dAIS Athlete Grant

In support of the HP2032+ Sport Strategy outcomes, the Federal Government, through the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) dAIS grant program, aims to provide athletes with direct financial support to enable them to focus on training and competitions to achieve the strategy targets in Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.

The primary purpose of dAIS is to support athletes basic living costs. Operating within a finite funding envelope, the ASC dAIS grant program is focused on delivering direct financial support to current cycle athletes in eligible Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports. This support enables athletes to concentrate on training and competition, aligned to the vision of winning well to inspire Australians. 

Who can apply for dAIS?

While dAIS is a direct athlete grant, athletes do not apply for a dAIS grant by themselves. Athletes are nominated by their NSO/D. The ASC seeks assistance from NSO/Ds to nominate athletes to receive a dAIS grant, recognising the expertise they have in their sport.

To be considered for a dAIS grant, an athlete must:

1. Be nominated by their NSO/D (ASC Win Well funded Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games-only sports); 
2. Be categorised in accordance with the NSO/D sport specific Athlete Categorisation Framework;
3. Be training to represent Australia in the next Olympic, Paralympic or Commonwealth Games event/discipline as per applicable Pinnacle Event for the NSO/D;
4. Be an Australian citizen and eligible to represent Australia at the next Olympic, Paralympic or Commonwealth Games;
5. Be following an individual performance plan which is endorsed by their NSO/D;
6. Have a signed athlete agreement with their NSO/D and not be in breach of that agreement;
7. Not be currently serving a sanction or provisional suspension for an anti-doping rule violation and/or not be in breach of a NSO/D integrity policy including Member Protection, Competition Manipulation & Sports Wagering, Misuse of Drugs and Medicines;
8. Para athletes only - Hold a review or confirmed status international classification. Para athletes who do not hold an international classification should hold a national classification and be planning to seek international classification within an acceptable timeframe.

To be eligible to nominate athletes, NSO/Ds must meet the National HP Sport Eligibility framework and

• have an agreed top-8 performance target for next Pinnacle Event or
• athletes categorised at Podium Ready level as a minimum.

The ASC will prioritise funding based on the HP2032+ Sport Strategy outcomes to ensure the right support is available to the right athletes to deliver medal-winning success at future Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games.

Once an athlete has been nominated by their NSO/d for a dAIS grant, the athlete needs to assess their own eligibility for the grant against the means testing. Athletes must notify the ASC if their eligibility changes within the current dAIS cycle.

dAIS Review for 2028+

Please see dAIS Guidelines for further information regarding the changes.

In mid-2025, the ASC undertook a review of the dAIS Athlete Grant program. This review was undertaken to assess and optimise the current dAIS framework at the beginning of the LA 2028 Cycle, with the aim of starting to implement recommendations from 2025–26. It focused on key elements of the program, including its performance, financial approaches, and international benchmarking. 

An overview of the key findings and recommendations from the Review can be found below:

dAIS Guidelines 

The ASC dAIS grant program is aligned to the National Athlete Categorisation Framework (NACF), designed to identify, develop and progress athletes along a defined and time limited pathway to the podium.