Grant Terms and Eligibility

The F5 Collective Women's Economy Survey Grant

These Grant Terms and Eligibility (Terms) set out the eligibility requirements, entry process, assessment criteria and other conditions applying to the F5 Collective Women's Economy Grant Program (Grant Program).

By submitting an entry, eligible participants agree to be bound by these Terms.

1.     About the Women's Economy Survey

The Women's Economy Survey (Survey) is a national research initiative conducted by F5 Empowered Women Pty Ltd (680 279 181) (F5 Collective).

The Survey is designed to build a clearer picture of how women build businesses, create new forms of value, and influence where money is spent. As part of the Survey, eligible participants may choose to enter into the Grant Program on the terms and conditions set out in these Terms.

 F5 Collective will award five grants of AUD $5,000 each (each, a Grant and together, the Grants), with a total grant pool of AUD $25,000.

 The Grant Program is a game of skill. Grants are awarded by F5 Collective at its discretion, having regard to the assessment criteria set out in section 7 of these Terms. Grants are not awarded by random draw, and no element of chance is used to select recipients of the Grants.

The Grant Program is established as a special measure for the purposes of Section 7D of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth). Its purposes are to:

  • Recognise and support women who contribute to the Australian economy;

  • Promote the visibility of women’s economic participation; and

  • Advance gender equality in accordance with the objectives of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic).

Completing the Survey does not automatically enter a participant into the Grant Program. Entry is optional and requires a separate written response (Entry) and acceptance of these Terms.

2.     Key Dates

Survey and Entry Period opens: 9.00am AEDT on 8 October 2026

Survey and Entry Period closes: 11.59pm AEDT on 16 November 2026

Grant Recipients notified by: 25 November 2026

The period between the opening and closing dates above is the Entry Period. All times are stated in Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT). Entries received outside the Entry Period will not be considered.

3.     Eligibility

To submit an Entry, a natural person who participates in the Grant Program (Participant) must, at the time of entry:

  • identify as a woman;

  • be aged 18 years or over;

  • be an Australian resident;

  • provide a valid name and email address;

  • complete the required Survey questions within one of the three Survey tracks set out in section 4 (Track);

  • submit a written Entry of no more than 100 words;

  • accept these Terms through the separate grant-entry checkbox;

  • provide the required research consent;

  • not be involved in administering or judging the Survey or Grant Program;

  • not be an employee, officer or contractor of F5 Collective, or an immediate family member of any person involved in administering or judging the Grant Program;

  • not be under any legal incapacity; and

  • not have submitted any other Entry (one Entry per Participant).

4.     The Three Survey Tracks

Each Participant must select the Track that best reflects how they participate in the economy:

a)   Women Who Build: I own or run a business.

b)   Women Who Create: I create content or build a community online.

c)   Women Who Back: I influence which businesses grow through what I choose to buy and support. Participants in this Track do not need to own or run a business.

If more than one Track applies, the Participant must select the Track that best reflects their primary economic activity.

5.     How to Enter

Participation in the Grant Program is optional. A Participant may complete the Survey without submitting an Entry, and choosing not to enter the Grant Program does not affect whether the Participant's Survey responses are included in the research.

There is no fee to enter and only one Entry is permitted per Participant. Consent to receive communications from F5 Collective is optional and is not a condition of Survey participation, entry into the Grant Program or selection as a Grant Recipient. 

To enter the Grant Program, a Participant must:

a)   Access the Survey through the F5 Collective website (f5collective.com) or an authorised campaign link;

b)   Complete the required participant information and complete the questions within the selected Track;

c)   Submit a written Entry of no more than 100 words in response to the track-specific question set out in section 6;

d)   Accept these Terms through the grant-entry checkbox; and

e)  Submit the Survey during the Entry Period.

6.     Grant Entry Questions

The Entry question applicable to each Participant will depend on their selected Track:

a)   Women Who Build: Tell us how this challenge is affecting your business and what solving it would make possible.

b)   Women Who Create: Tell us how this challenge is limiting what you have created and what solving it would make possible.

c)   Women Who Back: Tell us what you wish businesses understood better about you and what needs to change.

Each Entry must be the Participant's own original work, must respond to the relevant question and must not contain unlawful, defamatory, discriminatory or infringing material.

7.     Assessment and Selection

Eligible Entries will be assessed on merit by F5 Collective against the Assessment Criteria set out below. No element of chance will be involved in the selection of Grant Recipients.

F5 Collective will assess each Entry against the following criteria (Assessment Criteria):

●      How directly and thoughtfully the Entry addresses the track-specific question.

●      The strength of the insight into the Participant's lived experience and participation in the economy.

●      How clearly the Entry communicates a specific experience, challenge, or opportunity.

●      The distinctiveness and authenticity of the perspective shared.

At least one Grant will be awarded to an eligible Participant from each Track.

