If you run a not-for-profit organisation in Australia and you are looking for funding beyond the usual government grant rounds, the IMPACT Philanthropy Application Program, known as IPAP, is worth a close look. It is run by Perpetual, one of Australia’s oldest and largest trustee and wealth management companies, which manages a large number of charitable trusts and foundations on behalf of individual and family philanthropists. IPAP is the application process that connects those philanthropic funds with eligible not-for-profit organisations seeking project funding.
The 2027 round of IPAP opens on Wednesday 4 November 2026 and closes on Friday 4 December 2026. That is a relatively short four-week application window, so not-for-profits that want to apply should start preparing now rather than waiting until the round opens.
This article explains, in plain language, what IPAP actually is, how much funding is realistically available, who can and cannot apply, what the money can be used for, what you will need to have ready, the mistakes that trip up a lot of applicants, and what to do if you are not eligible this time around.
What is the IMPACT Philanthropy Application Program?
IPAP is not a single grant with one fixed amount of money attached to it. Instead, it is the front door that Perpetual uses once a year to match not-for-profit organisations with the philanthropic trusts and foundations it manages on behalf of its clients. Perpetual oversees philanthropic giving worth roughly $120 million a year across the funds in its care, and IPAP is how it finds worthwhile not-for-profit projects to direct some of that giving towards.
In practical terms, that means your organisation is not applying to “Perpetual” for a grant in the way you might apply to a government department. You are applying to be considered by a pool of philanthropic trusts that Perpetual administers, each of which has its own particular interests and giving history. Perpetual’s role is to assess your application against four areas, commonly described as Strategy, Leadership, Capability and Outcomes, and then match suitable applications to a trust whose objectives align with your project.
This is a genuinely useful source of funding for established, well-run not-for-profits because it is not restricted to one narrow cause area, one state, or one type of project the way many grants are. Projects located anywhere in Australia, and in some cases projects with an international element, can be considered, provided the applicant organisation itself meets the eligibility rules below.
How much funding is available?
Based on Perpetual’s own published guidelines for the most recently completed funding cycle, grants through IPAP generally range from $10,000 to $100,000, with the recent average grant sitting around $80,000. Applications requesting more than $120,000 are not eligible to be considered at all, so that figure acts as a hard ceiling rather than a typical amount you should expect to receive.
A note of caution: Perpetual had not yet published its specific guidelines for the 2027 round at the time this article was written, so these figures reflect the most recently published cycle rather than a confirmed figure for 2027. The pattern of funding has been broadly consistent year to year, but not-for-profits should always check the current round’s own published guidelines once they are available, rather than treating last year’s figures as guaranteed.
Because IPAP draws on a pool of different trusts with different levels of funds available, there is no single “total pool” figure the way there is with some government grant rounds. How much is ultimately granted depends on how many suitable trusts are matched with how many strong applications in any given year.
Who qualifies?
To be eligible to apply for IPAP, an organisation generally needs to meet all of the following:
Your organisation must be registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, and/or hold Deductible Gift Recipient Item 1 endorsement from the Australian Taxation Office. This is the single most important eligibility requirement, so if you are unsure of your organisation’s current status, it is worth confirming it before you invest time in an application.
Your organisation must hold a valid charity tax concession and must not have any current ACNC compliance or enforcement action against it, and must not have overdue annual reporting with the ACNC. Perpetual checks this as part of its assessment, so outstanding paperwork with the regulator is worth resolving well before the round opens.
Your organisation must not be insolvent or under external administration.
Most organisations are limited to submitting up to two applications in a round. Universities, hospitals and medical research institutes are permitted up to three applications, reflecting the larger and more varied scope of programs those institutions often run.
Projects can be based anywhere in Australia. The program is genuinely national in scope, which sets it apart from many state-specific community grant programs.
Who does not qualify?
Individuals cannot apply. IPAP is only open to organisations, specifically those with the charity registration or DGR status described above.
Organisations without ACNC registration or DGR Item 1 endorsement are not eligible, even if they are clearly doing good community work. If your organisation is only part way through the process of registering as a charity, this round is unlikely to be realistic for you, and it is worth focusing on completing that registration first.
Organisations with overdue ACNC reporting, under active compliance action, or facing insolvency or administration are excluded.
The program is not designed to fund one-off emergency appeals, general fundraising campaigns, or purely retrospective costs for activities that have already happened. If your funding need is for something that has already been paid for, this is unlikely to be the right fit.
What can the funding be used for?
IPAP funding can support a genuinely broad range of not-for-profit activity, including new pilot projects as well as funding to help an existing, already-proven project continue or grow. It can also support capacity building work inside an organisation, such as strengthening systems, governance or staff capability, and can contribute to the ordinary operating costs that keep a program running.
What it is not intended for is retrospective funding for costs already incurred, general fundraising appeals, or funding directed at individuals rather than organisations. If you are preparing a project description for your application, it helps to frame it clearly around a specific, demonstrable community outcome, since Perpetual’s assessment process is explicitly built around looking for strategy, leadership, capability and outcomes, in that order of emphasis.
