The Maitri Grant Program is an Australian Government initiative that funds projects strengthening the business, cultural and people-to-people relationship between Australia and India. It is delivered by the Centre for Australia-India Relations, which sits within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and it is one of the main funding pathways for Australian organisations wanting to build genuine commercial or cultural ties with India.
The 2026-27 round is open now and closes on 14 December 2026. This guide explains what the program funds, who can apply, what the money can and cannot be used for, and how to put together a strong application before the deadline.
What the Maitri Grant Program is
Maitri means “friendship” in Hindi, and the program is built around that idea: funding activities that create lasting, practical connections between Australian and Indian businesses, institutions, researchers and communities. It is not a general small business grant. Every funded activity needs a genuine Australia-India dimension, meaning the project should involve both countries in some way, whether that is a market access program for Australian exporters, a research collaboration, a cultural exchange, or a sporting partnership.
The program sits alongside a related initiative, the Maitri Fellowships and Scholarships, which supports individual researchers and students rather than organisational projects. This guide covers the Grant Program only.
Funding is awarded competitively, from a pool the Centre sets for each financial year. In the most recently published round, the Centre made available a total pool of just over $5.2 million, to be paid out across the life of successful projects, each of which could run for up to three years. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has not yet published the full guidelines for the 2026-27 round at the time of writing, so the figures below reflect the most recently published Maitri Grant Program guidelines. Applicants should confirm the exact funding pool and grant range once the 2026-27 guidelines are released, which should happen before the 14 December 2026 closing date.
How much funding is available
Based on the most recently published guidelines, individual grants have typically ranged from a minimum of $75,000 up to a maximum of $800,000, with most successful grants sitting somewhere between $150,000 and $500,000. No single grant can exceed the total funds the Centre has available for that round, so very large requests face more scrutiny than requests that sit comfortably within the typical range.
Applications that include an in-kind or cash co-contribution from the applicant, a partner, or a sponsor have tended to be looked on more favourably, since they demonstrate the applicant’s own commitment to the project and stretch the available government funding further. A co-contribution is not compulsory, but it is worth factoring into your budget if you can genuinely offer one.
Because the exact 2026-27 funding pool and grant range have not yet been formally published, treat the figures above as a reliable guide to the scale of funding on offer rather than a guaranteed figure for this specific round.
Who can apply
The Maitri Grant Program accepts applications from a wide range of entity types, which makes it more flexible than many grants that are restricted to a single kind of organisation. Eligible applicant types have included:
Companies incorporated in Australia, publicly funded research organisations, companies limited by guarantee, individuals and sole traders, incorporated trustees acting on behalf of a trust, Australian local government bodies, incorporated associations, Australian state or territory government bodies, partnerships, Corporate Commonwealth entities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations, and registered charities or not-for-profit organisations. Joint applications are also accepted, where several organisations apply together as a consortium behind one lead applicant.
To be eligible, an applicant generally needs to hold an Australian Business Number, be registered for GST where required, hold permanent residency or Australian incorporation, have an account with an Australian financial institution, and be based in Australia.
Small and medium businesses and First Nations businesses are specifically called out in the program’s focus areas, not as a separate application category, but as the kind of organisation the funded activities are expected to support and benefit. In practice, this means an industry body, chamber of commerce, research institution or not-for-profit that runs a program helping Australian SMEs or First Nations businesses access the Indian market is a strong fit for this grant, even if the SMEs themselves are not the ones applying.
Similarly, cultural institutions, universities and sporting bodies are not listed as a distinct eligible applicant type, but projects that build India-related capability at a major Australian cultural institution, support research collaboration, or encourage sports-related engagement between the two countries all fall within the program’s funded themes, so organisations in those sectors should look closely at whether their own entity type (for example, as an incorporated association, a company limited by guarantee, or a publicly funded research organisation) qualifies them to apply directly.
Who does not qualify
The program has not published a 2026-27 exclusions list at the time of writing, but based on the most recent guidelines, applicants who are not based in Australia, who cannot provide an Australian Business Number, who are not registered for GST where required, or who do not hold or have access to an Australian bank account are not eligible to apply. Entities that already have outstanding reporting or acquittal obligations from previous Australian Government funding, or an unresolved breach of a previous grant agreement, are also not well placed to apply until those matters are resolved.
Because every funded project needs a genuine link to India, a proposal with no meaningful activity, partnership, or outcome connected to India is unlikely to succeed, regardless of how strong the Australian side of the project is on its own.
What the funding can be used for
The most recently published guidelines group eligible activities into two broad areas.
On the business side, the program has funded activities such as building clean energy and supply chain resilience links between the two countries, education and skills initiatives, programs that help Australian SMEs and First Nations businesses access the Indian market, agribusiness and agri-tech collaboration (including activity connected to the Australia-India trade agreement), tourism-related initiatives, and sports collaboration that generates economic engagement between the two countries.
On the cultural and people-to-people side, funded activities have included building India-related capability and programming at major Australian cultural institutions, raising awareness of the audiovisual co-production arrangement between the two countries, and projects that draw on the Indian diaspora in Australia to deepen the relationship between the two communities.
Within an approved project, funding can generally be spent on the specific, eligible costs of delivering that activity, such as the direct costs of running events, travel between Australia and India where that travel is part of the project, program delivery costs, and reasonable administrative costs tied to the funded activity. Every successful applicant is expected to budget in detail and exclude GST from the figures submitted.
What it cannot be used for
A grant cannot be used to cover costs that are not directly tied to the funded activity, costs incurred before a grant agreement is signed, or activities that have no demonstrated connection to building the Australia-India relationship. The program’s detailed guidelines set out a full list of eligible and ineligible expenditure once published for the round, and applicants should check that list carefully before finalising a budget, since claiming an ineligible cost can put the whole grant at risk.
