26Ten Workplace Grants: Tasmania Business Guide 2026

Tasmanian employers can apply for up to $65,000 through the 2026 26Ten Workplace Grants round, but the funding is for structured workplace foundation-skills projects—not a general technology, software or equipment upgrade. Round 2 closes at 2:00 pm on Thursday 29 October 2026. At least half of the project must deliver training and support that improves workers’ reading, writing or maths, while a digital-literacy component can make up no more than 50% of the proposal.

With only a short application window remaining, employers should first test eligibility and project fit, then contact the Grant Program Manager before investing time in the application. This guide explains the current published rules in practical terms for businesses and organisations in Hobart and across Tasmania.

26Ten Workplace Grants 2026 at a glance

Item	Current Round 2 detail
Closing time	2:00 pm, Thursday 29 October 2026
Maximum funding	Up to $65,000 per project, per annum
Typical funding period	One 12-month project
Core purpose	Improve workers’ reading, writing, maths and related foundation skills
Minimum core training	At least 50% of project activities must deliver eligible training and support
Digital component	May be included as an enabler, but must be no more than 50% of the proposal
Application method	Online through SmartyGrants
Assessment	Competitive and merit-based; eligibility does not guarantee funding

The authoritative starting point is the Skills Tasmania 26Ten Workplace Grants page. Applicants should also read the complete 2026 Grant Program Guidelines before preparing a budget or engaging delivery partners.

Who may apply?

The published eligibility list includes a business operating in Tasmania that employs workers on a paid or unpaid basis. That can include an organisation or sole trader, a private or not-for-profit organisation, and an industry association or peak body. Local councils, council-owned businesses and specified government entities may also be eligible.

Private registered training organisations and independent schools may apply only in relation to their non-teaching workforces. TasTAFE cannot be the lead applicant, although the guidelines say it may partner with an eligible applicant to deliver training under appropriate arrangements. Tasmanian and Australian Government agencies are listed as ineligible.

Applicants must declare that they are financially viable and can remain viable for the grant period. The program may request supporting documents and conduct authenticity checks. A third party cannot submit an application without evidence that the applicant has authorised it.

Work sites and repeat applications

An organisation may submit more than one application, and one application may cover more than one work site. However, each work site can appear in only one application for the round. A North Hobart site and a Moonah site could therefore be included together or covered by separate applications, but the same site should not be duplicated.

Previous recipients can apply in certain circumstances, but a repeat proposal needs to demonstrate a new or additional need. Funding is not intended to repeat the same activities for the same participant group. The guidelines also explain that new applicants, or applicants with only one grant in the preceding five years, receive priority over sites with two or more recent grants.

What the grant is designed to fund

The grant targets workers assessed as having reading, writing and maths skills at or below Australian Core Skills Framework Level 3. Eligible activities can include direct foundation-skills training, workplace communication and plain-English training, resources used within the project, and limited research or consultation to understand workers’ needs.

At least 50% of project activities must deliver training and support to improve eligible skills. The application should therefore describe actual participants, their assessed needs, how training will be delivered, who will deliver it and how progress will be measured. A generic staff-development idea is unlikely to show enough connection to the program’s purpose.

Plain English must build staff capability

Plain-English activities should teach staff how to create clearer workplace documents. The guidelines distinguish this from paying a trainer simply to rewrite the organisation’s procedures. A stronger proposal would show how workers or supervisors will learn to produce clearer instructions, forms, safety information or customer communications themselves.

Clear communication also supports accessible digital experiences. DanSol’s website accessibility audit guide for Hobart businesses explains how understandable instructions, meaningful links, labelled controls and useful error messages affect people completing online tasks. Website work is a separate issue from grant eligibility, but the same principle—helping people understand and act on information—can inform workplace resource planning.

How digital literacy fits the 26Ten grant

Digital literacy may be included when it enables workers to improve or apply foundation skills. The published guidelines define this narrowly: basic use of computers, tablets or phones for simple work tasks; finding and using information online; communicating professionally by email; understanding safe and responsible online behaviour; and basic use of tools such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Workers included in digital-literacy activities must be assessed at or below Digital Literacy Skills Framework Level 3. The digital component must be no more than 50% of the project proposal.

