Offers a national, evidence-informed initiative to reduce drowning risk, remove barriers to swimming and water safety education, and build belonging for refugees, recently arrived migrants and broader multicultural communities.

The WE SWIM Multicultural Community Water Safety Program is funded by the Australian Government and led by Royal Life Saving Society – Australia. Royal Life Saving Australia will bring together national coordination, community partnerships, and rigorous monitoring, evaluation and learning into a single, coherent program built around a commitment to saving lives, removing barriers, and building belonging.

Royal Life Saving Australia is providing national coordination and tiered place-based partnerships, community programs and pathfinding projects that co-design culturally responsive activity across four pillars – WE CONNECT, WE WELCOME, WE PROMOTE and WE LEARN.

As a result, multicultural communities will gain safer access to aquatic environments, stronger swimming and water safety capability, more trusted information and experience more welcoming venues.

Over time, this will reduce drowning risk, remove barriers and build belonging for refugees, recently arrived migrants and broader multicultural communities.

The Program prioritises:
– Removing barriers to accessing lessons, programs, recreation and employment faced by multicultural communities
– Boosting community resilience by facilitating subsidised, culturally safe swimming and water safety education
– Enhancing social cohesion by forging new links between multicultural communities and their local aquatic facilities, swim schools, and swimming and surf lifesaving clubs
– Providing national coordination focused on generating momentum and co-investment, raising water safety awareness, and building networks across partners to maximise shared learning and success.

The Program focuses on four beneficiary groups, reflecting the layered and evolving nature of drowning risk across the settlement journey:
– Refugees engaged in humanitarian and settlement support programs, often with low water safety awareness, limited swimming skills and limited connection to local aquatic centres and swim schools
– Recently arrived migrants (less than 10 years in Australia on non-humanitarian visas), who may face language, financial and cultural barriers to learning swimming and water safety skills
– Multicultural communities who have been in Australia longer term but still experience unequal outcomes because of access and equity barriers around water safety and aquatic participation
– International students (where appropriate), who may have high exposure to aquatic environments but limited skills, local hazard awareness and links to safe aquatic recreation.

Grant Opportunities

1. WE SWIM – Place Based Partnerships
– This stream shift systems at scale – coordinating delivery across a diverse LGA or multi-LGA or regional corridors and hubs with concentrated overseas-born populations and elevated drowning risk.
– Grant range: up to $100,000 (excl. GST) per partnership

A lead organisation applying on behalf of a consortium that includes:
– At least two multicultural, settlement or community partner organisations
– At least one council or council representative
– At least one water safety organisation and/or aquatic provider – a pool, aquatic facility, swim school or similar
– The lead applicant must be an incorporated not-for-profit or incorporated body with the governance and financial capability to manage a partnership at this scale.

HOW FUNDING IS USED
– A strong in-water component required within the delivery allocation
– Co-investment expected – matched or higher cash and in-kind contributions from consortium partners
– No more than 20% to coordination

2. WE SWIM – Community Programs
– This stream delivers focused, local change – addressing a specific barrier, cohort or community, building trust, and creating pathways into sustained participation.
– Grant range: up to $50,000 (excl. GST) per partnership

A lead organisation applying on behalf of a partnership that includes:
– At least one community-based organisation serving multicultural, refugee-background or settlement communities
– At least one water safety organisation and/or aquatic provider – a pool, aquatic facility, swim school or similar
– The lead applicant must be an incorporated not-for-profit or incorporated body with the governance and financial capability to manage a partnership at this scale.

HOW FUNDING IS USED
– A strong in-water component is required however dry-side and in-water activity are both eligible, provided the connection to participation, access or trust-building is clear
– Co-investment expected – cash and/or in-kind (noncash) contributions, such as venue access, staff time, transport or communications support
– No more than 20% to coordination