We Support You

Conference and Professional Development Grants
At the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation, one of our goals is to help our local health care professionals grow and succeed. Whether you’re presenting research at a conference, publishing a journal article, or looking to upskill, we can support you with grants and funding.

Conference Awards
If you are a health care worker who, in 2024, has attended, or plans to attend, a conference, workshop or seminar to present results of audits or research you may be eligible to apply for an award from the Foundation. Individual grants of up to $2000 are available. Please discuss with your manager before filling in your application. You will need electronic copies (pdf’s or image scans) of receipts or quotes (eg screenshots of a web page with conference fees, airline and hotel costs) – although direct links can be pasted in the application as an alternative. The Foundation will not approve applications without documentation.
Applications must be for conferences in the current calendar year – and this can be retrospective (ie activity occurred from January 1 until the time of application) or prospective (for activities that will start prior to December 31, 2024). The application process is competitive and judged based on merit. The amount granted may be less than requested. The awards are intended for employees of Queensland Health only. Applicants from other organisations will need to have a demonstrable link to Queensland Health. Senior Medical staff are not eligible for these awards.
The online application form is now available and will be available until September 28, 2024.
The application form can be accessed HERE and includes the link for uploading supporting documents.
Applicants will be notified whether they have been successful by mid-October.
Payments will be by reimbursement into a bank account upon presentation of valid receipts AFTER the activity has been completed.
Research Grants
We’re proud to have invested over $1.75 million in local research since 2007.

Large Grants
If you’re ready to apply for one of our larger grants—$10,000, $25,000, or $50,000—you’ll need to start the two-step review process with an Expression of Interest (EOI). There are two of each grant available in this round.
How to Apply:
- Submit your EOI: Download and complete the submission form. You can only apply for one of the large grants, so be sure to select the one that’s right for you.
- Important Notes for Past Recipients: If you’ve been awarded a grant in the last three years, make sure you’ve submitted your annual reports and demonstrated progress towards external funding—especially if you’re applying for one of the bigger grants.
- Deadlines: The EOI is due by Monday, October 4, 2024. If your EOI is successful, we’ll invite you to submit a full application. All final applications are due by Monday, November 28, 2024, with results announced in February 2025.
We encourage new researchers to get advice from more experienced colleagues when preparing your application. Got questions? Reach out to us at grants@fnqhf.org.au. Read more about last year’s winners.
How We Evaluate Your Application:
For the larger grants, the assessment panel will be looking at how your project can:
- Build the research capacity in Far North Queensland
- Benefit the people in our community
- Encourage clinical research collaborations.
The grants will be distributed equitably across institutions and the panel encourages new researchers.

Small Grants
For smaller grants (up to $5,000), you can skip the EOI and go straight to the full application. You can download the form from the SmartyGrants platform.
Project and Equipment Funding
Every year, we provide funding for projects and equipment across the 66 public hospitals and health care centres in Far North Queensland. So far, we’ve invested over $27 million in medical equipment, hospital upgrades, and a children’s playground.
Our goal is simple: to help you purchase the tools and resources that improve patient care and make a real difference in our community.
If there’s a project or piece of equipment you believe could enhance the patient experience and health outcomes of our region, we want to know about it. You can download the funding application form, or get in touch directly with our CEO, Gina Hogan, at ceo@fnqhf.org.au with any questions.
Sponsoring Your Events
We proudly sponsor events like the:
- Nursing and Midwifery Awards
- Research & Innovation Symposium
- Allied Health Awards
- CHHHS Excellence Awards
- International Nurses Day
- Deck the Wards
- and the Cairns Hospital Wellbeing Expo