The Men's Shed movement — community spaces where men come together, work on projects, and build friendships — is one of Australia's most distinctive and successful community health innovations. With over 1,400 Men's Sheds across Australia (and thousands globally), the movement has created a uniquely effective way of reaching men who would otherwise be isolated, disconnected, and reluctant to seek help. Grant funding supports Men's Shed equipment, facilities, health programs, and the national and state networks that support individual sheds.
What a Men's Shed is
The health case for Men's Sheds
Who Sheds serve
Department of Health and Aged Care
Men's health programs including Men's Shed support.
Australian Men's Shed Association (AMSA)
Peak body; receives government funding for the network.
State governments
Local government
Facilities, land, and small grants for local Sheds.
Australian Men's Shed Association (AMSA)
Direct support for member sheds through National Shed Development Program.
Local community foundations
Equipment and operational grants for local Sheds.
Masonic foundations
Some Masonic bodies support Men's Sheds.
Rotary and Lions Clubs
Equipment and facility support for local Sheds.
Hardware suppliers
Bunnings, Mitre 10, and others provide materials and in-kind support.
Health foundations
Men's health funders include Sheds as a program delivery mechanism.
Equipment and tools
Facilities
Health programs
Transport and access
Inclusion programs
Network and coordination
Men's Sheds are one of the most effective men's mental health programs in Australia — not because they're explicitly mental health programs, but because they work the way men work:
- Side-by-side rather than face-to-face
- Doing before talking
- Low-barrier, voluntary, enjoyable
- Peer support rather than professional
- Regular, consistent attendance builds trust
Research has consistently shown Shed membership reduces depression, loneliness, and social isolation. Some Sheds have embedded mental health nurses, counsellors, or health workers — but even without formal health services, the social connection and purpose that Sheds provide is protective.
Health integration
Sheds that integrate health programs — not just as workshops but as regular health-promoting activities — are more compelling to health funders. Applications for health programs within Sheds (rather than equipment grants) may access different funders.
Rural and regional priority
Urban men have other options; rural and regional men often don't. Applications for Sheds in areas of thin social infrastructure are higher-priority.
Indigenous men's Sheds
Indigenous men's Sheds — culturally grounded, community-led spaces — have particular value in communities where men's isolation and health outcomes are poor. Applications for Indigenous men's Sheds should be community-led.
Volunteer sustainability
Most Sheds run on volunteers who are themselves ageing. Applications that address coordination, succession, and sustainability of the Shed beyond its founding volunteers are addressing a real systemic risk.
Tahua's grants management platform supports Men's Shed funders and community health organisations — with member attendance tracking, health outcome data, program participation measurement, and the reporting tools that help Men's Shed funders demonstrate their investment in community connection and health for Australian men.