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What We Offer

Grants

RWAV has grants available for rural and regional Victorian health professionals. Our grants are designed to help you achieve your career goals including relocation, professional development and postgraduate education.

Grants currently open for applications are below. To view which grants are applicable to you, select your profession, course status, sector (private, public or Aboriginal health) and postcode and press search.

If you would like more information on RWAV grants, get in touch with us now or phone 03 9349 7800 (Option 5) or visit the FAQs page.

Find An Available Grant

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Showing 1 - 10 of 10 grants

Student Postgraduate Psychology Placement Grant

This grant is funded by the Australian Department of Health and administered in Victoria by RWAV.

RWAV’s Student Postgraduate Psychology Placement Grant supports postgraduate Psychology students to undertake placements in regional or rural Victoria. RWAV considers a placement as a consecutive period of time where blocks of up to 2 placement days, at least fortnightly, over a number of months are required to be undertaken in one location.

For: Healthcare Student
When to apply: The current grant round is open for placements that have commenced within; January 1 - June 15, 2025.
MMM location: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 i
Apply Now Download Guidelines

Student Clinical Placement Grant

Did you complete a clinical placement in rural or regional Victoria? You could be eligible for a $300 grant!

Simply submit a letter or email from your university or clinic confirming you've completed 5+ days of placement between January 1 and June 15, 2025. There’s no need to provide us with receipts of your expenses.

This grant is funded by the Australian Department of Health and administered by RWAV in Victoria. It's designed to support medical, nursing, paramedicine, and allied health students who undertake placements in regional and rural areas.

Note: Make sure to read and understand the GUIDELINES to avoid re-submitting your application.

For: Healthcare Student
When to apply: Applications can be submitted once your placement (between January 1 and June 15, 2025) has commenced and 5+ days have been undertaken.
MMM location: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 i
Apply Now Download Guidelines

Student University Clinical Aptitude Test Preparation Grant

This grant is funded by the Australian Department of Health and administered in Victoria by RWAV.

Are you a Year 12 student considering a future in Medicine?

RWAV is offering an exciting opportunity for Year 12 students living in rural or regional areas of Victoria (as defined by the Monash Modified Model (MMM) – see link and instructions below), or those who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, regardless of location in Victoria, to participate in preparation classes for the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). The UCAT is an essential requirement for students wishing to pursue a Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine at Monash University.
In partnership with leading UCAT training provider, MedEntry, this grant offers virtual UCAT preparation classes in 2025. These interactive online sessions will be held over two days, giving you the tools and support needed to excel in the exam. Successful applicants will also gain access to MedEntry's comprehensive resources, ensuring thorough preparation.
The grant covers the full cost of the course, and RWAV will make direct payment to MedEntry—so there are no upfront costs for the successful applicants.

Eligibility: Year 12 students living in or attending a Victorian school in a rural or regional location (MMM 3, 4, 5, or 6) can apply. Year 12 students who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander are eligible regardless of their location within Victoria (MMM 1–6)

For: Secondary school student
When to apply: Grant is open from 2 January 2025 - 15 June 2025 or earlier if funding expended
MMM location: 3, 4, 5, 6 i
Apply Now Download Guidelines

ALLIED HEALTH NEW SERVICE GRANT

This grant has now closed.

The grant will only be open for a limited period. You can preview the application questions using the link below to begin preparing your application.

The Allied Health New Service Grant supports health services and allied health practitioners to establish or expand allied health services in rural and regional Victoria.

For: Aboriginal Health, Aboriginal Health Worker, Allied Health Practice and Staff, Allied Health Practitioner
When to apply: Applications are open from the 4th of November 2024 to the 17th of November 2024
MMM location: 3, 4, 5, 6 i
Read More Download Guidelines

ALLIED HEALTH AND NURSING UPSKILLING GRANT

This grant has now closed.

The Allied Health and Nursing Upskilling Grant supports allied health practitioners and nursing professionals to access educational, professional and skill development opportunities.

For: Aboriginal Health, Allied Health
When to apply: Applications are open from the 1st of October 2024 to the 31st of October 2024
MMM location: 2 i
Read More Download Guidelines

Medical Professional Development Program

The Medical Professional Development Program (MPD) supports the ongoing professional development and medical education of medical practitioners in rural and regional Victoria. MPD also aims to encourage trainee doctors to complete rural and regional placements by providing access to professional development subsidies. The MPD is funded by the Victorian Government and administered by RWAV.