The remaining two Grants will be awarded to the highest-scoring eligible Entries across all Tracks. If a Track does not produce a suitable eligible Entry, F5 Collective may reallocate that Grant to the next highest-scoring eligible Entry from another Track. In the event of tied scores, the Entry that most directly addresses the Track-specific question will be preferred.

F5 Collective’s decision in relation to the assessment and selection of Grant Recipients will be final. F5 Collective will not enter into correspondence regarding individual scores or outcomes.

8.  Verification and Notification

A Participant selected to receive a Grant (Grant Recipient) will be contacted using the email address provided in the Survey.

F5 Collective may contact shortlisted Participants to verify their identity, age, Australian residence, Track eligibility and the accuracy of information provided. Participants must provide requested verification within the timeframe specified by F5 Collective.

Grant Recipients will be contacted using the email address provided in the Survey. If a potential Grant Recipient does not respond within fourteen (14) calendar days, cannot satisfy the eligibility requirements or declines the Grant, F5 Collective may offer the Grant to the next highest-scoring eligible Participant.

9.     The Grants

●      Each Grant is a cash payment of AUD $5,000 and will be paid by electronic funds transfer to an Australian bank account nominated by the Grant Recipient.

●      Payment will be made within thirty (30) business days after the Grant Recipient has completed verification, accepted the Grant and provided the required payment details.

●      The Grant is not a loan, does not need to be repaid and does not give F5 Collective any ownership interest in a Grant Recipient's business, content, intellectual property or other assets.

●      The Grant does not create a lending, investment, employment, partnership, fiduciary or advisory relationship between F5 Collective and the Grant Recipient.

●      Grant Recipients are responsible for obtaining independent advice regarding tax, accounting, legal or financial consequences of receiving the Grant.

●      Grant Recipients are responsible for any goods and services tax (GST) or other taxes that may apply to the Grant.

 10.  Publicity

Participants who are not selected as Grant Recipients will not be publicly identified as having entered the Grant Program without their permission.

 F5 Collective will not use a Grant Recipient’s name, image or story for promotional purposes beyond what is reasonably connected with the Survey and Grant Program without the Grant Recipient’s prior written consent.

By accepting a Grant, each Grant Recipient agrees to participate in reasonable publicity connected with the Survey and Grant Program. This may include the Grant Recipient's name, approved biography, approved photography, selected quotations and an update on what the Grant made possible. F5 Collective will confirm the proposed scope of any publicity and obtain any additional consent or release required before publication.

F5 Collective will not publicly attribute a Participant’s individual Survey responses to that Participant without the Participant’s prior written consent.

11.  Privacy, Research and Communications

Personal information and Survey responses will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with the F5 Collective Privacy Policy and any collection notice displayed at the point of entry.

Research consent is required to submit a Survey response. F5 Collective may use Survey responses to inform research, reporting and insights for The Women's Economy Series. Individual responses will remain confidential and Participants will not be publicly identified without their permission, however aggregate data will be used in our reports.

Grant-entry information will be used to administer, assess and verify the Grant Program. It may be shared with judging-panel members and service providers only to the extent reasonably required for those purposes.

Consent to receive F5 Collective marketing communications and other updates is separate and optional. A Participant's marketing choice will not affect their Survey participation, Grant eligibility, assessment or selection.

12.  Intellectual Property

Participants retain ownership of their original written Entries. By submitting an Entry, the Participant grants F5 Collective a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free worldwide licence to reproduce, use and adapt the Entry for the purposes of administering, assessing and verifying the Grant Program and conducting research and reporting in connection with the Survey (Licence). The Licence includes the right to use deidentified or aggregated information derived from Entries for research and reporting purposes.

 Any public use of an Entry that identifies the Participant will require the Participant’s prior written consent, except where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

 13.  General Conditions

  • F5 Collective may disqualify any Participant who does not comply with these Terms or who provides incomplete, false, misleading, unlawful or fraudulent information.

  • F5 Collective is not liable for Entries that are lost, delayed, incomplete or not received due to technical failures or circumstances outside F5 Collective’s reasonable control.

  • If circumstances outside F5 Collective's reasonable control prevent the Grant Program from proceeding as planned, F5 Collective may reasonably modify, suspend or cancel the Grant Program, subject to applicable law. Any material change will be published through the same channels used to promote the Grant Program.

  • Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies any right or remedy, or any guarantee, warranty or other term or condition implied or imposed by legislation (including the Australian Consumer Law Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)) that cannot lawfully be excluded.

  • These Terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia.

  • F5 Collective may amend these Terms at any time, provided that any material amendment will be published through the same channels used to promote the Grant Program and will take effect from the date of publication. To the extent reasonably practicable, any amendment will not adversely affect an Entry submitted before the amendment takes effect.

  • To the maximum extent permitted by law, F5 Collective excludes all liability for any loss or damage arising from or in connection with participation in the Survey or Grant Program, other than liability that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law.

14. Contact

Questions about the Grant Program may be sent to hello@f5collective.com with the subject line: Women's Economy Grant.