
The Incentive Fund is Australia’s longest standing development program in Papua New Guinea and is the only component of the Australian program written into the bilateral treaty between our 2 countries.
The Incentive Fund was launched in 2000 with a broad goal of providing an incentive for Papua New Guinean organisations to deliver high quality infrastructure and other projects, build their capacity and, ultimately, contribute to stronger social and economic development outcomes.
Since the Incentive Fund began in 2000, more than PGK 700 million has been awarded to partners in health, education, agriculture, economic development, water and sanitation, and governance and administration.

Incentive Fund timeline
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2000-2010
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2010-2014
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2015-2023
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2023-2027
This timeline traces the journey of the Incentive Fund through its different phases, showcasing its transformative impact and ongoing commitment to building a brighter future for Papua New Guinea.
Changing Lives: Stories from the Australia-Papua New Guinea Incentive Fund 2000 to 2008
Excerpt: The Treaty on Development Cooperation between Papua New Guinea and Australia established the Incentive Fund (now the Australia Papua New Guinea Incentive Fund – APNGIF) in July 2000. The second phase of the APNGIF winds down in February 2009. A third phase is being planned between the governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
This timeline traces the journey of the Incentive Fund through its different phases, showcasing it’s transformative impact and ongoing commitment to building a brighter future of Papua New Guinea.
Changing Attitudes: From awareness to advocacy in social inclusion. Stories from the Incentive Fund
Excerpt: ‘Mainstreaming’ of gender equity has provoked much discussion over the past decade. In the Incentive Fund approach, we considered ‘mainstreaming’ for women, children, people with disabilities or HIV/AIDS. We wanted to lay the groundwork for increased understanding of the importance of equity of access for stakeholders and beneficiaries of our funded projects.
Overview: Incentive Fund Phase III Strong organisations strengthening communities
Excerpt: The PNG National Education Plan, Medium Term Development Plan, Strategic Development Plan and Vision 2050 view human resource development as central to sustainable economic growth. They seek to develop a highly literate and numerate workforce within the next 20 years and build a world class tertiary education sector producing high quality graduates.
This timeline traces the journey of the Incentive Fund through its different phases, showcasing it’s transformative impact and ongoing commitment to building a brighter future of Papua New Guinea.
Incentive Fund Phase 4 (IV) Investment Completion Report
Excerpt: The Incentive Fund is a flagship Australian-funded development program established in 2000 to improve service delivery and enhance economic opportunities for Papua New Guineans. This is achieved by supporting government and non-government organisations across PNG to develop high-quality infrastructure for health, education, agriculture, water and sanitation, and research. Support is provided through grants of between PGK1 and 10.
This timeline traces the journey of the Incentive Fund through its different phases, showcasing it’s transformative impact and ongoing commitment to building a brighter future of Papua New Guinea.
Incentive Fund Phase 5 (V)
Phase 5 of the Incentive Fund Phase aims to support a range of organisations in the project management of high quality, appropriate, climate resilient and sustainable infrastructure. Incentive Fund projects involve strong engagement with women, people with disability and marginalised groups to ensure the infrastructure’s impact equitably advances the economic, social and human development of its users.

The Incentive Fund Legacy Series captures the impact of Incentive Fund projects and the strong partnership between Papua New Guinea and Australia.