Seeding Strength

Seeding Strength provides grants for existing and emerging campaigns, movements, and projects led by First Nations young people aged 16–35. The program uses a participatory grantmaking approach, with decisions led by the First Nations Governance Group.

At the end of 2024, we launched a special grant round to support Invasion/Survival Day 2025 actions. FYA committed $27,500 to First Nations young people organising 7 events and actions across the country on January 26 – from Boorloo (Perth) to Gimuy (Cairns) to Lutruwita (Tasmania).

In 2025, Seeding Strength delivered $176,160 in grants, with the First Nations Governance Group determining funding allocations. Grants supported a wide range of youth-led initiatives focused on cultural strength, justice, and community-led change. Notably, this year included FYA’s first multi-year Seeding Strength grants, reflecting a shift toward longer-term support for First Nations-led work.

Funded projects in 2025 included the first national Blak youth trans gathering, to be held in 2026; the establishment of Ngarrandjeri youth governance structures; and a First Nations Aquaculture Pathways Program, alongside initiatives addressing climate justice, cultural revitalisation, anti-racism, mental health, and deaths in custody. These projects reflect the diversity and depth of organising led by First Nations young people across the country.

Alongside grantmaking, FYA’s First Nations team provided ongoing relational support to grantees, including strategic guidance, connection to networks, and practical support to help initiatives navigate delivery and sustain momentum. FYA continued its support for the youth-led co-design of National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition’s National Student Congress, including monthly project governance meetings and supporting a government engagement trip to Canberra with the Federal Office for Youth in August 2025.