Grants up to $500,000 target recovery through work
03 Nov 2025•BlueSafe Team•Source: WorkSafe VIC
Grants of up to $500,000 are available for collaborative programs supporting Victorians recovering from work-related physical injuries. The latest Return to Work Victoria funding round targets manufacturing, construction, transport, postal and warehousing.
The grants support new initiatives that take a holistic approach to recovery through work. Applications can be lodged online until Friday 14 November, with eligibility criteria and funding exclusions applying.
Return to Work Victoria Executive Director Jason Lardelli said research strongly supported injured workers maintaining connections with colleagues during recovery and returning to modified, meaningful work when safe.
"We thought a lot about our theme for this grant round and for me, the key word is 'through' – emphasising the potential for work as a means to recovery for injured workers, not just an end point," Mr Lardelli said.
Return to Work Victoria Innovations is committing $50 million over three years to pilots, grants and one-off projects testing new ways to improve outcomes for injured workers.
The industries targeted in this round have statistically struggled to return injured people to work at the right time and in the right way. Together, they accounted for more than a third of workplace physical injury claims accepted by WorkSafe in the past financial year.
Mr Lardelli said working with employers, unions, industry groups and peak bodies was essential to reshaping the recovery experience. He identified new technologies, stronger education and capability, removing return-to-work barriers and innovative partnerships as opportunities for applicants.
Recipients of an earlier Return to Work Victoria grant round, which focused on early intervention for work-related mental injuries, will be announced shortly.