2026 PROJECTS
IMB Bank Community Foundation grant applications are open until June 14, 2026. We are excited to support local projects that make a real difference across the places where IMB operates. If your not-for-profit organisation has a project that improves wellbeing, inclusion, safety, education or the environment, we’d love to hear from you. Read on to explore the eligibility criteria and the kinds of things we won’t fund, and get your application in today. It could help bring your next initiative to life.
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The IMB Bank Community Foundation has been empowering communities for 26 years, supporting local heroes who dedicate themselves to projects that make our communities more prosperous, connected and sustainable, improving the lives of those who need it most.
Since 1999, we’ve donated over $13m to over 1,100 transformational grassroots projects and witnessed the remarkable and positive impact on our local communities.
We are welcoming applications from 4 May 2026 to 14 June 2026. Apply now or read on for more information about eligibity and criteria.
Meanwhile, explore the exceptional community initiatives funded in 2025 here.
What we fund
Each year, we fund a wide variety of important projects across six key themes:
Social
Educational
Community Development
Environmental
Cultural
Community Connection
Here’s the six things we value when we choose who to fund:
We seek high-impact projects that deliver measurable benefits in communities where our members live and work, with evaluation plans in place.
We invest in enduring initiatives that build and transfer skills and knowledge and provide economic and social benefits in communities that deliver long-term, measurable benefits.
We love fresh, ‘new to community’ ideas with potential for breakthrough impacts and opportunities to partner with entrepreneurial organisations.
We look for initiatives with strong community support and wide-reaching benefits.
We favour applicants who have, will, and are able continue to commit their time, energy, expertise, and physical and financial resources to their initiative.
The initiatives and organisations we fund need to be not-for-profit. There’s more detail on that below.
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ACT
Far
South Coast
Newcastle
Illawarra
Shoalhaven
Sydney
Melbourne
Southern Highlands
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The Foundation supports projects that support the communities we call home. To receive funding, your project will need to serve communities in these regions, and you’ll need to be able open an IMB Bank Account in one of our branches.
What | When |
|---|---|
Applications Open | 4 May 2026 |
Applications Close | 14 June 2026 |
Key assessements | August 2026 |
Meetings with Shortlisted Projects | September 2026 |
Recipients Announced | October 2026 |
Be sure your project meets the eligibility criteria and that you’re familiar with the types of projects the Foundation is looking for.
To apply for funding, you’ll need a Microsoft account to use the online application form. If you don’t already have one, getting one is easy and free. Click here for a step-by-step guide to opening a Microsoft account.
If your project meets the eligibility criteria and you have your Microsoft account details ready to go, you can start your application. Applications close 11.59pm, Sunday 14 June 2026. If you need help, reach out to our Foundation team at Foundation@imb.com.au
Saving your application to finish later:
If you wish to save and return to your application at a later stage, there are options to do so after each section. After you tap "Submit", click the "Save my response to edit" and follow the prompts.
The "Submit" button has dual purpose, to save and/or submit your application form. This means you can return to the form and update or complete your answers until the close date, ie 11:59pm, Sunday 14 June 2026. After submitting your form, it generates an email from the Foundation, and also an email from Microsoft with a link to access your form.
To continue working on your application, using the instructions in the system generated email, log into Microsoft forms with your login and password. In the “Microsoft forms” browser page, look for “Filled Forms” and click on your application to open it and continue working through the questions. Again, you have the option to submit (Save) the form at the end of each section or continue to the end of the form and “Submit".
Once you’ve submitted your application, you’ll receive an email confirming we’ve got it along with a PDF copy of your application. We’ll assess applications after the closing date, and we’ll reach out to all applicants on whether they’ve reached the shortlist for further assessment. This usually happens in August.
1. The IMB Bank Community Foundation may consider funding for professional fees and wages for trainer or instructor related costs where the project is dependent on such positions to be successfully completed, and where the project is otherwise able to demonstrate that it is sustainable.
2. The Committee closely assesses each application before anything is ruled out on these grounds. It is accepted that either type of expenditure may well be an integral part of a whole project.
If your application is successful, your organisation will be required to have open a current bank account with IMB for the purpose of direct transfer of funds. If there are extenuating circumstances, e.g. local government organisation procedures, etc., we will discuss with you the possibility of specific alternative arrangements.
* You should consider the Product Disclosure Statement before making a decision about IMB products and facilities. Target Market Determination available here. Fees and charges may apply, see the PDS – Fees, Charges and Limits for more details.
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