Lawn bowls is a beloved community sport in Australia, with hundreds of clubs providing sport and social connection, particularly for older Australians. Clubs face ongoing costs for green maintenance, equipment, and clubhouse facilities — and grant funding helps sustain these community assets. This guide covers the key funding sources for bowls organisations in Australia.
Bowls Australia is the national governing body and receives Sport Australia investment.
Key programmes:
- Club development: Resources and funding through state bowling bodies
- Youth bowls: Growing younger participation — Jack Attack and similar programmes
- Women's bowls: Investment in women's participation
- Para bowls: Inclusive programmes for players with disability
- Coaching development: Coach accreditation
Access: Bowls Australia works through state bowls bodies (Bowls NSW, Bowls Victoria, Bowls Queensland, etc.). Contact your state body for available support.
State sport and recreation agencies fund bowls clubs as community sport:
- Victoria: Sport and Recreation Victoria — community sport and facility grants
- NSW: Office of Sport NSW; ClubGRANTS (see below)
- Queensland: State sport agencies and local government
- Western Australia: DLGSC community sport grants
- South Australia: ORSR community sport
Bowls clubs in NSW are among the most common recipients of ClubGRANTS:
- Category 1: Welfare and social services (for bowls clubs running community support activities)
- Category 2: Community infrastructure (greens, clubhouse)
- Category 3: Sport and recreation
Bowls clubs in NSW that operate registered gaming machines are often both administrators of ClubGRANTS and recipients of other clubs' ClubGRANTS distributions.
In states with gaming trust frameworks:
- Queensland: Gaming trusts and lottery-linked grants for community sport
- ACT: Community gaming grants
State lotteries fund community sport facilities:
- NSW Sport: VicSport equivalent — see state sport agencies
- Victorian lotteries: Community sport through Sport and Recreation Victoria
- State-specific lottery community funds
Bowls greens represent the largest capital cost for clubs:
- State sport agencies: Facility development grants
- Local council: Infrastructure support and rate concessions for clubs on council land
- Gaming trusts / ClubGRANTS: Contributions to green renovation
- Bowls Australia / state bodies: Technical guidance and possible co-investment
Bowls is one of Australia's most effective sports for active ageing and social connection. Funders interested in:
- Active ageing: Community trusts, state government health programmes, active ageing grants
- Social isolation prevention: Community wellbeing funding
- Men's health: Bowls clubs as male social infrastructure (increasingly recognised by men's health funders)
Position bowls as a health and wellbeing intervention, not just a sport, to access health-focused philanthropy.
Bowls Australia's youth strategy has produced Jack Attack and other formats to attract younger players. Youth bowls programmes are attractive to:
- Sport Australia
- State sport bodies
- Gaming trusts and ClubGRANTS
- Community foundations
Clubhouse improvements, lighting, and accessibility modifications:
- State government: Sport facility grants
- Local council: Community infrastructure grants
- Gaming trusts / ClubGRANTS: Minor works
- Disability inclusion grants: For accessible facilities (ramps, accessible toilets)
Strong bowls grant applications demonstrate:
- Community access: Open membership, welcoming to new players
- Social outcomes: Community connection, active ageing, combating isolation
- Youth engagement: Evidence of or plans for growing younger participation
- Green and facility condition: Practical, specific plans for maintenance or improvement
- Inclusive programmes: Disability-inclusive bowls and women's participation
- Club governance: Sound management, financial stability, active committee
Tahua's grants management platform helps sport organisations manage their grant portfolio — tracking applications, reporting deadlines, and the community outcomes that funders want to see.