Protostars is a micro-grant program for young people with passion projects. The Blackbird Foundation offers grants of $1000 for young people under 25 from AU/NZ for their strange, quirky, ambitious, and downright audacious passion projects.
A passion project can be anything. Think metaverse art exhibitions, battle bots, space drones, theatre shows, films, opera podcasts, a travelling STEM roadshow, apps, and more!
We’re looking for wild young hearts with wild ideas!
Protostars is more than a cash grant. When you receive one of our grants, you also join a program and a community of next-gen worldbuilders, creatives, visionaries and innovators. Together, you create your passion projects, raise each other’s ambition, and hype each other up!
There are three intakes per year. In 2026 our application intake periods will be:
- (Season 12) 15 January to 1 March
- (Season 13) 30 April to 14 June
- (Season 14) 1 August to 21 September