For example, a hospitality employer might propose supported training that helps staff read roster instructions, complete basic incident forms, use email appropriately and follow simple online safety steps. A construction business might focus on understanding written safety procedures, recording measurements accurately and accessing approved online job information. These are illustrative examples only; the program manager should confirm whether a proposed activity fits the guidelines.

Basic online safety can form part of a suitable digital-literacy component, but it should remain connected to participant needs and the project’s foundation-skills outcomes. DanSol’s Cyber Security Action Month guide for Tasmanian small businesses provides a separate operational checklist for accounts, updates, backups and staff awareness.

What the grant does not fund

The 26Ten Workplace Grant is not a general digital-transformation fund. According to the current guidelines, ineligible costs include:

• hardware or equipment for participants, trainers or the organisation;
• software unless it is specifically required to deliver the approved literacy training;
• training in applications beyond basic digital literacy, including dedicated word-processing, spreadsheet, graphic-design, presentation, music or video-production training;
• workplace training unrelated to foundation-skills development;
• retrospective costs for work already started or completed;
• recurrent administration, infrastructure and ordinary organisational costs;
• activities outside Tasmania that do not serve Tasmanian workers;
• capital fundraising, property purchases, construction or maintenance;
• participant payments that operate as an incentive or wage subsidy; and
• vague budget items such as “miscellaneous”, “sundries” or an unexplained contingency.

A new website, booking system, app, customer portal or general software rollout should not be presented as the grant project. If a business separately needs clearer public-facing information or an improved online customer journey, that should have its own scope and budget. DanSol’s Hobart web design service explains how customer needs, content and functionality can be planned as a distinct website project.

A quick project-fit test

Before starting an application, answer these questions:

1. Is there an identified worker group? Participants must be workers at the workplace covered by the application.
2. Is there evidence of a foundation-skills need? The project should address assessed reading, writing, maths or eligible digital-literacy needs.
3. Is eligible training the centre of the project? At least half of project activities must deliver training and support.
4. Is an approved adult literacy trainer involved? The application requires evidence about the proposed trainer’s qualifications and support.
5. Can management release workers to participate? The organisation is expected to provide time, encouragement and practical resources.
6. Are the outcomes measurable? The application should connect activities to changes for workers and the workplace.
7. Are the costs eligible and evidenced? Quotes and a complete budget should support the amounts requested.

If several answers are uncertain, contact Skills Tasmania before writing the application. This is especially important where the proposal blends digital training, new systems, document development and ordinary business improvement.

How applications are assessed

Eligible applications are competitively assessed against four equally weighted criteria:

1. Need and expected benefits: supported by a Results Chain Document.
2. Delivery-team capability: including a letter of support from an adult literacy trainer and evidence of relevant qualifications and experience.
3. Organisational capacity and commitment: including management support and evidence of the resources available to run the project.
4. Project plan and budget: showing practical activities, timing, responsibilities and credible costs.

Each criterion carries 25%. The SmartyGrants form imposes a 250-word limit per assessment question, and extra responses supplied in separate Word or PDF documents are disregarded. Evidence should be attached to the relevant criterion, clearly named and referenced in the written response.

Show the need rather than asserting it

A useful evidence set might include de-identified skills assessments, incident or rework patterns, supervisor observations, consultation findings, staff feedback, examples of communication breakdowns, or records showing difficulty completing essential workplace tasks. Use evidence appropriate to the organisation and protect personal information.

Do not inflate the problem or promise outcomes the project cannot measure. Define the participant group, starting point and practical change expected. “Twenty workers will receive supported training to read updated procedures and complete the related form correctly” is more testable than “staff digital skills will improve dramatically”.

Documents to prepare before submission

The guidelines identify several mandatory or important application materials:

• a completed Results Chain Document;
• a project plan;
• a detailed project budget;
• the adult literacy trainer’s CV and letter of support;
• written management support;
• evidence of organisational resources and commitment;
• evidence supporting the identified need and expected benefits; and
• quotes or other evidence supporting cost estimates.

Applications that are incomplete or omit the required project plan and budget will not be assessed. The program also warns that applicants may be unable to alter an application or add information after submission, so the final review matters.

