The Creative Women's Association (CWA) is the originating and founding authority of the Cultural Work & Provenance Sector in Australia — the first organisation in the country to name this sector, define its boundaries, and build the frameworks required for it to be formally recognised. CWA operates across five interconnected streams: the Southern Cross® Certification Mark for Australian-milled cloth, the Heritage Skills Registry, the Institute for Contemporary Culture, the Women in Culture Awards, and Australian Cloth. Our research programme includes published white papers, independent policy audits, and proof of concept documents across women's health, economic participation, sovereign manufacturing, and cultural labour. We are building the national infrastructure for a sector that underpins large areas of Australian public and economic life — and we are doing it from the ground up. We are now seeking an experienced Grants & Funding Lead to join us as a volunteer and take ownership of our funding pipeline.

What you will do You will manage the full grants cycle for CWA — from opportunity identification through to submitted application. Your core deliverable is a live, managed funding pipeline delivered as a structured spreadsheet, sorted by deadline, funding quantum, eligibility, and strategic fit, covering Commonwealth and state government programs, philanthropic foundations, and alternative funding pathways. You will conduct proactive outreach to funding bodies and aligned organisations, building CWA's visibility before applications arrive. You will write and submit full grant applications, drawing on CWA's existing research base and policy documents to make the case.

What you will bring You have demonstrable experience in grants research and application writing across government and philanthropic funding streams. You write with precision and know how to frame an organisation's work for different funding audiences. You are highly proficient in Excel or Google Sheets and can build and maintain a functional pipeline tool. You are self-directed, deadline-disciplined, and comfortable working independently within a founding-stage organisation. Experience with funding in the cultural sector, women's economic participation, sovereign manufacturing, or health research is highly regarded.

Why this role matters CWA's evidence base is already built. The white papers, proof of concept documents, policy proposals, and independent audits are published and available. What this role does is unlock the funding that allows that work to move from infrastructure-building to full delivery. The Grants & Funding Lead is not starting from scratch — they are taking a fully developed case to the people with the resources to back it.

What you will gain You will work directly with CWA's founder and executive on work that sits at the intersection of women's economic policy, cultural heritage, sovereign manufacturing, and health research — a genuinely rare combination. You will have full visibility of the organisation's strategic direction, access to a substantial body of published research, and the opportunity to shape how CWA presents itself to major funders. Your contribution will be directly traceable to the outcomes it enables.

To apply Express your interest through Seek Volunteer. Please include a brief note on your grants experience and the funding streams you are most familiar with.