Indigenous Resource Grant

The grant provides a one-off payment for the following items only:

• Unpaid WIL placement assistance of up to $3,000, e.g., uniform/equipment requirement for placement, parking/travel, employment compensation. Length of unpaid placement is a factor in determining value. 
• Material/excursion fees of up to $400 for a course/s 
• Flight training costs of up to $3,000 for costs outside of standard program charges 
• Technology* that is required for your study e.g. specific software which is mandatory for a course of up to $500 and not available via myDesktop 
• Professional development for one conference/workshop to complement your studies of up to $1,000 for vocational, degree or postgraduate by coursework programs.

Note: If you are in need of immediate assistance for an unexpected situation/cost, then please use the Student Hardship Assistance Grant. Assistance may be provided for items such as food, travel, a replacement laptop, relocating and unexpected medical costs. 

*If you have received funds for technology within the last 3 years, the same/similar technology will not be considered. 

Not all students who apply will be successful, and if successful, applicants may not always receive all the funds requested. 

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

• be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student
• be an Australian citizen
• be enrolled in course/s in an RMIT program in 2024
• have provided proof or confirmation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage to our Ngarara Willim Centre (see: Indigenous eligibility) 
• discuss your situation with an advisor in the Ngarara Willim Centre
• demonstrate how receiving this one-off assistance will aid you in the continuation of your studies
• for professional development assistance is only for students enrolled in certificate IV, diploma, degree or postgraduate by coursework programs and who are making satisfactory academic performance
• have not received this grant already in the year of application for the item. 

Note: Any existing scholarships that you receive will be taken into consideration and may make you ineligible to receive this assistance.

The online application form is available here. Partial submissions will not be assessed.

Supporting documentation

Depending on your circumstances, you will need to provide different types of evidence and material to support your scholarship application. Applications without supporting documents will not be considered.

You will need to provide evidence of costs associated with your request. Note, if successful, you may not receive funds to cover all the costs, especially if you have googled the highest possible price for your item/s. Please remember that funds are limited and we want to help as many students as possible, so please be reasonable in the demonstration of your costs.

You will need to provide documentation that you are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander to our Ngarara Willim Centre prior to submitting your application for the Ngarara Willim Grant (if you have not submitted your documentation already).

Please visit  Supporting Your Application for more information.

Application questions

It is expected that the online application will take approximately thirty minutes to complete. The main application questions are listed below to allow you time to prepare your answers prior to starting the online application.

For students wanting to undertake professional development (workshop/conference) activities:

• Describe the activity you wish to attend or participate in, including the anticipated date/s and where it is located.
• How is this activity related to your studies? How will it benefit you?
• Please provide a detailed breakdown of the costs of the activity.
• Please describe any additional funding you are receiving/will be applying for.

For students wanting to receive funding for other items:

• Please provide details and evidence of the costs of the item/service.
• Describe how your studies will not be able to continue without this assistance.
• Are you receiving scholarships?
  • Yes, for study assistance scholarships (non-tuition / non-accommodation) 
    • Are your scholarships through RMIT or external? 
    • How much per semester do you receive? 
    • Why do you need this in addition to your regular study assistance scholarship?

Find out more about applying for scholarships.

Applications are now open. 

Applications may close at any time due to limited funding availability

View the Coursework Scholarships Office’s terms and conditions (PDF, 698KB).

Successful recipients of the grant for professional development assistance will be required to submit a brief report of the event attended and/or participated in and outline the benefits from the activities undertaken. This report will be required to be submitted within one month of the event attended.

Not all students who apply will be successful, and if successful, applicants may not always receive all the funds requested.

If you are submitting an application for items/services that you have already purchased, your application will be considered, but there is no guarantee that you will be reimbursed for some or all of those costs. 

Application outcomes are typically expected to be provided within three weeks from submission.

Find out how to contact the Coursework Scholarships Office.