Strengthening Civic Knowledge and Participation

Democracy belongs to all of us, and it works best when we all play a part. 

A strong and resilient democracy is one that provides clear and equitable ways for people to participate in it, knowing how and when they can do so. 

Across Australia, there are great examples of communities coming together to actively participate in democratic processes. And yet for many, there are barriers to participation. For example: 

• Limited access to information about our democratic system and its processes, including opportunities for participation beyond voting;
• Low trust that the systems are designed to work fairly, resulting from (for example) witnessing corruption, experiencing persistent economic hardship, or not being able to recognise ‘people like me’ among political leaders;
• Limited time to participate in forums for collective organising and decision making, given the pressures of daily life;
• Lack of confidence that the systems can be changed, resulting from democracy being seen as something that ‘exists’, rather than something that can ‘evolve’.

Civic engagement and trust in Australia has been declining in recent decades. Research from the OECD shows less than 50 per cent of Australians say they have high or moderately high trust in key government institutions,  and school test scores show only 28 percent of year 10 students have basic civics knowledge.

Mannifera is seeking proposals for effective ways to boost civic knowledge and participation; among Australians of all ages and backgrounds, but especially among those most likely to be misinformed, excluded, or distrustful of core democratic institutions and processes.

Approaches could include

• Media models and cultural interventions that advance accurate information about the political process and opportunities to engage with it, and reach cohorts not typically engaged with this information;

• Initiatives that embed civic learning in everyday settings; helping people understand how they can use the current democratic system and their agency within it;
• Coalition and sector capacity building to increase civic engagement;
• Advocacy for policy reform that creates opportunities for greater civic engagement.

Priorities

In this call for proposals, Mannifera will be prioritising projects that:

• Are focused on reaching a wide range of age, cultural and socioeconomic groups, with a focus on populations more likely to be disengaged or excluded;
• Are focused on settings other than schools, seeking to embed civic learning beyond the school curriculum and throughout the lifecycle
• Are evidence informed and, where applicable, include the perspectives of people who are the focus of the work;
• Communicate the many benefits of participating in our democracy, instill a sense of agency among the citizenry, and position democratic participation as extending beyond voting;
• Are trialing new and different solutions with the potential to scale, demonstrating learning from previous approaches;
• Are collaborative in nature, demonstrating established partnerships;
• Align strategically with existing partners supported by Mannifera.

Eligibility

• We fund initiatives with a credible approach to systems change. This means initiatives targeted at a single locality without a pathway to be scaled or replicated nationally are unlikely to be shortlisted
• We fund registered charities, ideally with DGR1 status, however can consider those with Tax  Concessions status
• We fund organisations that are non-partisan both in principle and practice (i.e. unaligned to any one political party and effectively work across party lines)
• We don’t fund service delivery, or contribute to general fundraising appeals

Assessment of proposals

Mannifera will assess funding proposals in the following ways:

• Alignment with our focus areas, supported activities and priorities; 
• A well-reasoned theory of change;
• Opportunity for short-term progress towards longer-term systemic change;
• The right team or coalition of partners to undertake the work.

Funding available

Mannifera provides core funding for organisations or initiatives, and has typically delivered grants ranging from $20,000 to $100,000. We expect to award grants to 3-5 organisations or initiatives as part of this round.

How to Apply

Mannifera invites eligible organisations to submit proposals that align with our criteria and priorities.

• Apply via the Australian Communities Foundation Grants Portal by using this link. If your organisation is not already registered with the Australian Communities Foundation, you will first need to register.
• Once you are in the Grants Portal, if the application does not display automatically, click the "Apply" button and use the access code: MANNI2026.
• Fill out the required information in the online application form. You can save and revisit your proposal.

APPLY HERE 

Timeline

• Applications open: 9am Monday 23 February 2026
• Submission deadline: 5pm Friday 6 March 2026 
• Shortlisting: by late March 2026 (all applicants will be notified of results and shortlisted organisations may be invited to share additional information)
• Grant decisions on shortlisted proposals: late May 2026
• Grant payments: from late May 2026 onwards

For questions or technical assistance please reach out info@mannifera.org.au