School Impact Program

Offering South Australin schools a share of $1 million in funding for vital projects in their community.

2025 applications for School Impact Program funding are now closed.

Applications will reopen from Week 1 – Term 1 2026.

Your school can apply for funding of up to $20,000 through our School Impact Program, for projects and programs that will help Students and Educators Thrive.

You could apply for funding for projects such as:

Equipment or facility upgrades
Student experiences such as school camps, health and wellbeing programs and leadership courses
Teacher wellbeing including training and facility upgrades
Student spaces such as wellbeing gardens, sensory rooms and more.

We trust that local SA schools understand their community needs best. That’s why we’re giving you the freedom to choose projects that are tailored to your school’s individual needs.

Agriculture is such a key industry for our local region on the Southern Yorke Peninsula. It is a broad, varied and ever evolving and growing industry which has endless opportunities for our current students to be successful post school. Our Agriculture Program here at Yorketown Area School is currently a significant focus. We are so appreciative to receive this grant; agriculture facilities do not come cheap. To be able to continue to update our facilities enables us to house animals - this is a key part of engaging our students in authentic and real-world learning experiences.Michael
Principal of Yorketown Area School

Yorketown Area School was awarded funds in 2024 for their Agriculture Program through the School Impact Program.

Ready to get started? Here’s how you do it!

We’ll need to know more about your program, so please share with us what your school’s project is, how it impacts your community and how you will execute it.
Connect with your school leadership team prior to sending the application. We can only accept one application per year, per school. This is to ensure that funding is shared around as much as possible! We will accept the first application and any further ones will be removed, so please ensure you’re submitting the strongest application first time.
We only accept applications from school leadership (Principal, Deputy Principal, finance manager etc) so once applications open at the start of each year, ask them to submit it on your school’s behalf.
All applications are thoroughly reviewed before a shortlist is prepared for our judges to allocate funding.

Assessment process

The application form sets out the key questions that we’ll use to assess applications, such as how the funds will be used to benefit students and how we can potentially collaborate.

Applications will be assessed by a selection committee comprising of:

2 x Credit Union SA front line staff
2 x Credit Union SA senior managers or executive staff
1 x Department for Education employee

Please note that the final impact funding amount for successful applicants may be adjusted by the selection panel.

For more information, download our 2025 School Impact Program booklet.

Our webform only accepts written applications, however if you have photos or plans you would like to include – please send them to schoolimpact@creditunionsa.com.au.

^{*Example: 2024 School Impact Program recipient – McLaren Vale Primary School}

Meet the 2025 recipients of the School Impact Program:

Orrorro Area School

Booleroo Centre District

Christies Downs Primary

Manoora Primary School

Woomera Area School

Naracoorte High School

Mannum Community College

Mount Barker South Primary

Kaylas Children Centre

Victor Harbor High

Port Noarlunga Primary

Cobdogla Primary School

Fulham Garden Primary

Para Hills West Primary

Eastern Fleurieu School

Port Lincoln Children’s

Angle Vale Primary

Mitcham Preschool

The Grove Education

Amata Anangu School

St Francis Of Assisi

Rivergum Christian College

Christies Beach

Glandore Community Kindy

Unley Primary School

Why have we created the School Impact Program?

Education is in our DNA! Over 60 years ago, we were started by teachers, for teachers, and we continue to support the South Australian education community with:

Exclusive education banking benefits through Knowledge Counts;
A dedicated team working directly with education employees, so they can get the best out of their banking; and
Ongoing sponsorship of South Australian education associations including SAPPA, SASPA, Uni SA, Adelaide Uni, Flinders Uni, Area Schools, and many more.

Our School Impact Program is just another way that we are supporting the South Australian education community. It’s all about allowing schools to make improvements for their school community without having to donate their valuable time or money through ongoing fundraising efforts.

Have a question?

Contact Eliza Pryce, our Community Program Specialist.

Eliza Pryce

Community Program Specialist

Eliza has been at Credit Union SA since 2009, starting in our Member Experience Centre and is now working with our Community Programs and Brand Partnerships.

During her time at Credit Union SA, Eliza has worked with many schools to support them with their fundraising efforts, helping to provide an excellent learning environment for South Australian students through our School Impact Program launched in 2024.

Eliza works closely with our community partners and programs such as Port Adelaide Football Club, South Aussie with Cosi and other key Brand Partners.

She loves connecting with members to chat about how Credit Union SA is dedicated to helping all South Australians Thrive.

Frequently asked questions

View all School Impact Program FAQs

If I’m successful in receiving funding, do I need to send you an invoice?

No, we trust that you have used the funds to best suit your community.

When will payment be made and when does it have to be sent by?

If you are successful, payment will be processed in Term 3 on the year of your application.

Will you contact me even if my application is unsuccessful?

Yes. We will let you know if your application was successful or unsuccessful via email.

My school has been selected to receive School Impact Program funding. How do I organise payment?

Congratulations! We are really excited to be helping fund your project.

Our community team will reach out to all successful recipients with an agreement form and payment form. These forms will highlight the program terms and payment date.

We will send this to the email you provided on your application.

What information will I need to provide as part of the School Impact Program application?

You will need to share with us:

Your school’s name
Your contact details and position
Some information about the project you would like funding for.

We will also ask you about ways that we can promote our exclusive Knowledge Counts education banking benefits and funding outcomes to your staff and school community.

What are the open and closing dates for applications?

2025 Applications

Applications Open: 8:30am Tuesday 28 January 2025

Applications Close: 5:30pm Friday 4 July 2025

Judging Commences: Week 2, Term 3

Successful Schools Notified: Week 5, Term 3

Can funding go towards an existing or unfinished project or part of a larger scale project?

Yes, you can spend the funding however you choose as long as it benefits your students, staff and/or wider school community.

Please note that the final impact funding amount for successful applicants may be adjusted by the selection panel.

Do I need to be a Credit Union SA member to apply?

Not at all. While we would love for you to join us, you don’t need to be a member to apply for funding.

Can we receive funding multiple times in the year?

Unfortunately, no. We want to benefit as many schools as possible and spread the funding around evenly. This means if your school is successful and receives funding through our School Impact Program, your school will need to wait another two calendar years before they can apply again. For example, if your school receives funding in February 2024, they will need to wait until February 2026 to apply for funding again.

How much funding can I apply for?

Funding will be available in the following amounts:

$2,000
$5,000
$10,000
$20,000

What can the School Impact Program funding be used for?

Funding can only be provided for activities or projects that benefit students or provide support and wellbeing to students, staff and/or the wider school community, such as:

Equipment or facility upgrades on campus;
Student experiences such as school camps or excursions;
Teacher wellbeing including training; or
Student support such as lunch programs or sporting programs.

Who can apply for funding?

All applications must be submitted by the school leadership team. We can’t accept applications submitted by parents, governing councils, committees or teachers.

We can only accept one application per school per year.