Qantas has announced the recipients of its fifth annual Regional Grants program, with 47 community organisations sharing $2 million in cash, flights and marketing support for projects across regional, rural and remote Australia.
Grants span healthcare, education and cultural programs
Since launching in 2019, the program has supported more than 150 organisations addressing local challenges and creating new opportunities across the country. Recipients this year include The Gunggandji Aerospace Foundation in Queensland, which will expand its Raising Horizons program giving First Nations students across more than 29 communities in Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait greater access to aviation and aerospace career pathways.
Country Hope in New South Wales will use funding to help regional children with cancer and other serious illnesses travel to and from treatment. Strait Experience in Queensland will bring up to 12 Torres Strait students to tourism industry events and training in Cairns, building a pipeline of future cultural guides and tourism operators from the region. Derby District High School in Western Australia will use flights to help Aboriginal students travel from Derby to Perth for the WA Public Schools Contemporary Music Festival.
Other recipients include the Laura Memorial Civic Centre Committee in South Australia, upgrading its solar and battery system; Jindivick Primary School in Victoria, replacing breakfast club equipment; Salted Christmas Island in Western Australia, expanding a reusable cup library to reduce single-use waste; Artback NT, bringing arts and cultural experiences to remote Northern Territory communities via flights; and The Listening Project in Tasmania, establishing peer-led support groups at a northern Tasmanian school.
Grants reflect Qantas’ long-running regional connection
Mark Dal Pra, QantasLink chief executive officer, said the program reflects the airline’s history with regional communities. “For more than 105 years Qantas has been part of regional Australia and we’ve seen firsthand the role local organisations play in bringing communities together and supporting people when they need it most,” Dal Pra said.
For agents and operators working in regional Australian tourism, particularly in areas like the Torres Strait and Far North Queensland, the grants signal continued investment in building local tourism and hospitality talent pipelines, with programs such as Strait Experience potentially feeding into future tourism operator and guide capacity in these regions.
