Reef Educational Experience Fund (REEF): Tourism Operator Support Grants

Status: Open

The REEF: Tourism Operator Support Grants program is offering $480,000 to eligible tourism businesses operating on the Great Barrier Reef. The grants will help them get ready for a $6 million ‘Kids for the Reef’ school excursion rebate program coming later this year.

Both programs are part of the Australian Government’s $10 million Reef Educational Experience Fund (REEF).

The $10 million fund will also:

• deliver $520,000 through the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators to train tourism operators in working with school groups
• back a $3 million international marketing and education campaign.

How the program works

REEF: Tourism Operator Support Grants are demand driven and eligibility based.

Austrade will administer the program.

Successful grantees who receive REEF: Tourism Operator Support Grants will be required to participate in the ‘Kids for the Reef’ program. To do this, they will need to register with Austrade as an eligible experience provider, allowing schools to book eligible experiences to qualify for the excursion rebate.  

Program objective

The objective of program is to cover up to 50% of the cost of necessary upgrades, checks or clearances for local reef tourism operators to accommodate school groups.

Program outcomes

The intended outcomes of the REEF: Tourism Operator Support Grants program are to:

• increase student visitor numbers to the Great Barrier Reef
• increase capability and capacity for operators to support and engage with student groups
• improve school groups’ satisfaction levels
• increase direct links between the Australian Curriculum and reef tourism operator activities and make it easy for teachers to identify suitable tours and experiences
• increase the number of Australian Curriculum linked activities offered by operators.

Grant amounts

Up to $480,000 is available over the 2025–26 and 2026–27 financial years.

Applicants may apply for individual grants of between $1,000 and $15,000 (ex GST).

The applicant must match the amount of grant funding requested (e.g. for a grant request of $2,000 the applicant must also contribute $2,000 giving a total project value of $4,000).

The total value of each individual grant offered to an applicant will be determined by the total number of eligible applicants that are approved for funding and the total amount of funding each applicant applies for.

Eligibility

Section 4 of the grant guidelines contains the full REEF: Tourism Operator Support Grants Program eligibility criteria. 

To be eligible you must:

1. have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN)
2. be registered for the purposes of GST where required
3. be a legal entity with the capacity to enter into a legally binding agreement or contract
4. not be under insolvency administration
5. be a Reef Tourism Operator currently operating within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage Areas including island-based providers
6. hold a current Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) tourism permit with daily permission to access the Marine Parks
7. currently be recognised as a High Standard Tourism Operator (HSTO) by GBRMPA
8. hold public liability insurance, WorkCover Accident Insurance and other compulsory and relevant licences and insurances to cover the project, all of which need to be current and financial
9. provide evidence of access to available funding which is equal to the grant funding requested
10. agree to participate in the REEF: Kids for the Reef School Excursion Rebate program.

A Reef Tourism Operator is defined as a legal entity offering tours or activities with a focus on direct interaction with the Great Barrier Reef and its environs.

Grant dates

The program opens for applications at 10:00 am AEST on Friday 20 February 2026.

Questions should be sent no later than 4:00 pm AEST on Thursday 19 March 2026.

Grant applications close at 4:00 pm AEST on Monday 23 March 2026.

Grant funding must be spent by 30 June 2027.

Grant guidelines

Download the REEF: Tourism Operator Support Grants Guidelines (DOCX 327 KB).

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Download the REEF: Tourism Operator Support Grants frequently asked questions (DOCX 284 KB).

Apply

To submit your application, complete the online application form on the SmartyGrants portal.

Contact us

If you have questions about your eligibility or the application form, please contact us before submitting your grant application.

Email: tourism.grants@austrade.gov.au

Phone: 13 28 78