Kidney disease is a growing health crisis in Australia — affecting over 1.7 million Australians, with many more at risk. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) often progresses silently until kidneys fail, requiring dialysis or transplantation. The burden is particularly severe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who develop kidney failure at many times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians and face significant geographic and cultural barriers to dialysis. Grant funding supports prevention, research, patient support, and access to care across Australia's kidney health sector.
Scale and impact
Risk factors
Indigenous kidney health disparity
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples:
- Develop kidney failure at approximately 10x the rate of non-Indigenous Australians
- Present for kidney failure at younger ages
- Many live in remote areas — dialysis access requires relocation to regional centres
- Dialysis away from Country has devastating effects on culture, family, and mental health
Kidney Health Australia (KHA)
KHA is the peak kidney health organisation — funding awareness, support, and research:
- Research grants
- Patient support programmes
- Awareness campaigns (Kidney Health Week)
- National Kidney Health Roadmap
NHMRC
NHMRC funds kidney disease research:
- Basic science (disease mechanisms)
- Clinical trials
- Prevention research
- Indigenous kidney health
Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
MRFF has funded kidney health:
- Indigenous kidney disease research
- Transplantation research
State health departments
States fund renal services — dialysis units, transplantation services, CKD clinics.
The most compelling funding case in kidney health is Indigenous renal disease:
The problem
Solutions being funded
Key funders
Kidney disease prevention
Patient support
Transplantation
Research
Workforce development
Indigenous kidney health urgency
The Indigenous kidney health disparity is compelling and well-documented. Applications addressing this gap — particularly remote dialysis, return to Country support, or prevention in remote communities — are powerful funding propositions.
Prevention over treatment cost
Preventing kidney failure is far cheaper than dialysis (approximately $75,000 per patient per year for dialysis). Show the prevention value of your programme — early detection and management delaying or preventing kidney failure.
Patient-centred outcomes
Kidney patients value quality of life, not just survival. Show quality of life outcomes — not just clinical measures (eGFR, creatinine) but patient-reported wellbeing, ability to work, maintain relationships.
Home dialysis expansion
Home-based dialysis (peritoneal dialysis, home haemodialysis) offers independence and better quality of life than centre-based dialysis. Applications supporting home dialysis access are aligned with current policy direction.
Tahua's grants management platform supports kidney health funders and renal disease organisations — with programme participant tracking, clinical outcome measurement, community reach data, and the reporting tools that help kidney health funders demonstrate their investment in preventing and managing kidney disease across Australia.