2025 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants

Applications are now open for the 2025 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants. Delivered by Landcare Australia and funded by the Victorian Government’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, these grants encourage children and young people to get involved, value, and actively care for Victoria’s biodiversity and natural environment.

Focus Areas

Biodiversity includes the variety of plants, animals, insects, and all living things in our natural environment. These grants provide young Victorians with exciting opportunities to participate in biodiversity focused projects. Projects can focus on one of two focus areas or a combination of both.

Focus Area 1: Biodiversity focused education activities: educating, involving, and engaging young people in valuing and actively caring for Victoria’s biodiversity and natural environment.

Examples of projects that can be funded include (but not limited to)

• Incursions and Excursions focussed on Victoria’s biodiversity
• Incursions by local experts on wildlife conservation
• Excursions to wildlife sanctuaries or parks to learn about local biodiversity
• Educational resources, technology and equipment to support biodiversity education and citizen science activities
• Habitat creation, restoration or enhancement for Victoria’s native plants and animals
• Traditional Owner or First Nations Welcome to Country or Smoking Ceremonies as part of the funded project

Focus Area 2: Biodiversity focused on-ground projects: engaging young people to improve biodiversity through creating, enhancing, or restoring habitat for Victoria’s native plants and animals.

These types of projects could include planting indigenous vegetation at a school to improve habitat for Victoria’s native animals, removing invasive weeds to address threats to biodiversity, or working with a local Landcare group on a project at a Council managed reserve.

Previous grant recipients have undertaken projects including:

• Walk on the Wild Side’ Nature Trail
• Youth-Led Biodiversity Garden Project
• Excursions to Melton Botanic Garden and a planting project
• Planting for pollinators 

You can also check out these and other case studies from previous Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants recipients for more project inspiration or have a look at Information Sheet 2 – Project Example and Budget.

The Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants are open to primary and secondary schools, Scouts, Girl Guides, youth groups, Junior Landcare groups, and youth environmental volunteer groups in Victoria. To be eligible, applicant schools or groups must work with young people living in Victoria, who are preferably under the age of 18 years.

These grants support the delivery of Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037– the Victorian Government’s plan to stop the decline of our native plants and animals and improve our natural environment, so that it is healthy, valued and actively cared for.

Cross-border schools with Victorian students are eligible to apply.

Apply immediately to support the next generation of Landcarers to protect Victoria’s biodiversity.