A practical seven-day application sequence

Because the current round closes on 29 October, a late applicant needs a disciplined sequence:

1. Confirm fit with the program manager

Summarise the workforce need, participant group, proposed training, digital component and intended trainer. Ask targeted questions about any uncertain activity or cost.

2. Lock in the trainer and project owner

Confirm availability, qualifications, responsibilities and evidence. Nominate an internal person with authority to coordinate staff release, records and reporting.

3. Define the starting point and outcomes

State what workers currently find difficult, how that was identified and what observable improvement the project should deliver.

4. Build the activity plan

Set out assessment, participant engagement, training, resource development, monitoring and review. Keep eligible foundation-skills delivery at the centre.

5. Cost each activity

Replace broad allowances with supported amounts. Check the limits applying to overheads and research, and remove ordinary business costs.

6. Draft to the criteria

Use plain language and work within each 250-word limit. Refer directly to the attached evidence rather than expecting assessors to infer the connection.

7. Review and submit before the deadline

Have another person check the form, figures, attachments and consistency. Submit early enough to address an upload or account problem before 2:00 pm.

Keep the grant project and digital business plan separate

A workplace may discover broader needs while planning training: unclear customer pages, inaccessible online forms, outdated procedures, weak account security or a poorly supported website. Record those needs, but do not force unrelated work into the grant proposal.

DanSol’s guide to practical website improvements for Hobart small businesses covers public-facing content, mobile enquiries, performance and measurement. Those improvements can complement better workplace communication, but they require their own business case unless Skills Tasmania confirms a specific cost is eligible.

Common application mistakes to avoid

• Leading with technology: buying devices or rolling out software is not the program’s core purpose.
• Using digital literacy too broadly: advanced application training is specifically excluded.
• Missing the participant assessment requirement: eligible participants must meet the stated skills-framework levels.
• Outsourcing all plain-English work: the goal is to build staff capability, not merely have a consultant rewrite documents.
• Submitting vague costs: unexplained contingencies and ordinary operating expenses weaken the budget and may be ineligible.
• Assuming eligibility means approval: this is a limited, competitive, merit-based round.
• Starting early: activities undertaken before the funding decision cannot be funded retrospectively.
• Leaving attachments until the end: missing mandatory documents can prevent assessment.

What happens after an application?

The published timetable says applications will be assessed in November 2026 and applicants notified in December. Successful applicants must enter a legally binding funding agreement before payment.

The guidelines describe three instalments: 15% when the grant deed is executed, 75% after the ready-to-proceed report confirms participant assessment and project readiness, and 10% after the end-of-project report. Funding must be used for the approved purpose, and unused or improperly used amounts may need to be returned.

Applicants may be asked for additional information after submission and generally have three working days to provide it unless advised otherwise. Keep the source evidence, quotes, approvals and contact details organised so the response does not depend on reconstructing the application later.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Hobart small business apply for a 26Ten Workplace Grant?

Potentially, yes. A business operating in Tasmania that employs paid or unpaid workers may be eligible, provided the organisation, participants, activities and costs meet the published rules. Eligibility alone does not guarantee funding.

Can the grant pay for computers or tablets?

No. The guidelines list hardware and equipment purchases as ineligible expenditure. Employers are expected to provide necessary resources such as computers and training rooms.

Can the project focus entirely on digital skills?

No. Digital literacy may support the proposal, but the digital component must be no more than 50%. At least half of the project must focus on eligible reading, writing or maths development and associated training support.

Can the grant fund website development or graphic-design training?

A general website project is not the purpose of this grant, and the guidelines expressly exclude dedicated training in applications such as graphic design, presentations and video production. Ask the program manager about any borderline activity before including it.

What is the 2026 Round 2 deadline?

The published deadline is 2:00 pm on Thursday 29 October 2026. Applications submitted after the program closes will not be accepted.

Act on the published rules, not assumptions

The 26Ten Workplace Grant can support a substantial, evidence-led workplace learning project. Its value comes from addressing real foundation-skills barriers and building capability that continues after the funding period—not from purchasing technology or rebadging an ordinary business upgrade.

Read the full guidelines, confirm uncertain details with Skills Tasmania, involve an eligible adult literacy trainer, and make every activity, cost and outcome traceable to the assessment criteria. This article is a practical summary current on 22 October 2026; the official program page and guidelines remain authoritative.