Applications have opened for Round 2 of the 2025–26 Multicultural Festivals and Events (MFE) and Regional Multicultural Festivals and Events Fund (RMFEF), offering grants to support multicultural and multifaith celebrations across Victoria.
The programs invite community groups to apply for funding to host events that showcase cultural heritage, music, art, and traditions between 1 January and 30 June 2026. Grants of up to $50,000 are available through the MFE Program across three streams: up to $5,000 for small events, $5,001–$15,000 for medium, and $15,001–$50,000 for large-scale events.
The RMFEF will again focus on supporting regional and rural multicultural communities, providing flexible funding without a capped limit. Both initiatives reflect the Victorian Government’s ongoing commitment to strengthening inclusion and celebrating diversity.
“Victoria’s multicultural communities make important social, cultural and economic contributions to the success of our state every day,” the stakeholder communication notes. “They build on the rich fabric of Victorian society through cultural exchanges in the arts, music and food, and through innovation and business creation.”
Since 2014, the Victorian Government has invested more than $42 million to deliver nearly 10,000 multicultural festivals and events across the state. The new round continues that record, reinforcing support for communities to preserve and share their traditions.
The state’s population today represents more than 300 ancestries, with Victorians speaking 290 languages and following almost 200 different faiths. One in two Victorians was either born overseas or has a parent who was.
For community organisations hoping to apply, information sessions will be available online and in person in Bendigo and Ballarat. Applications close at 3 PM on Thursday 23 October 2025, with successful events to be delivered in the first half of 2026.
For more information, click here.
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