Integrated Water Management Grant Program 2025-28 - Funding Stream 1 - IWM Partnership Projects
Tender ID: 599213
Tender Details
Tender Description
Overview
The Integrated Water Management (IWM) Grant Program 2025–28 is designed to accelerate the adoption of integrated and sustainable water management practices across Victoria.
Through targeted investment and support, the program aims to foster collaboration, innovation, and equity in water-related projects that deliver environmental, cultural, and community benefits.
The program is structured around 3 distinct funding streams. It enables IWM Forum Partners, including local governments, Traditional Owners, Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) and water corporations, to apply for funding to deliver projects as part of the goal of embedding IWM as standard practice throughout Victoria.
The IWM Grant Program 2025-28 is tailored to support a range of project types through 3 targeted funding streams:
- IWM Partnership Projects (metropolitan and regional)
- Traditional Owner-led IWM Projects
- Strategic Directed Investments.
We strongly encourage applicants to start their application early to allow ample time for thoughtful and thorough completion.
Please note: with the exception of the Traditional Owner-led IWM Projects stream, these grants are only open to organisations that are members of an IWM Forum.The IWM Partnership Projects stream provides co-funding to support the delivery of place-based projects that have been collaboratively developed through IWM Forum processes.
These grants aim to:- implement priorities identified through IWM Forum collaboration
- build awareness, capacity and local leadership in the design and delivery of IWM outcomes
- demonstrate the benefits of IWM through practical delivery of IWM outcomes.
| Applications open | 3 November 2025 |
| Applications assessment and approval | February - April 2026 |
| Notification of funding outcomes | April 2026 |
| Funding agreements for successful applicants | April - June 2026 |
Eligibility
Who is eligible to apply?
The lead applicant must:
- be a member organisation of a metropolitan IWM Forum
- be an incorporated body, cooperative or association (including business associations)
- be financially solvent
- have the capacity to manage the grant funding directly, including any procurement (e.g. consultancies or works).
What is eligible for funding?
To be eligible for funding, projects must meet all of the following criteria:
1. be located within any of the 5 metropolitan IWM Forum regions
2. be either a capital or feasibility project, defined as:
- Capital project: Involves on-ground works and may include design and construction (D&C) or construction only. For D&C projects, a suitably detailed design and feasibility assessment (appropriate to the scale of the project) must be completed prior to applying for grant funding.
- Feasibility project: Involves investigation or planning to support future IWM delivery. Feasibility projects may include a feasibility study or needs analysis, development of an IWM plan, preparation of a business case, creation of a functional design or research and development.
3. directly align with the priorities of a metropolitan Melbourne IWM Forum(s). This includes:
- Priority projects listed in, or clearly derived from priority projects listed in a Catchment Scale IWM Action Plan, or
- Newly endorsed priority projects that have been formally supported by a metropolitan IWM Forum(s)
4. be delivered collaboratively with one or more IWM Forum member organisations
5. meet the co-contribution threshold
6. satisfy one or more purposes of Victoria’s Environmental Contribution levy, namely to:
- promote the sustainable management of water, or
- address adverse water-related environmental impacts
7. clearly support the objectives of this grants program.
Refer to the Application Guidelines for further information.
Applicants who are unsure whether their proposed project or activity meets the eligibility requirements are encouraged to contact DEECA for clarification prior to the application close date.
How To Apply
Before considering a grant funding application, please read the Application Guidelines carefully, even if you have applied in previous rounds.
We strongly encourage applicants to start their application early to allow ample time for thoughtful and thorough completion.
Apply via our Grants Online portal:
Start new application for
- Metropolitan IWM Partnership Project Funding
- Access saved application
For technical help with Grants Online, contact grantsinfo@deeca.vic.gov.au
Application Guidelines and Templates
- Application Guidelines - IWM Partnership Projects - Metropolitan (PDF, 1.1 MB)
- Application Guidelines - IWM Partnership Projects - Metropolitan - accessible (DOCX, 334.8 KB)
- Application Form - IWM Partnership Projects - Metropolitan (DOCX, 139.0 KB) (for collaboration purposes only - applications must be done online)
- Application Budget Overview Template (Excel, 33.0 KB)
- Application Risks and Mitigations Template (Excel, 21.0 KB)
- Application Capital IWM Project Metrics Template (Excel, 32.6 KB)
- Application Letter of Endorsement and Partnership Template (DOCX, 44.2 KB)
- Frequently Asked Questions - IWM Grant Program 2025-2028 (PDF, 227.4 KB)
- Frequently Asked Questions - IWM Grant Program 2025-2028 - accessible (DOCX, 127.9 KB)