For 2026, there is $15,000 available to be awarded and shared among all successful applicants (please do not request the full amount, so that more people have the chance to receive funding).

You can apply for a grant to help you with your leadership journey. This can include going to conferences, having a mentor, taking skill-building courses, or starting ideas that make a difference in people’s lives.

Scholarships from the Sue Salthouse Leadership Fund are for people with disability who live in the ACT or nearby areas. They are made to help people on their leadership journey.

The money cannot be used for studying or traveling overseas, for training you have already finished, or for costs you have already paid.

There are many ways to apply. You can choose one from below.

ONLINE:
Fill in the form at this link: Sue Salthouse Leadership Fund 2026 Scholarship Grant Round – Fill out form

EMAIL:
You can download the application form, fill it out, and email it to julia@handsacrosscanberra.org.au

• Application Form – Word format -English: SSLF Application Form 2026

VIDEO:

You can also make a short video of yourself answering the selection questions and send it to julia@handsacrosscanberra.org.au

SUPPORT:
If you need help with your application or you want to talk about other ways to apply that work best for you email julia@handsacrosscanberra.org.au

After You Apply:
Hands Across Canberra will tell you if you got the grant or not within one month after the application closes.

If you get a grant, please take photos during your project to show what you have done.

At the end of your project, you will need to fill out a simple form to explain how you used the grant money.

You can use the questions below to frame your application.

• Tell us a little about yourself. Who you are? What are your hopes for the future?
• Tell us what you want to do with the scholarship money. for example -development of personal and professional skills.
• Write down your specific goals and the ativities that will help you achieve your goals.
• How does your project show leadership in the Disability Community?
• Share your vision for a better future for people with disabilities living in the ACT and region.
• Explain how this scholarship will help you and your community. How will we know it worked?
• Provide a plan with dates and a budget showing what you will spend the money on.

Example timeline:

November 2025 – Enrol in program
January 2026 – Complete module 1 of program
March 2026 – Complete module 2 of program
June 2026 – Attend national conference for program

Example budget:

$1800 – Program Fees
$800 – Online registration to present at international conference

After you complete your project, we’d love to hear about your experience.  Please be prepared to share a short summary of what you did, your key highlights, and what you learned. We also encourage recipients to share photos and stories that show the impact of your scholarship.

The Sue Salthouse Leadership Fund Advisory Group will look at all applications. They will use these questions to help decide:

• Does the project help build leadership skills and experience for people who are still growing in their leadership journey?

• Does the project use a human rights approach, respecting the rights and dignity of people with disability?

• How easy or hard will it be to deliver your project? Can the project be done?

• What will it cost and is it a fair amount for the fund to pay. Remember, there is $12,000 total for all the grants. So, the money you ask for should be only part of that, so more people can get a grant.

• Show how well the project could work. Will there be clear signs to show the project has succeeded?

• How will this be good for you and the Canberra community

• Project does what the fund is trying to do to support people with disability to reach their goals

Applicants might get a phone call or other message from Hands Across Canberra or someone from the Advisory Group during the review process.

Applicants will be told if they were successful or not within one month after the application closes.

If an application is not successful, the applicant will get feedback to help with future applications.

The application deadline is 11:59pm on 9 September 2026

2025 SSLF Grant Recipients

• Attending the Disability Leadership Institute’s Foundations of Disability Leadership 8-week virtual program to develop authentic leadership skills, with additional modules and membership. $1,200
• Mentoring two disabled women through Canberra Burlesque Academy in leadership, teaching, and event production, including structured guidance and practical opportunities. $3,000
• Completing the Governance Foundations for Not-for-Profit Directors course to apply leadership and governance skills as Convenor of Canberra Qwire Association; may include babysitting costs.  $1,800
• Registration, transport and accomodation to attend A11y Camp, a national conference on digital accessibility and inclusion, including workshops and networking. $2,000

2024 SSLF Grant Recipients

• Foundations of Disability Leadership – Disability Leadership Institute training  $2200
• Women-in-leadership training program  $1500
• Women-in-leadership training program  $1500
• Supreme Court ACT submission $750
• Continuation of work with Maitree Arts and Singapore’s Diverse Abilities Dance Collective (DADC)  $3000
• Mentoring support for Queer Variety Show 2025  $2000
• Mentoring and tutoring and resources to support studies  $2500

Impact statements from our Scholarship Recipients:

“The Sue Salthouse Leadership Fund provided not only financial support but a meaningful opportunity to connect with Sue Salthouse’s friends, family, and legacy. Sue’s impact as an advocacy and human rights icon in Canberra and nationally through her persistent, strategic work for disabled women’s rights, policy reform, and structural change has been both inspiring and energising. Being able to carry forward this legacy of leadership, bravery, and resilience is a privilege. I am grateful as well to Hands Across Canberra for hosting the Sue Salthouse Leadership Program scholarship awards ceremony and for the community connection it enabled.” – Scholarship Recipient 2025

“The Sue Salthouse Leadership Fund enabled me to take a step in the right direction in my legal career – I have used the grant funding to pay for the legal practitioner admission fee in the ACT Supreme Court. I am due to be admitted on 15 August, and I am keen to practice the law to advocate for the rights of underrepresented groups in our society. Without the generous grant, I would have struggled to reach this milestone in my career. I am forever grateful for the assistance and inspired by Sue Salthouse’s legacy.” – Scholarship Recipient 2024 

“All these experiences had a huge impact on my skills and confidence and has given me exciting memories that I will always treasure. I had the opportunity to meet other dancers with Down Syndrome, improve my skill at meeting new people and making friends, I learnt to adapt to working in different venues and ways of being taught. I learnt new styles of dance and how those styles related to the culture of the country. I learnt to rehearse and perform in theatres in different countries and understand the expectations of the show organizers.” – Scholarship Recipient 2024