The Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) disadvantaged and vulnerable communities grant provides funding to services to help them stay open and increase the number of children in care. Services in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities can apply when grant rounds are open.
On this page:
About the grant
The grant provides funding to services in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities to:
- stay open
- increase the number of children in care.
Services in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities can apply when grant rounds are open.
The grant is part of the Community Child Care Fund which helps services address barriers to early childhood education and care participation.
Round 4 applications
Applications for the fourth round of this grant closed on 8 March 2024.
We’ll publish outcomes of the grant round later this year.
To learn about outcomes and upcoming grant rounds:
Eligibility
Eligibility for round 4 required providers to:
- be Child Care Subsidy (CCS) approved, and
- operate a service in an identified priority area, or
- be located in, or servicing families in, a regional, remote or very remote area, or
- provide specialised care services to disadvantaged or vulnerable families, or
- currently receive CCCF funding under round 1 or round 3.
See the priority areas for grant round 4
Funding activities
Round 4 includes two funding activities – sustainability support and capital support.
Sustainability 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
- upskilling local staff or educators
- 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, and keeping local staff and educators.
Capital support
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 are required to make a co-contribution towards the cost of the project. The amount of co-contribution required will depend on the funding applied for.
CCCF grant recipients are also eligible for free business support. This can help you review and improve your service’s financial viability and sustainability.
Previous funding rounds
Since 2018, the Australian Government has provided over $208 million to around 1,060 services under the CCCF disadvantaged and vulnerable communities grant.
Round 3 outcomes were announced in July 2021.
Learn about the round 3 outcomes
Round 2 outcomes were announced in August 2019.
Round 1 outcomes were announced in April 2018.