eligibility criteria and you should read the relevant grant guidelines before applying for a grant. Under certain circumstances an incorporated Indigenous media organisation may apply for an Indigenous grant and an incorporated Ethnic broadcast group may apply for an Ethnic grant.

Stations and individuals broadcasting under a narrowcast licence are not eligible to apply for any CBF grants.

Stations broadcasting under a TCBL

Some grant categories require stations broadcasting under a TCBL to have been on air for two years cumulatively prior to applying. Also, additional conditions are imposed on temporary licensees with regard to ownership of assets purchased with the grant. Check the guidelines of the relevant grant category for more information.

If you are a station broadcasting under a TCBL and you are applying for grants for the first time, you should include the following information with your first grant application so that we can establish your eligibility status.

A brief history of your station's broadcasts. This information should include the following:
- When did your station commence broadcasting?
- Do you broadcast full-time or do you share the frequency with another TCBL (and if so, who?)
- If you share the frequency, please outline the details of the sharing arrangement, eg. broadcasting in 3 month blocks, totalling 6 months in each year.
We may contact you for further information if required to establish your eligibility status.

CBF Grant Opportunities

CBF funding assists community broadcasting organisations in urban, regional, rural and remote Australia to produce media by and for their communities.

To find out more about CBF grants go to our Grant Finder to select a specific grant opportunity in the Grant Search or scroll through the list of all CBF grant categories.

Broadly speaking, there are four categories of CBF funding: operations, infrastructure, programming and project funding.

Operations

In general, CBF grants are not available to meet a station's operational costs. However, if you require:

a salary subsidy - apply for a General Grants - Station grant
a subsidy to meet transmission costs - apply for a Transmission Support Grants - Operational Subsidy grant
a subsidy to meet costs of Radio for the Print Handicapped (RPH) broadcasting or a salary subsidy - apply for an RPH Service Support grant.

Infrastructure

In general, if you require:

production and broadcast equipment (for example a mixing console or logging computer) - apply for a General Grants - Station, RPH Service Support or Indigenous Development grant
transmission equipment (for example a transmitter or antenna) - apply for a Transmission Support Grants - Equipment grant
satellite reception equipment to rebroadcast one of the community radio satellite channels (ComRadSat, NIRS or RPH Australia) - apply for a Satellite Reception Equipment grant
a DDN Player to enable program timeshifting of ComRadSat programs - apply for a Digital Delivery Network (DDN) Infrastructure grant

Programming

In general, if your station broadcasts specialist programming you may be eligible to apply for a program subsidy grant. Each grant category has different requirements so please read the grant guidelines carefully.

For Ethnic programs - apply for an Ethnic Program grant
For new Ethnic language or community programs - apply for an Ethnic Development - New Program Group grant
For Ethnic youth programs - apply for an Ethnic Development - Youth Participation grant
For national programs broadcast on the Community Radio Network (CRN) - apply for a General Grants - Program Production grant
For Indigenous programs - apply for an Indigenous Program grant
For a one off or short series of national / regional Indigenous programs - apply for an Indigenous Special Projects grant
For RPH programs - apply for an RPH Program grant

Development

There are a number of other grant opportunities available for development. Typically, applications for development projects are innovative and have a regional or national impact for the benefit of the sector.

For Ethnic language projects - apply for an Ethnic Development - Special Projects grant
For projects that will develop the sustainability of the sector - apply for a General Grants - Sustainability and Development grant
For development of Indigenous community broadcasting resources - apply for an Indigenous Special Projects grant
For Training - apply for a Broadcast Training grant or a Training Innovation Projects grant

Other information

When you apply for the first time you may be required to provide additional attachments with your application such as a business plan, certificate of incorporation, etc. A check list of the required attachments is at the bottom of the front page of every CBF application form. Make sure all the required attachments are sent with the application - we can't process your application without the right material.

> See our Organisational Planning page for more information on developing or revising a Business Plan

Getting advice

CBF staff are happy to assist you. If you have any questions about CBF grant opportunities, guidelines, application forms, or reporting requirements, or you'd like some advice or feedback on your application please contact the CBF. Our office is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm AEST, Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can email queries to grants@cbf.com.au.

> See our guide to Preparing Your Application

Your feedback is welcomed

We would be interested in any comments or suggestions you have about the CBF grants process. Please give us your feedback online.

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