Key dates for the 2027 round
Applications open: Wednesday 4 November 2026.
Applications close: Friday 4 December 2026.
That is a four-week window. Given the volume of documentation most not-for-profits will need to pull together, including financial statements, governance details and a clear project outline, it is sensible to begin gathering this material well before the round opens rather than waiting for the opening date.
Documents and information you are likely to need
While the exact application questions for the 2027 round were not published at the time of writing, based on the structure Perpetual has used in previous rounds, not-for-profits preparing to apply should expect to need the following ready to go:
Proof of your ACNC charity registration and, where applicable, your DGR Item 1 endorsement, since this underpins your entire eligibility.
A clear, specific description of the project or program you are seeking funding for, including what outcome you expect to achieve and for whom.
Recent financial statements or an annual report, since assessors will want to understand your organisation’s financial position and governance.
Information about your organisation’s track record, leadership structure and operational capability, since the assessment explicitly considers Strategy, Leadership, Capability and Outcomes as its four pillars.
A realistic budget for the project, bearing in mind that most grants fall somewhere between $10,000 and $100,000, with amounts above $120,000 not eligible for consideration at all.
Applications are submitted online, through an application portal that Perpetual operates specifically for its philanthropic programs. Your organisation will need to register for an account on that portal before you can begin an application, so it is worth doing that step early rather than leaving it until close to the deadline.
Common mistakes to avoid
A surprisingly common mistake is applying before confirming ACNC and DGR status is current and in good standing. Because this check happens as part of assessment, an application from an organisation with lapsed or overdue ACNC reporting is unlikely to progress, no matter how strong the project idea is.
Another common mistake is requesting an amount above the $120,000 ceiling, which Perpetual’s own guidelines state will make an application ineligible outright, rather than simply reducing its chances.
A third mistake is treating the application as a general fundraising pitch rather than directly addressing the four assessment pillars of Strategy, Leadership, Capability and Outcomes. Applications that clearly speak to each of these areas, with specific and measurable detail rather than general statements of good intent, are better placed in a competitive assessment process.
Finally, because most organisations are limited to two applications per round, it is worth being selective and strategic about which project or projects you put forward, rather than submitting multiple weaker applications instead of one well-prepared one.
How competitive is it?
IPAP is a genuinely competitive philanthropic program rather than a program that funds every eligible applicant. Because Perpetual is matching applications against a limited number of philanthropic trusts, each with its own particular interests, not every well-qualified not-for-profit will be matched with funding in a given round, even if their application meets all the formal eligibility criteria. Organisations that present a clear, specific and well-evidenced case against the four assessment pillars give themselves the best chance of being matched successfully.
What to prepare now
With a four-week application window, the most useful thing an eligible not-for-profit can do before 4 November 2026 is get its paperwork in order. That means confirming ACNC and DGR status, pulling together recent financial statements, and starting to draft a clear, specific project description built around a measurable community outcome. Organisations that use the weeks before the round opens to prepare, rather than starting from scratch once applications open, will have a real advantage in a four-week window.
Related funding options
Not-for-profits that are researching philanthropic and corporate funding options beyond IPAP may also want to look at the NAB Foundation Community Grants Program, another established corporate foundation program open to charities and social enterprises, or browse our broader guide to community development grants for a wider range of options available to not-for-profit and community organisations across Australia.
Frequently asked questions
Is the IMPACT Philanthropy Application Program a government grant?
No. IPAP is a philanthropic program run by Perpetual, a trustee and wealth management company, on behalf of the charitable trusts and foundations it manages for individual and family philanthropists. It is not funded or administered by any government department.
How much funding can a not-for-profit receive through IPAP?
Based on the most recently published guidelines, grants generally range from $10,000 to $100,000, with a recent average grant of around $80,000. Applications requesting more than $120,000 are not eligible to be considered.
Does my organisation need DGR status to apply?
Your organisation needs to be registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, and/or hold Deductible Gift Recipient Item 1 endorsement from the Australian Taxation Office. It must also hold a valid charity tax concession, have no current ACNC compliance action against it, and have no overdue ACNC annual reporting.
When does the 2027 round open and close?
The 2027 round opens on Wednesday 4 November 2026 and closes on Friday 4 December 2026, a four-week application window.
Can individuals apply for IPAP funding?
No. IPAP is only open to eligible not-for-profit organisations, not to individuals.
How many applications can one organisation submit?
Most organisations can submit up to two applications in a round. Universities, hospitals and medical research institutes may submit up to three.
How do I apply?
Applications are submitted online through Perpetual’s dedicated application portal for its philanthropic programs. You will need to register for an account on that portal before starting your application. For full details and to begin an application, search for Perpetual’s IMPACT Philanthropy Application Program on its official website, or contact Perpetual directly using the contact details listed on its official philanthropy pages.
If you would like help understanding whether your organisation might be a good fit for philanthropic funding opportunities like this one, or want general guidance on the Australian grants landscape, call Grants Assist on 1300 005 999.
