NRPP funding supports initiatives that address key gaps and emerging priorities in tobacco and vaping prevention with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The projects aim to strengthen the reach and impact of the TIS Program, particularly in regional, remote and very remote communities. They complement existing TIS activities and address priority areas without duplicating services that are funded through TIS or any other government programs.
NRPPs focus on one or more of the following priority areas:
Together, the projects contribute to the broader goals of the TIS Program by strengthening community-led approaches and supporting tobacco and vaping prevention activities that respond to priority populations and local needs.
You can explore the 15 funded projects below, including their activities, achievements and available resources:
Status: Completed
Lead organisation: Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH)
Funding period: July 2024 – June 2025
Location: Urban, regional and remote Queensland.
Priority groups: Remote, Pregnant women and families.
Delivered through Deadly Choices, this health promotion initiative promotes the benefits of a smoke-free and vape-free pregnancy and encourages women to seek support through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services. The campaign uses community engagement and the expertise of the IUIH Birthing in Our Communities and Public Health teams to ensure it meets the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their families.
Find out more: Deadly Choices campaign coverage – National Indigenous Times
Lead organisation: The University of Newcastle
Funding period: July 2024 – April 2026
Location: National (urban, regional and remote Australia).
The University of Newcastle, in partnership with Waminda South Coast Women’s Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation and Clothing the Gaps Foundation, is rolling out the Which Way? Women’s Kits nationally. Led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, the project builds on community-led research and co-design to provide information and resources supporting smoking and vaping cessation, relapse prevention, and smoke- and vape-free pregnancies and futures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their families. Downloadable resources are also being made available online.
Find out more: Which Way? Women’s Kits · Project overview (PDF)
Status: In progress
Funding period: October 2026 – June 2027
This extension broadens access to the Which Way? Women’s Kits, particularly for women and families in remote and very remote Australia. The project will also strengthen links with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal and neonatal health programs to support referral pathways and continuity of care.
Find out more: Which Way? Women’s Kits
Funding period: July 2024 – June 2026
Location: Regional Australia.
Priority groups: Young people.
This project expands smoke-free and vape-free prevention activities through a co-designed health education program and social media campaign for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. Developed with Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation and Waminda South Coast Women’s Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation, the program is designed for delivery in schools and youth programs by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners.
Find out more: Which Way? Youth · Project overview (PDF)
Lead organisation: The Australian National University
Funding period: September 2025 – May 2027
This youth-led initiative is developing culturally safe resources and activities to strengthen tobacco and vaping prevention. Activities include four regional workshops focused on creative resistance and leadership, a national youth roundtable and youth-led campaigns. Youth leaders worked with artists Nooky, Soju Gang, RIAH, Fred Leone and Dallas Woods, alongside creative production company Grand Trine, to create the protest song Voices of Resistance. The song is the centrepiece of Warraay Puthu (‘Bad Smoke’ in Ngiyampaa), a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth-led smoke-free and vape-free campaign. Digital resources produced by the project will be made freely available through the Tobacco Free website for TIS teams to adapt locally.
Find out more: Project video 1 · Project video 2
Lead organisation: Marthakal Homelands and Resource Centre Aboriginal Corporation.
Location: Marthakal Homelands, Northern Territory.
Priority groups: Remote, Young people, Pregnant women and families.
This community-led project will strengthen Yolŋu leadership and workforce capacity to promote smoke-free living through Marthakal Homelands Health Service’s existing outreach services. Activities include training Yolŋu Coordinators, delivering community education and Yarning Circles, developing local language and storytelling resources, promoting smoke-free homes and vehicles, and working with Miwatj Health’s Yaka Njarali TIS team and Quitline to connect community members with appropriate support.
Find out more: Njarali Miriw Marthakal
Lead organisation: Urapuntja Health Service Aboriginal Corporation.
Location: Urapuntja Homelands, Northern Territory.
The project will strengthen community-led tobacco and vaping prevention and education across the Urapuntja Homelands in north-east Central Australia, where smoking rates among Alyawarre and Anmatyerre peoples are estimated at 50%. Working through existing health outreach services, the project builds community leadership and delivers locally relevant education, workshops and awareness campaigns. Activities include peer-led education co-designed with young people to prevent smoking and vaping uptake, and education for pregnant women and women of childbearing age to promote smoke-free pregnancies and support family health.
