The winners of the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) 2026 Bright Ideas Grants have been named.
NAWIC CEO Cathryn Greville said the awards highlighted culture change advocacy and reflected the passion, generosity, and commitment of the growing NAWIC community who support positive change and to strengthen the industry.
This year, the seed funding is going to a pilot program offering supported pathways for women in construction navigating parental leave, and an innovative project to provide hygiene facilities for women on site.
Samantha Grant from New South Wales was awarded the $30,000 Bright Ideas Individual Grant for her Crib Shift: Building a Better Way Back pilot program designed to address the urgent need for structured, supported pathways for women in construction navigating parental leave and returning to work.
Crib Shift is a research-informed, industry-specific, and community-powered program responding to a gap identified in NAWIC’s Boosting Retention of Women in Construction parental leave research project, which highlighted the absence of cohesive, consistent frameworks to retain and support women during this transformative life and career stage.
Samantha said the program is also inspired by her lived experience and, at its core, Crib Shift is primary prevention, creating the conditions where women can thrive in the construction workforce through supported leave transitions, employer capability uplift and peer-driven community care.
Crib Shift is beyond a well-being initiative – it’s a prevention workforce solution. This program doesn’t exist anywhere else. It’s informed by lived experience, guided by research and grounded in reality.
The program will include:
- Mothers on Leave Stream: accessible peer circles and reflective tools support women to stay connected to their identity, ambitions, and industry during leave, without pressure to perform or plan.
- Returning Mothers Stream: For women in their first two years back at work, this stream offers facilitated sessions and access to shared stories, frameworks, strategies and community, supporting a sustainable, confident return.
- Employer Stream: This stream offers targeted, practical tools to build confidence among employers and managers.
- Dedicated resources for dads and partners: Recognising that women are best supported through this transition when there is a broader ecosystem around them that understands and shares the load.
The $20,000 Bright Ideas Business Grant has been awarded to The GO Company in Tasmania for its Hygiene for Her Project. The funding will be used to develop, produce, and distribute GO Sanitary Site Bundles, ensuring smaller and regional construction businesses have access to practical and affordable hygiene facilities for women on site.
Co-founded by electricians Jasmyn Smith and Logan Barnett, The GO Company is dedicated to supporting women in underserved industries by providing essential sanitary solutions.
Many smaller construction businesses and remote sites do not have access to basic hygiene amenities. This leaves women without suitable facilities, impacting their comfort, health and sense of belonging in the workplace.
The aim is to offer workplace solutions that make hygiene accessibility simple, affordable and standard across all industries.
By delivering ready to install hygiene stations, the Hygiene for Her Project aims to:
- Eliminate reliance on basic or unsuitable portable toilets and ensure consistent access across sites of all sizes.
- Enable women to manage their hygiene needs safely and privately without needing to leave work, which will reduce downtime, improve productivity, and demonstrate that the business values its female workers.
- Encourage healthier, more sustainable work environments, supporting women’s long-term health, helping them maintain their careers without compromising well-being or family planning goals.
The Bright Ideas Grants provide an important opportunity to support innovative projects for women in construction that focus on retention, career progression, leadership pathways and cultural change.
“It was pleasing to attract a total of 36 applications across both categories this year. My thanks go to our judges who noted that the high quality of the applications made the assessment process difficult,” Cathryn said.
“Congratulations to f our grant recipients for their projects to support women in construction and I look forward to sharing the outcomes of their projects in the year ahead.”
Learn more about how to become a member and the Allyship in Action project at www.nawic.com.au