Social cohesion — the degree to which members of a community feel connected, trusting, and included — is a foundation of wellbeing, democracy, and resilience. Societies with high social cohesion have better health outcomes, lower crime, stronger economic participation, and more functional democracies. In Australia's extraordinarily diverse society, building cohesion across cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines is a continuous work — and one that requires active investment. Grant funding supports community connection programs, intercultural dialogue, belonging initiatives, and the organisations that build the social fabric that holds communities together.
Australia's cohesion context
Threats to social cohesion
What social cohesion looks like
Multicultural Affairs (Home Affairs)
Social cohesion as part of multicultural policy.
Australian Human Rights Commission
Addressing discrimination and building equitable participation.
Social Cohesion Advisory Board
Government-commissioned cohesion strategy.
State governments
The Paul Ramsay Foundation
Social cohesion and inclusion as part of Breaking the Cycle.
The Scanlon Foundation Research Institute
Australia's leading social cohesion research and program funder.
Community foundations
Local cohesion programs funded through community foundations.
Multicultural trusts and foundations
Funding intercultural dialogue and multicultural community connection.
The Myer Foundation
Community and social inclusion.
Community connection programs
Intercultural dialogue
Belonging and inclusion
Anti-discrimination and countering prejudice
Youth social cohesion
Research and data
Regional cohesion
Australia has world-class social cohesion research thanks to the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute's annual Mapping Social Cohesion index. The research consistently shows:
- Australia has strong baseline social cohesion
- But cohesion has declined since 2018, with sharper declines since 2022
- Perceived discrimination, economic inequality, and political trust all affect cohesion
- Interaction across cultural groups consistently strengthens cohesion
Grant applications grounded in this evidence — addressing the specific drivers of cohesion decline, targeting the interactions that research shows build trust — are more likely to have impact.
Contact hypothesis
Research consistently shows that positive, sustained contact between groups builds cohesion — while brief, superficial contact can backfire. Applications that create meaningful, sustained interaction across cultural lines (not just token events) are more effective.
Addressing structural drivers
Discrimination, economic inequality, and institutional exclusion drive cohesion decline. Applications that address these structural drivers alongside building connection are more comprehensive.
Measurement
Cohesion is notoriously difficult to measure — applications with validated measures (sense of belonging, trust, cross-cultural friendships) are more credible than those measuring only attendance.
Equity
Cohesion programs that only serve already-connected, advantaged communities don't build cohesion at the margins where it matters most. Applications targeting socially isolated, marginalised communities are more impactful.
Tahua's grants management platform supports social cohesion funders and community connection organisations — with participant tracking, belonging outcome measurement, community reach data, and the reporting tools that help social cohesion funders demonstrate their investment in building Australia's connected, trusting communities.