Key dates
The 2026-27 round of the Maitri Grant Program closes on 14 December 2026. The Centre for Australia-India Relations has not yet published the exact open date or a public information session date for this round at the time of writing. Successful projects from previous rounds have typically needed to be completed within three years of being approved, so applicants should plan their project timeline with that ceiling in mind.
Given the scale of the application (a full project plan, budget and supporting documents), applicants are strongly encouraged not to leave their submission until the final days before the 14 December 2026 deadline.
Documents applicants may need
Based on the most recently published application form, applicants should expect to prepare an Australian Business Number and confirmation of GST registration, a detailed project budget excluding GST, a completed risk register using the template the Department provides as part of the application, and letters of support from any partner organisation involved in the project.
Applicants will also need to answer a set of standard Commonwealth grant declarations, covering matters such as the National Redress Scheme, the Modern Slavery Act, and any outstanding reports or acquittals from previous Australian Government funding. Where a project involves working with children or vulnerable people, a statement addressing that is required once a grant agreement is reached.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake is treating this as a general business grant rather than a relationship-building grant. Every section of the application should make clear how the project specifically strengthens ties between Australia and India, not just how it benefits the applicant’s own organisation or sector.
Applicants also commonly underestimate how much weight is placed on the assessment criteria, which have previously been split across the project’s contribution to program outcomes, how effectively it will be delivered, its impact and sustainability after the funding ends, and the degree of genuine innovation in the approach. Each answer needs to be written to that specific criterion, with the strongest, most concrete evidence an applicant has, rather than general statements about the value of the project.
A further common gap is forgetting the required risk register, or submitting a generic one that has not been tailored to the actual project. Since this is a standard part of the application rather than an optional extra, leaving it out or rushing it can weaken an otherwise strong submission.
Finally, applicants sometimes submit a budget that does not clearly separate Australian and Indian components of the project, or that fails to show how much time and activity will occur in each country. Since the India-based component of a project is central to the program’s purpose, this detail should be set out clearly rather than left implicit.
How competitive is this grant
The Maitri Grant Program draws from a defined annual pool rather than funding every eligible application that meets the minimum bar. In the most recently published round, the total pool was a little over $5.2 million, spread across grants that could individually run from $75,000 up to $800,000. That combination, a meaningful but capped pool against individually large grant sizes, means a round can realistically fund only a limited number of projects.
Because the program sits at the intersection of two countries’ priorities and covers several different themes (business, research, culture, sport), competition can vary depending on how many strong applications land in each theme in a given round. A tightly scoped, well-evidenced application that clearly answers each assessment criterion will generally be more competitive than a broad or vaguely defined one, regardless of the theme.
What to prepare before you apply
Start by confirming your organisation’s Australian Business Number and GST registration are current, and that you have access to an Australian bank account in the applicant’s name, since these are basic eligibility checks before the content of your application is even assessed.
Work out, specifically, what will happen in India as part of your project, who your Indian partner or counterpart will be (if there is one), and how that connection will be sustained after the grant period ends. Build your budget with GST excluded, and think through a genuine risk register for the project rather than a placeholder document.
If any part of your project depends on a partner organisation, whether in Australia or in India, start those conversations early enough to have a signed letter of support ready well before the 14 December 2026 closing date.
Related funding options
If your organisation is a small or medium business weighing up the Maitri Grant Program against other current options, our guide to startup and small business grants across Australia covers a wider range of programs that do not require an international partnership.
If your project specifically supports First Nations businesses or communities, our guide to First Nations arts and business funding outlines other current programs that may suit a narrower, domestically focused project.
Want help working out if this is the right grant for you
Grants Assist’s online portal gives you access to detailed, regularly updated information on grants and assistance programs across Australia, including programs like the Maitri Grant Program that fund international business and cultural engagement. Explore the Grants Assist portal to browse more programs like this one, or call us on 1300-005-999 to speak with one of our advisors.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Maitri Grant Program?
It is an Australian Government grant program, delivered by the Centre for Australia-India Relations within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, that funds projects strengthening the business, cultural, research and people-to-people relationship between Australia and India.
How much funding can I get through the Maitri Grant Program?
Based on the most recently published guidelines, individual grants have typically ranged from $75,000 to $800,000, with most falling between $150,000 and $500,000, drawn from a total round pool of a little over $5.2 million. The Department has not yet published the exact figures for the 2026-27 round, so applicants should confirm the current range once the full guidelines are released.
When does the 2026-27 Maitri Grant Program round close?
The current round closes on 14 December 2026. The Centre for Australia-India Relations has not published the round’s exact open date at the time of writing.
Can a small business apply for the Maitri Grant Program directly?
Small and medium businesses are a key focus of the program’s funded activities, but they are generally supported through projects run by eligible applicant organisations, such as industry bodies, chambers of commerce, research organisations or not-for-profits, rather than applying as an individual small business in most cases. A business structured as an eligible entity type, such as a company or sole trader, with a genuine Australia-India project, may still be able to apply directly.
Does my project need to include activity in India, not just Australia?
Yes. The program is built around strengthening the relationship between the two countries, so a credible India-based component, partnership or outcome is central to a competitive application, not an optional extra.
What happens if I miss the 14 December 2026 deadline?
Applications submitted after the published closing date are not accepted under standard Commonwealth grant administration practice. Organisations that miss this round should watch for the next Maitri Grant Program round, which the Centre for Australia-India Relations typically runs on an annual cycle.
