Young First Nations people who identify as LGBTIQA+ are faced with extra barriers to tertiary education and corporate opportunities, new data has shown.

Research from The Pinnacle Foundation, which provides scholarships and mentoring programs for young LGBTQIA+ people, has laid bare the complex experiences of those living at the intersection of being of First Nations heritage and part of the LGBTIQA+ community.

More than 40 per cent of those surveyed believed First Nations LGBTQIA+ people faced extra hurdles accessing tertiary education, while 46 per cent said it was harder for them to launch post-graduate careers.

More than a quarter of respondents who were employed had left their jobs due to discrimination or feeling isolated.

The new research supports findings in a landmark 2021 survey of healthcare professionals and 63 Indigenous LGBTIQ+ members in WA by Edith Cowan University's Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research.

Its report called for effective responses to mental health issues First Nations LGBTIQ+ communities across Australia faced, after 73 per cent of respondents said they were discriminated against in the 12 months prior.

While a third of participants felt "invisible" within their First Nations communities due to their sexual or gender identity, elders engaged in the research were very supportive of promoting their acceptance.

Pinnacle Foundation alumni and proud Cammeraigal man Benjamin McGrory, an arts and law student at the University of Sydney, said Elders were crucial to building confidence in LGBTQIA+ people and fostering their acceptance.

"Going back to when I applied, I didn't think I was academic enough ... after speaking to the mob they encouraged me to tell my story and apply," he said.

"Our young people need to believe they belong on boards, in banks and consultancies, so they can break down barriers for the next generation."

He said there were several organisations that helped empower First Nations LGBTQIA+ people, including BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation and Black Rainbow.

A Black Rainbow report last December called for better governance of the First Nations LGBTQIA+ community through a national framework that encompassed community education and increased data collection to help frame future delivery of services.

Pinnacle CEO Andrew Staite said his foundation matched students with an LGBTQIA+ First Nations mentor who was familiar with their field of study and had a similar gender, sexual or cultural background.

"Our work within First Nations communities is improving year on year, with the creation of multiple scholarships for scholars and alumni in the program," he said.

Applications for Pinnacle's scholarships next year are open until August 31.