Funding Opportunity Register
Status: Draft
Date: 2026-06-10
Purpose: Record current and recurring funding pathways that may be realistically usable in the Granite Borders / New England region for a GBLC-led or GBLC-partnered industrial hemp feasibility, primary research, economics validation and educational extension program.
Use Of This Register
This register is a screening tool. A funding pathway listed here is not a confirmed grant opportunity and does not mean GBLC is eligible or should apply. Each pathway requires detailed guideline review, eligibility confirmation, regional eligibility and strategic fit assessment before it can be included in a funding proposal.
Funding pathways that cannot realistically be used in the Granite Borders / New England region to conduct primary research, economics validation or evidence-based extension should not be treated as candidate pathways. They may be retained only in the screened-out table so the exclusion logic is clear.
Candidate Funding Pathways
| Funding ID | Funder | Program name | Current status | Financial value evidenced | Realistic value for Phase 3A | Fit with GBLC / NELN role | Evidence source | Confidence | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-002 | Australian Government, DAFF | Future Drought Fund, including Drought Resilience Hubs | Active fund with current and recurring programs. Drought Resilience Hubs Program applications are open in 2026. | Current DAFF pages identify up to $86.7 million to June 2032 for the Hubs Program; the Hubs page also notes $104 million available over six years from 2026-27 for longer-term hub funding. | Low direct value unless GBLC participates through a Hub, university or regional partner. Possible realistic value is a funded work package, extension activity or local delivery role rather than a full hub grant. | Strong potential fit for drought resilience, producer decision-support, farm risk management and evidence-based extension. | S080, S081 | Medium | Check guidelines and identify the relevant drought hub or lead applicant pathway before treating this as financially realistic. |
| F-004 | Queensland Government / QRIDA | Regional Drought Resilience Planning Scheme | Open according to QRIDA page, closes 30 November 2026. | Up to $450,000 total, made up of activity grants up to $300,000 plus remuneration grants up to $150,000. | Potentially material for the Stanthorpe/Southern Downs component if the project implements activities in an eligible regional drought resilience plan. Realistic value could be up to $450,000 only if eligibility, plan alignment and co-contribution requirements are met. | Potential fit if a Queensland eligible entity or partner is involved and the activity aligns with regional drought resilience planning. | S083 | Medium | Check eligible entities, co-contribution, regional plan alignment and whether hemp validation is an eligible drought resilience activity. |
| F-006 | Australian Government, DAFF | Climate-Smart Agriculture Program | Several rounds have run under the NHT; current open status must be checked by stream. | Capacity Building grants total up to $25.5 million over four years; Round 2 examples range from about $376,778 to $2.997 million. Small Grants total up to $2.5 million, with funded examples commonly around $71,000-$100,000. | Strong candidate for a right-sized Phase 3A program if a future round opens. Realistic values appear to be about $90,000-$100,000 for small extension work, or several hundred thousand to $1.5 million-plus for larger capacity-building partnerships. | Strong fit if framed as climate-smart sustainable agriculture, producer decision-support, natural resource management and adoption of evidence-based practices. | S084 | Medium | Monitor future rounds and test whether hemp feasibility can be framed as climate-smart decision-support without becoming crop promotion. |
| F-007 | Australian Government Future Drought Fund / FRRR | Future Drought Fund Communities Program | Active program from late 2025 to late 2028. | Program support totals $36 million. Current small-network style grants are reported as up to $50,000, with examples such as $60,000 Community Impact Program grants in earlier activity. | Realistic value is likely modest but useful: local extension, network building or drought-preparedness engagement rather than technical crop research. | Fit is strongest for community resilience, producer networks, leadership and preparedness, not product-pathway economics. | S085 | Medium | Check whether Granite Borders LGAs are eligible and whether a neutral producer decision-support project fits current FRRR stream guidelines. |
Screened Out Or Context-Only Pathways
These pathways should not be treated as current candidate funding options for the hemp primary research program unless new evidence changes their eligibility, timing or regional usability.