Find out more:
Lead organisation: Apunipima Cape York Health Council
Funding period: January 2026 – May 2027
Location: Cape York, Queensland.
Priority groups: Remote, Young people.
This community-led arts initiative uses murals to promote smoke-free and vape-free living. Guided by the Apunipima TIS team and local cultural advisors, community members are shaping the designs and messages to ensure they are locally relevant and culturally respectful. Three murals will be installed in prominent public locations, sharing health messages and linking communities to TIS resources.
Find out more: Call for Artists
Lead organisation: Hoops for Health
Funding period: July 2025 – July 2026
Location: East Arnhem communities, Northern Territory.
Priority groups: Remote, Young people, Women and families.
This project integrates tobacco and vaping prevention into Hoops for Health’s Healing Centred model, which uses sport to support resilience, leadership and social and emotional wellbeing. The project delivers activities across six East Arnhem communities, making TIS education a core part of Hoops for Health’s sport and wellbeing curriculum.
Find out more: Hoops for Health – Play Our Way · Project video
Lead organisation: Skinnyfish Music
Funding period: August 2025 – December 2026
Location: Remote Far North communities in the Northern Territory.
This project uses music, video and social media to develop tobacco and vaping prevention messages grounded in the voices and experiences of local artists and communities. Songs, jingles and short videos featuring respected performers will be shared through platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok, with audience engagement data informing further distribution and promotion at community events and festivals.
Find out more: Smoke Free Cars Video
Lead organisation: Institute for Urban Indigenous Health
Funding period: January – December 2026
Location: Rockhampton and Normanton, Queensland.
This project uses community sporting events to engage young people in tobacco and vaping prevention. Delivered through Deadly Choices in partnership with local organisations, the initiative includes a smoke-free football carnival in Rockhampton and a youth-focused rodeo in Mt Isa, with young people from Normanton being transported to attend. These events provide opportunities to share quit-vaping messages and build young people’s understanding of the impacts of smoking and vaping.
Find out more: Deadly Choices Mount Isa Rodeo School Rockhampton Football Carnival
Lead organisation: Victorian Aboriginal Health Service
Funding period: February 2026 – May 2027
Led by the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS), the national Flip the Vape campaign aims to prevent vaping uptake through culturally grounded messaging, creativity and community participation. National campaign events provide a platform for local activity, with TIS teams across the country able to run their own campaigns over at least eight weeks, supported by local ambassadors and champions.
Find out more: National campaign launch coverage – National Indigenous Times
Lead organisation: Sydney Swans
Funding period: July 2024 – May 2027
Location: Remote communities in the Jabiru–Tiwi region, Northern Territory.
Priority groups: Remote, Young People, Women and families.
The Sydney Swans have a long-standing relationship with Mala’la Aboriginal Health Corporation, which dates back to 2022. Building on this partnership, the Swans are delivering an annual three-day community football festival featuring Sydney Swans AFL and AFLW players. The festival uses sport and respected role models to share smoke-free messages with young people and families and supports the development of health promotion materials for use in other remote communities.
Find out more: Maningrida Footy Festival – West Arnhem Regional Council · Sydney Swans festival recap · 2025 photo gallery
Location: Urban and regional NSW.
Priority groups: Young People, Pregnant women and families.
In partnership with La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council and 33 Creative, the Sydney Swans are extending the reach of smoke-free and vape-free messaging through community collaboration. Activities include stadium advertisements, educational videos, social media content, and player visits to community events.
Lead organisation: Claudine Thornton Creative
Funding period: August 2026 – June 2027
Priority groups: Remote.
Rise Up is a national participation campaign supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to lead conversations about living smoke-free and vape-free. The project provides TIS teams with practical communications resources, planning tools, mentoring and a guided online Learning Hub to support meaningful, locally led community engagement. An expression-of-interest process will enable up to eight TIS teams to deliver activities that reflect their communities’ priorities, strengths and cultural contexts.
Find out more: Rise up Campaign Assets
