Women's and girls' sport has become one of the highest-priority funding areas in Australian sport. Driven by the success of Australian women's teams — the Matildas, Diamonds, Jillaroos, Hockeyroos, and many others — funders at every level are investing in growing women's participation, improving female sporting pathways, and developing women's leadership in sport. This guide covers the key funding sources for women's sport in Australia.
Sport Australia's Women in Sport strategy is the cornerstone of government investment in female sporting participation.
Key investment streams:
- Women in Sport investment to NSOs: National sport organisations are required to demonstrate women's sport plans as a condition of government investment
- AIS Women's Performance Programme: High performance support for female athletes
- Change Our Game: Grants for projects advancing women's sport participation and leadership
- Girls Make Your Move: Female youth physical activity campaigns and funding
Contact Sport Australia for current grant rounds and eligibility.
The AIS invests specifically in female high performance athletes and coaches:
- Female athlete support across Olympic, Paralympic, and Commonwealth Games disciplines
- Women's coaching development
- Gender equity in AIS programmes
Each state has investment in women's and girls' sport:
Victoria:
- Victorian Government Women's Sport Fund: Grants for events, participation, and infrastructure for women's sport
- Changing the Game: State-level strategy with funding programmes
NSW:
- Office of Sport NSW: Women's sport development grants
- ClubGRANTS: Women's sport categories
Queensland: State women's sport investment through QSport and state agencies.
WA: DLGSC women's sport programmes.
SA: ORSR women's sport development.
Gaming trusts and ClubGRANTS fund women's sport:
- ClubGRANTS (NSW): Women's sport categories
- State gaming trusts: Women's sport and recreation grants
- Women's team uniforms and equipment
- Girls' junior development programmes
Several foundations have explicit women's sport priorities:
Lord's Taverners Australia: Sport for youth with disability — includes girls.
ANZ Trustees / philanthropic funds: Gender equity in sport.
Medibank Better Health Foundation: Women's health through sport.
Harvey Norman: Corporate sponsor of women's sport, particularly rugby league.
AFL Women's (AFLW) and NRLW sponsors: Corporate partners who invest in women's sport at the elite level may have community grant programmes.
Each national sport organisation has women's sport investment. Most fundable areas by sport:
Football (soccer): Matildas effect has driven significant growth. Football Australia's women's strategy funds girls' and women's programmes through state federations.
Rugby league (NRLW): NRL's women's investment flows through state leagues and clubs.
Rugby union (Super W): Rugby Australia's women's programmes.
AFL Women's (AFLW): AFL's women's development through state leagues and community clubs.
Netball: Historically dominant women's sport — continued investment in all levels.
Cricket: Big Bash League Women has driven investment in women's cricket pathways.
Basketball: NBL1 Women and WNBL driving women's basketball investment.
The most fundable segment is girls' grassroots sport — particularly:
- Programs that get girls active for the first time (not converting already-active girls)
- Programs in lower-income communities
- Programs for girls from culturally diverse backgrounds
- Programs that address barriers (cost, safety, role models, transport)
Sport Australia's Girls Make Your Move is specifically designed for this, as are state government women's sport strategies.
Funders also invest in women's leadership in sport:
- Female coaches and officials development
- Women on sport boards and committees
- Female sport administrators
- Mentoring programmes for women in sport leadership
Australian Sports Commission: Women in leadership initiatives.
State sport bodies: Leadership development for women in sport.
Strong women's sport applications demonstrate:
- Participation increase: How many more women and girls will play?
- Barrier reduction: What specific barriers does the programme address?
- Sustainability: Will female participation continue after the grant?
- Leadership pipeline: Are women being developed as coaches, officials, and administrators?
- Cultural responsiveness: Reaching women from diverse backgrounds (CALD, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander)
- Data and evidence: Participation numbers, demographic reach, outcomes
Tahua's grants management platform helps sport organisations manage multiple funding relationships for women's sport programmes — tracking applications, conditions, and the participation data that funders want.