| Funding ID | Funder | Program name | Why excluded or downgraded | Evidence source | Confidence | Recheck trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-001 | Australian Government, DCCEEW and DAFF | Natural Heritage Trust current phase | Umbrella investment only. It is not a direct applicant pathway for GBLC. It remains relevant only through specific usable streams such as Climate-Smart Agriculture. | S079 | Medium | Recheck when a specific NHT round opens that allows local sustainable agriculture, primary research or extension activity in the region. |
| F-003 | NSW Government / Local Land Services | NSW Landcare Enabling Program, including Phase 3 Innovations and Partnerships | Not a current hemp research funding pathway. The 2026 Phase 3 funding has already been awarded through NELN/LLS, and the known GBLC-related allocation is for other Landcare activity rather than this industrial hemp primary research stream. It should be treated as useful Landcare program context, not available hemp project funding. | S082; internal project clarification, 2026-06-10 | Medium | Recheck only if NELN confirms a specific allocation, underspend, variation pathway or future round that can be used for this hemp validation work. |
| F-005 | Queensland Government / QRIDA | Drought Preparedness Grants | Producer-level infrastructure and preparedness support, not an organisational primary research or extension grant. It may be useful for producer context but should not be counted as GBLC/NELN program funding. | S099 | Medium | Recheck only if a producer-led demonstration model is developed and guidelines permit the specific activity. |
| F-008 | European Commission | Horizon Europe, including Cluster 6 food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment | Not practically usable by GBLC for regional primary research at this stage. It may provide international research context or a distant university-led collaboration lead, but it should not be counted as a realistic Phase 3A funding pathway. | S086 | Medium | Recheck only if a university partner identifies a live call that explicitly supports Australian regional participation and local primary research. |
| F-009 | USDA / Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education | SARE grants | US-focused program and not usable for Granite Borders / New England regional primary research. Useful only as a method benchmark for farmer-led research and extension. | S087 | High | No routine recheck required. |
Preliminary Funding Interpretation
The most plausible funding theme is not "industrial hemp promotion". It is a program framed around:
- drought and climate resilience;
- sustainable agriculture decision-support;
- producer risk reduction;
- natural resource management;
- practical economics and adoption barriers;
- evidence-based extension;
- regional collaboration.
The funding case is likely stronger if the program is positioned as a neutral feasibility and learning project that tests whether hemp has any viable role, including the possibility that some product pathways should not proceed.
Information Required Before Any Application
| Information need | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Applicant eligibility | GBLC, NELN or another delivery entity may need to be the lead applicant depending on the program. |
| Eligible activities | Some programs may fund extension but not market testing, crop trials or commercial feasibility. |
| Co-contribution | Cash or in-kind requirements may determine whether an application is realistic. |
| Timing | Some funding windows may close before the business case is ready. |
| Conflict and endorsement risk | A grant application must avoid implying GBLC has endorsed hemp before the evidence is tested. |
| Data and privacy rules | Primary research data, partner discussions and commercial information require careful handling. |
Recommended Shortlist For Detailed Checking
- Climate-Smart Agriculture or similar NHT-derived sustainable agriculture streams, if a future round opens and permits local primary research, economics validation or producer decision-support.
- Queensland Regional Drought Resilience Planning Scheme for the Stanthorpe/Southern Downs component, if plan alignment and eligible applicant arrangements are confirmed.
- Future Drought Fund Communities Program for modest extension, network-building or producer decision-support activity, if the Granite Borders region and neutral hemp feasibility framing are eligible.
- Future Drought Fund Hubs only through a larger regional, university or drought-hub partner where GBLC/NELN has a clear local work package.
- NSW Landcare Enabling or successor Landcare innovation pathways only if a future round, variation, underspend or specific NELN allocation is confirmed for this hemp validation work.