Please note that this grant does NOT cover exam support or exam preparation courses.

Please read the revised guidelines before submitting your application for the MPD grant.

For: GP, GP Registrar, Hospital Registrar, Medical Intern
When to apply: Applied after completion of the course
MMM location: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 i
Apply Now Download Guidelines

Business Training Grant

The Business Training Grant for rural primary healthcare practices is funded by RWAV as part of the Australian Government Department of Health Rural Health Workforce Support program.

The purpose of the Business Training Grant is to improve the viability of rural health practices by supporting an increase in business management skills, by enabling access to business training opportunities.

This grant is available to practices to support business related training or upskilling for Practice Managers or Administrative Staff employed at eligible practices in Victoria.

For: Practice Administrative Staff, Practice Managers
When to apply: Apply before your course commences.
MMM location: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, AMS/ACCHO in all locations i
Apply Now Download Guidelines

Health Workforce Scholarship Program For Locums

The Health Workforce Scholarship Program (HWSP) is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health Aged Care and is administered in Victoria by the Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV).

The Health Workforce Scholarship Program (HWSP) for Locums provides funds to the locum health workforce in rural areas to help you upskill through professional development, training, short courses and conferences, that will also benefit your community.

For: Aboriginal Health Worker, Allied Health Practitioner, GP, GP Registrar, Nurse
When to apply: Apply before your course commences
MMM location: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 i
Apply Now Download Guidelines

Health Workforce Scholarship Program

Download the NEW guidelines now!

The Health Workforce Scholarship Program (HWSP) is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care and is administered in Victoria by the Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV).

The Health Workforce Scholarship Program (HWSP) provides funds to the health workforce in rural areas to help you upskill through professional development, training, short courses and conferences, that will also benefit your community.

For: Aboriginal Health Worker, Allied Health Practitioner, GP, GP Registrar, Nurse
When to apply: Apply before your course commences
MMM location: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 i
Apply Now Download Guidelines

Workforce Incentive Program

This program is funded by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care and is administered in Victoria by RWAV.

The Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) provides financial incentives aimed at encouraging health professionals to work in regional, rural and remote areas, and to support general practices to employ nurses and eligible allied health professionals to provide multidisciplinary team-based care.

For: GP, GP Registrar
When to apply: See guidelines
MMM location: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 i
Read More Download Guidelines
Showing 1 - 10 of 10 grants

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Apply for a HWSP grant BEFORE 30 June to maximise your funding for this financial year .

It’s Grants Week!

Find out if a grant is right for you in just a few minutes. Podcasts explaining the guidelines for each of our grants are dropping every day this week.  

Have grant related questions? Our team is available with answers via our Grants Week instant messenger service.  

Grants Week schedule

For nearly 30 years, Catherine has worked as a consultant, senior executive, adviser and government relations specialist with a particular focus on health, social services, social policy and industry development.  Catherine is currently Partner and Co-founder of Evaluate, an economics consulting company, where she is engaged in the evaluation and development of efficient and cost-effective services and policies, principally in relation to health and lifesciences.  Prior to this, Catherine worked in the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries with responsibilities for government relations, stakeholder engagement, policy development, regulatory affairs and communication in Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe.  Catherine is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a past board member of Marriott Support Services, Melbourne City Mission and Victoria Legal Aid.

BAppSci, GradDipBus, MBus, GAICD, FIML

John is an experienced CEO and senior executive who has held many roles in various hospitals, in government (Health Department), and in professional associations related to healthcare. Until recently, John was the CEO of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), where he had major involvement in various sustainability in healthcare initiatives, Indigenous health and ‘Building Respect’ cultural improvement strategies.
John’s expertise encompasses leadership, strategic policy development, professional standards and government relations. At RACS, he led the college through the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw the digitisation of a range of member offerings, including aspects of training. He remains a key advocate for good corporate governance and the need for leaner and competent skills-based boards.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Strategy, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Committee Member
• People and Culture Committee Member

BBus(HRM)

Lauren commenced in the role of Manager People and Culture in August 2018 and is responsible for leading the implementation of RWAV’s People and Culture strategy, policies, processes, functions and team.

Lauren’s team is committed to implementing activities and initiatives to support the achievement of RWAV’s strategies and strengthen RWAV’s position as an ‘Employer of Choice’.

Lauren is an experienced Manager and HR professional, with a career spanning the professional services, automotive, defence, and not-for-profit sectors.

CPA
Albert Giorgini is the Senior Advisor to CEO at RWAV.

