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Empowering Your Efforts

Designed to support individual and collective action around death and dying, we are empowering your efforts to inspire you to take meaningful action and strengthen local connections. We’re here to support your efforts and help them grow!

Thanks to generous support from The J.O. & J. R. Wicking Trust, Dying to Know can now fund those already making a difference in changing how we approach end-of-life. Our community grants program is built on the belief that diverse approaches lead to unique solutions, and great ideas deserve to be nurtured and turned into meaningful action.

The J.O. & J.R. Wicking Trust was established in 2002 and is one of Australia’s most significant charitable trusts distributing grants to people, programs and research that significantly improve the quality of life and death for older Australians.

About the Dying to Know Grants Program

Whether it’s a neighborhood gathering for the day of action, a conversation product or a broader community project, these grants are a catalyst for transformation – helping warm hearted, creative and generous people like yourself, turn great ideas into impactful actions!

We are particularly keen to hear from you if you are engaged with:

• Programs that are primarily managed and operated by volunteers
• Neighbourhood houses/ centres
• Culturally and linguistically diverse community programs
• Initiatives that collectivise and amplify the voices of locals
• Creative arts
• Social and sporting clubs
• Improving participation of vulnerable groups of people such as those at risk of homelessness, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, older people living alone, people with disabilities or mental illness, refugees and asylum seekers and/or LGBTQIA+ communities.

What we fund

We support people to strengthen local connections and take meaningful action that reshape community’s relationship with death and dying.

We fund actions that:

• Build collaborations and partnerships
• Are novel and creative!
• Have the potential to effect change to local system/culture
  We’re keen to ensure that seed funds are spread across the country so if you’re living in regional or remote areas ‘we’d love to hear from you!

Available funding:

Individual grant amounts range from $500 – $5,000. You will be asked to choose from one of two categories. In your application you will be asked how much money you are seeking from this grant. The number of grants awarded each round differs.

What we don’t fund:

• Clinical services (Inc Therapy)
• Projects that cannot demonstrate direct benefit to reshaping the community’s relationship with death and dying
• Projects that promote religion or religious beliefs
• Work that promotes anti-democratic values or any form of discrimination

How to Apply

Interested individuals and small groups can apply with our easy link to our application form below. Once completed you will receive a pop up window as confirmation of submission.

Key Dates

Grant applications are now open.

Grant applications for 2025 close on 1 December 2025.

Support and resources

The Dying to Know team are here to support you, contact our team to organise a time to meet with our team and discuss your project. Please note talking with us about your project does not guarantee funding.

Why This Matters

By supporting local change-makers, this initiative aims to foster stronger, more connected communities. This community grants program is designed to harness the collective power of grassroots end-of-life community members, providing the necessary resources to address pressing issues and create lasting positive change in the death and dying space.

Advocate for:

• Conversations – Conversations introduce people to new ways of discussing death and dying. The more people engage in these discussions, the more the community develops the skills and comfort needed to navigate sensitive topics.
• Roles in end-of-life care – Helping others understand the various roles required in end-of-life care and how each can contribute.
• End-of-life care support – Helping people find varying ways to offer meaningful support to someone they know at the end-of-life.
• Resources – By sharing end-of-life resources and the ways to support someone at the end-of-life, people in our communities can immediately start making a difference and advocating themselves for better understanding about end-of-life care and choices.

Empower Australians to:

• Build meaningful connections – Foster deep, supportive relationships within communities at the end of life.
• Make informed decisions – Access essential information to confidently navigate end-of-life care.
• Honour personal choices – Work toward dying in the preferred place with the right support.
• Navigate complex systems – Receive guidance to manage end-of-life processes effectively
• Normalise conversations on death and dying – Understand that it’s never too early to think about end-of-life matters.
• Make an impact – Discover meaningful ways to contribute to end of life care and support.

We all have different experiences and stories, but we are like-minded as one. Together, we form a community of change-makers, striving to create the best possible end-of-life experiences for everyone involved.