This grant helps early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities stay open and increase the number of children in care. It is part of the Community Child Care Fund (CCCF).
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This opportunity is open at specific times. It is currently closed.
About the grant
This grant provides funding to ECEC services in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities to:
- stay open
- increase the number of children in care.
The grant is part of the Community Child Care Fund which helps services address barriers to ECEC participation.
How to apply
Applications for the fourth round of the grant closed on 8 March 2024.
Any future grant rounds will be published on GrantConnect.
Eligibility
CCCF grants are for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) approved providers.
To be eligible for grant round 4, providers were required to:
- operate a service in an identified priority area, or
- operate, or service families, in a regional, remote or very remote area, or
- provide specialised care services to disadvantaged or vulnerable families, or
- have received funding under grant round 1 or round 3.
Funding
Round 4 included 2 funding streams - sustainability support and capital support.
Sustainability support grants help improve the service’s sustainability and viability. Example activities include:
- meeting standard operating costs while moving to a sustainable business model
- helping with the costs of servicing under-served markets
- working with local organisations to address community level barriers to ECEC participation
- building relationships with vulnerable and disadvantaged families who do not use ECEC
- transporting children from isolated families
- attracting, recruiting, training and keeping local staff and educators.
Capital support grants help improve existing ECEC facilities. Example activities include:
- repairing, modifying, renovating or extending existing ECEC facilities
- extending or modifying a community centre or other building that will be used for ECEC
- landscape works, including fencing and outdoor play areas.
Applications for capital support were required to make a co-contribution towards the cost of the project.
Outcomes
All CCCF grant recipients are listed on GrantConnect.
Since 2018, the Australian Government has provided over $229 million to around 1,120 services under the disadvantaged and vulnerable communities grant.
Round 4
In August 2024, we announced $80 million in grants for more than 430 services under round 4.
See the list of successful application locations
General feedback for all applicants is available on Grant Connect
Please note: You will need to register to view the feedback.
Management of round 4 grants is transitioning to the Community Grants Hub.
The transition will occur in 2 phases:
- if you only have a ‘capital support’ grant, this will transition from 23 January 2025
- if you have both a ‘capital support’ and ‘sustainability support’ grant, these will both transition from 23 January 2025
- if you only have a ‘sustainability support’ grant, this will transition from 31 March 2025.
You don’t need to do anything. The Community Grants Hub will contact you once your grant has been transferred.
After this, all communication about your grant will be with the Community Grants Hub.
We will continue to manage grants until the transfer date.
Business support
We offer free business support to services who get a CCCF grant. This can help you review and improve your service’s financial viability and sustainability.
Learn more about business support
Stay up to date
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