As an experienced finance executive, with an extensive career in public transport and in the automotive and industrial gas sectors, Albert has honed his skills in driving financial performance improvements with a commercial and business transformation focus.

Through his strategic financial skills, Albert has demonstrated an exceptional capacity to lead and develop large teams in complex and changing environments to achieve the financial and regulatory requirements of the business. His extensive experience has given him a deep understanding of the industry and its challenges, equipping him with the expertise to drive impactful change.

Albert has highly developed communication and stakeholder management skills to support his strong planning, analytical and financial performance improvement acumen, always striving to create innovative solutions that drive growth and success.

BMed, MMedSci, FRACGP, FARGP, FACRRM, DipPractDerm, DipMedHyp, DipFP, DipBusAdmin, GAICD

Morton is an experienced GP and medical educator. He is currently in clinical general practice in suburban Melbourne and previously practised in rural Victoria for 10 years. Morton is Chair of the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaborative and a past Chair of the Mental Health Professionals Association and is a board member of the Mental Health Professionals Network. He is also the Medical Director of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Victoria. He is a member of the RACGP Victoria Council.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Board Director
• Governance Committee Member
• Strategy, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Committee Member

LLB, BSc, MMgt (Strategic Foresight), GAICD

As a lawyer and business consultant, Jane has worked for many years with company boards and executives across a range of areas including IP commercialisation, SaaS businesses, healthcare products/services, privacy compliance and data/IT security. Jane is General Counsel for ID Consulting. She has served as a Director of BreastScreen Victoria, Ballarat Health Services and chairs RWAV’s Governance Committee.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Chair of the Governance Committee
• Audit and Risk Committee Member

BMBS, MBA, FRACP, FRACMA, FAICD

Grant is a retired physician and gastroenterologist whose specialist
clinical practice was in regional and rural Victoria. In the latter part of his career, Grant moved into management and leadership roles at organisational and system level, with a focus on clinical quality and clinical engagement.
Having worked for government in several jurisdictions, through this, Grant has held leadership roles in the national safety and quality agenda, and has also held major professional level roles including a 2-year period as President of the Adult Division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians from 2016–18.
Grant teaches clinical governance with a focus on helping healthcare boards and executive teams understand this critical aspect of their work, and consults to organisations on their clinical governance and nclinical leadership.
Grant is an experienced and qualified board director, having attained
Fellowship of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2018,
and currently chairs a major sporting organisation.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Board Chair
• Chair of the Strategy, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Committee
• Nominations and Remuneration Committee Member

BA (Hons), BEc, Grad Dip Bus, MBA, FGIA, FAICD

Roger is an experienced CEO, Chair, non-executive director, board consultant and course/workshop facilitator, with experience in the health, human services, law enforcement, regional economics, disaster relief, education, transport and environmental industries. He has sat on and chaired numerous private company, public sector and not-for-profit boards and audit and risk committees. Roger has also consulted with numerous boards, published numerous articles and conducted webinars on corporate governance, risk and strategy. He brings strong governance experience, commercial acumen, risk management and strategy skills combined with a passion for innovation and business development.
Currently, Roger chairs the Victorian Emergency Relief and Recovery Foundation, is a director and chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for Melba Support Services, and is an independent member of the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Roger is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has completed their Boardroom Mastery program, and is also a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. Roger is currently a facilitator, assessor and writer for the Australian Institute of Company Directors and teaches their Company Directors Course,
as well as numerous other short courses.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee

BCom, MPP, EdD, DipEd, Claritas/CFA Investment Certificate, MAICD

Rosemary has had a varied career as an academic teaching economics, public policy and industrial relations, and as a consultant, advocate, health union official and as a director. She brings strong governance and strategic skills to the Board, as well as knowledge and depth of experience in health policy, economics and investment.
Rosemary is currently a member of the Investment Committee of Cbus, a major Australian superannuation fund.
She was the Secretary of the Victorian Psychologists Association Inc for 20 years and was Assistant Secretary and Secretary of the Medical Scientists’ Association of Victoria, which counts dietitians and audiologists among its members.
Rosemary knows first-hand the difficulties in attracting and retaining health professionals in rural and regional Victoria.
Rosemary is a member of the Medical Association for the Prevention of War, and a committee member of Quit Nukes.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Chair of the People and Culture Committee
• Governance Committee Member

