This year, 11 new DonateLife community partners will share in over $600,000 in grants to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation to ensure more Australians can receive a life‑saving transplant.
Supported by the Organ and Tissue Authority’s Community Awareness Grants, partners will create digital resources and content, host DonateLife Week events and deliver national marketing or public relations strategies that engage with Australian communities and prompt them to act.
The grant-supported activities will help to ensure more Australians discuss organ and tissue donation, tell their family if they want to be a donor, and importantly, register on the Australian Organ Donor Register.
While we know 4 in 5 Australians support donation, only 1 in 3 are registered.
Communicating to Australians who support donation in a culturally safe way, and addressing key barriers, will help close this intention-action gap.
Registering to be an organ and tissue donor is easy. It takes just one minute at donatelife.gov.au or through Medicare.
DonateLife Week 2025 will take place from July 27 – 3 August.
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister Kearney
“It’s positive to see so many Australians want to be organ and tissue donors, critically we need to translate that into actual donor registrations.
“Right now, there are roughly 1,800 Australians on the waitlist and a further 14,000 on dialysis for kidney failure who could benefit from a life-saving transplant. So please, go out and register!
“We’re working with organisations entrenched in communities like the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council and Western Bulldogs to ensure as many people as possible have their questions about organ and tissue donation answered and understand how to become a donor."
Media contact:
Assistant Minister, Ged Kearney: Isabella Tilley 0414 894 040
Donate Life: Alana Jones 0403 058 662
Applicant | Focus | 2025 Funding $ (GST ex) |
Charlton Neighbourhood House (VIC) | A series of awareness events in regional Victoria | $8,000 |
Australian Greek Welfare Society | A series of awareness events for the Greek community in Victoria and Tasmania | $15,000 |
YouX (University of Adelaide) | An event at the mid-year orientation at the University of Adelaide, accompanied by digital and print advertising across the campus. | $15,000 |
Loft Social | Project 1: An influencer marketing strategy targeting young people Project 2: A celebrity content series | $50,000 $70,000 |
Make Mate | Project 1: Advertising about family conversations on Reddit Project 2: In-game advertising targeting young people | $40,000 $55,000 |
National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council | An audio explainer series in 9 languages | $13,000 |
Red’s Fishing Media | Delivering DonateLife messages through Channel 7 television show ‘Red’s Fishing Adventures, The Bucket List’ | $60,000 |
Western Bulldogs | A digital content series sharing stories about donation | $50,000 |
Melbourne Storm | A digital content series sharing stories about donation | $60,000 |
Queensland Remote Aboriginal Media | A series of culturally relevant animations and audio pieces for First Nations peoples | $48,200 |
Nationwide News | A digital and print campaign, and editorial support to share stories of organ donation | $120,000 |