UNITYWATER has opened applications for its 2026-27 Healthy and Thriving Community Grants for local organisations in the Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions.

Groups have up until Friday, May 1, to apply, and they can apply under the program’s three key categories – the natural environment and liveability, First Nations peoples and connection to Country, and innovation and the future of water.

Unitywater Chief Executive Officer, Anna Jackson, said the grant program helped community groups deliver practical initiatives that contribute to enhanced liveability and sustainability outcomes across Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast and Noosa.

“We are proud to partner with local organisations who share our vision for a healthier, more connected region,” Ms Jackson said.

“The categories for the grants reflect our purpose to be here for healthy and thriving communities, the priorities of the communities we serve by strengthening community connections and supporting a sustainable future.”

Unitywater’s 2025-26 program saw three local environmental groups receive support through the grants program – Bribie Island Environmental Protection Association (BIEPA), Hinterland Bush Links on the Sunshine Coast and Wildlife Noosa.

Wildlife Noosa Founder and Chief Rescue Officer, Will Watson, said Unitywater’s grant would support the expansion of their rescue capabilities to include drones.

“Our team conducted over 1,500 wildlife rescues last year alone, and the drones will boost this number and locate animals we may not have otherwise known needed assistance,” Mr Wilson said.

“They also help keep volunteers safe, because we can properly plan the best route to access them where there is difficult terrain or flooding to navigate,” he said.

Hinterland Bush Links Manager, Natalie Frost, said Unitywater’s support had been particularly valuable for their ‘Roving Restorers’ program, a volunteer-led initiative to restore wildlife corridors across the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

“Unitywater’s grant has enabled us to run more weed-removal days, host community planting events and reconnect fragmented habitats, ultimately creating safer pathways for native animals and helping local ecosystems thrive,” Ms Frost said.

BIEPA President Richard Ogden said their volunteers worked passionately towards protecting the endangered loggerhead and green turtles nesting along Bribie Island’s remote northern beaches.

“Unitywater’s support has empowered us to increase monitoring, continue on-the-ground protection operations and give vulnerable species a better chance of survival,” Mr Ogden said.

“It has also helped us to enhance our ‘Tread Lightly’ app, which gives beach drivers real-time guidance on how to protect nesting turtles and hatchlings by avoiding sensitive nesting periods and vulnerable zones along the beach,” he said.

Unitywater’s online grant portal supports applicants through the process of submitting and tracking the progress of their application.

Eligible applicants must be a community organisation, educational organisation or First Nations-owned organisation delivering the initiative in the Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast or Noosa regions.

Applications for the 2026-27 grants are now open, with funding from $2,000 to $20,000 available.

For more information on eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit www.unitywater.com/grants.

About Unitywater
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Unitywater provides high-quality, safe, and reliable water and wastewater services to more than 900,000 residents across Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast and Noosa. We take pride in providing essential services that are economically and environmentally sustainable, delivering on our purpose to be here for healthy and thriving communities.

Unitywater operates and maintains more than $4.3 billion worth of water, wastewater, and recycled water infrastructure over an area of approximately 5,500 square kilometres.

Over the next five years, we’re investing $2 billion to deliver critical water and wastewater infrastructure – all while supporting and employing over 800 people across our service region.