Our Country Our Future

Our Country Our Future (OCOF) is the ILSC’s chief funding program for facilitating the return and management of Country to First Nations peoples.

We partner with First Nations groups* across Australia and across a range of sectors.

We offer direct funding for:

purchasing, managing and/or developing land or water-related interests
planning and capability building projects to support purchasing, managing and/or developing land or water-related interests

We can also offer advice and capability support, including in developing partnerships, markets and other opportunities.

*eligibility criteria apply

Are you eligible?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to these questions we encourage you to submit an Expression of Interest form.

Accessing Our Country Our Future program occurs in three steps.

1. Submit your Expression of Interest (EOI)

2. If your EOI is approved to proceed, complete and submit the allocated Application Form

3. If your application is approved, enter into a grant agreement with the ILSC that sets out our terms and conditions.

It includes:

Expression of Interest Form
Program Guidelines – additional guidance to the OCOF process including our eligibility criteria, funding streams, and assessment process
Investment priorities and funding parameters – understand whether your proposal is likely to be considered for funding.

We encourage you to read all documents before completing your Expression of Interest Form.

Our annual Returning and managing Country booklet highlights the variety of projects that we have recently supported through Our Country Our Future funding. Please see Investment priorities and funding parameters for the projects we are currently preferencing.

Improvements were made to the OCOF program across 2024-26. Find out what’s changed here

Prefer to discuss your proposal before submitting an Expression of Interest? Contact your local office or call 1800 818 490 (free call).