BSci(Hons), DipLang, MD, FRACGP, FACRRM, DRANZCOG(Adv), GAICD

Louise is a rural GP obstetrician practising in a number of locations across Central Victoria where she delivers general practice, obstetric and sexual health services. After growing up in a small town, she has lived experience of the difficulties of accessing healthcare in rural and regional areas, and is dedicated to advocating for equitable health outcomes, regardless of geography. In addition to her clinical duties, she undertakes consulting, medical education and advocacy work. She is also a non-executive director and the current President Elect of the RDAV. Louise recently returned to study in 2024 and is undertaking a Masters of Public Health through The University of Melbourne.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Strategy, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Committee Member
• Audit and Risk Committee Member

With a rich background of consulting and in-house people and culture roles with the corporate, government and community sectors, Andrea is responsible for leading the implementation of RWAV’s People and Culture strategy, policies, processes, functions and team.

Andrea has significant experience in leading teams across culture, capability, diversity, equity, leadership, organisational development and learning programs as well as core human resources partnering.

With a strong focus on building and maintaining psychologically safe organisations, Andrea’s team is dedicated to ensuring that RWAV is a place where people can work well and be well at work.

Martin is a governance professional and lawyer with experience in private practice and in-house legal roles. He has been a company secretary for public and private sector organisations across a range of industries including VicTrack, Regis Healthcare Limited and Dairy Australia Limited. He holds Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of Melbourne, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance from the Governance Institute of Australia (GIA) and is a fellow of the GIA.

Social Work (BA Hons), DipSW

With a background in social work and a proven record in recruitment, project management, and business development, Jo brings strategic leadership and a wealth of experience in driving positive outcomes within the health, human services, and State Government sectors.

Jo specialises in managing health professional recruitment and outreach programs, including the More Doctors for Rural Australia and 3GA programs. Her focus is on implementing innovative workforce strategies and clinical governance to bolster RWAV’s mission of enhancing healthcare accessibility in rural and regional Victoria.

Having previously excelled at RWAV, Jo spearheaded successful internal change initiatives while fostering strong relationships with external stakeholders. Her efforts consistently align with RWAV’s strategic direction, ensuring a cohesive approach to driving impactful change.

Beyond her professional expertise, Jo’s passion lies in uniting communities and championing positive transformations in rural healthcare in Victoria.

RN, GradDip(Health Promotion), PRINCE2, Mini MBA

Kate is a Registered Nurse highly experienced in health promotion and project management. Her people and program management skills enable her to be agile and adaptable while maintaining an outcomes focus on improving quality access to primary healthcare.

Kate’s extensive experience working with all levels of government, the community and stakeholders across the sector have provided her with insights into the challenges rural communities and health professionals face. Kate has led the design and delivery of many innovative and strategic health promotion and grants programs, supporting better access to health services, health information and activities across communities. Whilst at RWAV, Kate has led the transformation of the RWAV grants program, enhanced the administration of a number of programs and developed the RWAV allied health portfolio. She has also led the development of the RWAV research program of activities.

Having worked at RWAV since 2020, Kate will continue positively influencing the rural healthcare workforce and access to services.

Msc (Fin), FCCA, FGIA, CA

Shay brings over 20 years of financial
management experience in commercial and not-for-profit organizations. He has a
rich and varied experience in multiple finance and leadership roles in the
United Kingdom and Australia, including CFO, GM Finance & IT, Commercial
Manager Operations, Finance Manager and Accountant.

His extensive leadership experience is
augmented by an FGIA, FCCA, CA, a Masters in Finance and an undergraduate degree in
accounting and finance.

Snezana is a Human Resources leader with more than 15 years of experience in management, playing a pivotal role in driving team transformations across diverse industries, including FMCG, automotive, government, and non-profit sectors.

With a curiosity for business and its associated complexities, Snezana fosters collaborative partnerships to cultivate a highly motivated workforce that effectively executes strategic plans.

Lauren Cordwell

Chief Executive Officer

BHlthSci(Hons) MPH PostGradDipMgt GAICD AFCHSM

Lauren Cordwell is the Chief Executive Officer at RWAV. Lauren has been an integral part of the RWAV team since 2018, demonstrating a remarkable strategic vision to improve access to health care in rural Victoria. As an experienced senior executive and health policy analyst, she is committed to finding practical solutions to address the challenges preventing communities in rural Australia from accessing affordable and safe healthcare. For over 20 years, Lauren has designed and implemented innovative programs with communities, health professionals and government agencies that continue to have a lasting benefit. Many of these programs relate to primary healthcare, general practice, workforce, First People’s health and community engagement. 

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