Eighty-five Aboriginal community organisations across New South Wales will receive a share of $1.5 million in funding to deliver locally led projects aimed at strengthening, protecting and maintaining Aboriginal cultures.
The funding has been provided through the Minns Labor Government’s NSW Cultural Grants program and will support initiatives ranging from language preservation and storytelling to cultural gatherings, art workshops and the sharing of knowledge between generations.
The successful projects span communities across the state and have been developed around local cultural priorities.
Among the recipients is Barriekneal Housing & Community Ltd, which will deliver the Yuwaalaraay Winangaylanha Walaaybaa project in Lightning Ridge on Yuwaalaraay Country. The initiative will support Elders and language teachers to work with young people on language, cultural knowledge, bush tucker preparation and ceremony on Country.
Crystal Mahoney, CEO of Barriekneal Housing & Community Ltd, said the funding would help strengthen connections between Elders and younger members of the community.
“This grant provides a vital bridge between our Elders and youth to preserve the rich heritage of the Yuwaalaraay people,” Mahoney said.
Another funded initiative is the 2026 Aboriginal Rangers Gathering in Tamworth on Gomeroi Country. Led by Tamworth Local Aboriginal Land Council, the week-long gathering will bring Ranger groups from across NSW together to exchange knowledge about traditional land management and Caring for Country.
The program will bring together perspectives from different environments, including desert, coastal, riverine and woodland areas.
Fiona Snape, CEO of Tamworth Local Aboriginal Land Council, said the gathering would provide an opportunity for Ranger teams to share practices and experiences before taking that knowledge back to their communities.
Near Quambone on Wayilwan Country, the Maliyaangaa Ngurra project will support the publication of the Eagles Nest Creation Story of the Marshes in Wayilwan and English.
The project aims to preserve culturally authorised knowledge connected to the Macquarie Marshes while making the resource freely available across the Quambone region.
Nyimirr, senior cultural educator and co-founder of Milan Dhiiyaan, said the project would contribute to Wayilwan language preservation and make cultural knowledge accessible to future generations.
Other successful projects include Nyiirun Djiyagan Wakulda in Port Macquarie on Birpai Country, bringing Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women together through storytelling, dance, song, language and art.
In Bankstown on Darug Country, Culturally Grounded Healing: Strengthening Mob Through Culture & Holistic Wellbeing will provide a series of community-led programs focused on identity, wellbeing and connection.
The Strength Through Sharing project in Port Kembla on Dharawal Country will involve workshops on possum skins, clapsticks, shell art and other cultural practices, with Elders sharing knowledge with Aboriginal women of different generations.
The Wamba Wamba Connecting Community Project will support cultural gatherings in the Murray River region, creating opportunities for engagement with Elders, Country and Culture.
In Maitland on Wanarruwa Country, The Kinnection Project will focus on Aboriginal young people through cultural activities and knowledge sharing.
NSW Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said Aboriginal communities were best placed to determine how their cultures should be protected and celebrated.
“These grants provide funding support for everything from gatherings on Country to cultural knowledge publications, helping communities share, preserve and protect intergenerational knowledge,” Harris said.
The government said the program supports the broader Closing the Gap framework, including Target 16, which seeks to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and languages are strong, supported and flourishing.
The grants come as Aboriginal organisations and communities continue to lead cultural programs tailored to local languages, traditions and community needs. The projects supported under the latest funding round vary considerably in their approach, reflecting different priorities across NSW.
The NSW Government said the funding was intended to support self-determination by giving Aboriginal organisations resources to develop and deliver their own cultural initiatives.
A full list of the 2026 grant recipients is available through the NSW Government’s Aboriginal Affairs NSW Cultural Grants Program.
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