ACCOs Governance, Resilience, Opportunities and Workforce (GROW)

The Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) Governance, Resilience, Opportunities and Workforce (GROW) Grant Program aims to encourage sustainable growth and support building capacity of the Aboriginal Community Controlled sector.

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Key information

Status: Closed
Grant amount: From $3,000 to $50,000
Application opened: 4 February 2026
Application closed: 19 March 2026, 4:00 pm

Program objective

The objectives of the grant are to:

- Strengthen workforce capability

Support ACCOs to enhance workforce skills and capacity.
Build leadership capacity within Aboriginal organisations to support succession planning and career pathways.

- Enhance governance and strategic partnerships

Improve governance practices that reflect Aboriginal values and community accountability.
Foster strategic partnerships that support collaboration, shared learning, and sustainability

- Support business strategy and financial sustainability

Enable ACCOs to strengthen business planning, financial management, and revenue diversification.
Build resilience and adaptability in response to changing funding environments and community needs.

- Improve data capability and outcomes measurement

Support ACCOs to collect, analyse, and use data to demonstrate outcomes, inform decision-making, and advocate for community needs.

This program is administered by Department of Communities and Justice.

Eligibility

Who can apply

To be eligible to apply for the grant program you must be:

a not-for-profit Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) in NSW as set out in the Clause 44 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community control is an act of self-determination. Under this Agreement, an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Organisation delivers services, including land and resource management that builds the strength and empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and people and is:

incorporated under relevant legislation and not-for-profit
controlled and operated by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
connected to the community, or communities, in which they deliver the services
governed by a majority Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander governing body.

Please see the link for further information on how DCJ defines and works with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.

delivering or wanting to deliver programs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families in NSW
have an Australian Business Number and be registered for GST

Other mandatory criteria

Applicants must:

address the NSW National Redress Scheme sanctions.
not have outstanding acquittals with DCJ.
be an organisation based in NSW for projects to be carried out in NSW.
maintain adequate and current insurance cover including but not limited to; Workers Compensation Insurance, Professional Indemnity Insurance, Personal Accident Insurance.
have public liability insurance of at least $10 million per claim or be willing to purchase it.

Who the grant is targeted towards

The Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) Governance, Resilience, Opportunities and Workforce (GROW) will provide grants to support projects focusing on the following Aboriginal groups:

early intervention, family support services and parenting programs
early childhood education and care
child and maternal health
domestic and family violence
other services supporting children and their families

Types of projects funded under this grant

Funds can only be used for expenses and activities directly associated to the grant. Projects may include activities such as:

Training programs to upskill staff in child and family service delivery and core business functions e.g. practice skills, contract management, business administration, measurement and evaluation.
Leadership and governance training for ACCO Board members and emerging leaders.
Mentoring programs to support succession planning within ACCOs.
Initiatives to strengthen governance frameworks and practices that reflect Aboriginal values.
Projects that build strategic partnerships between ACCOs and mainstream organisations for shared learning and collaboration.
Development of business plans and other key business documents to support strategic planning, financial sustainability and organisational growth.
Revenue diversification projects, such as exploring social enterprise models.
Developing frameworks and data systems for improved data collection, measurement and evaluation to understand service impact.

When the project can start and end

The project should be started by 1 July 2026 and the project must be completed by 30 June 2027.

What costs you can't apply for

Organisations must not use the money provided towards service delivery of their ongoing project/program, nor any interest earned on the money, for any other purpose beyond what is specified in the approved project description.

Items or activities that funding cannot be used for include:

Any activity of a commercial nature that is for profit
Existing debt or budget deficits
Capital works, including building work
Permanent salaries/wages (costs for temporary tutors/instructors for your program or activity can be included)
Permanent equipment purchases, for example tables and computers
Business as usual costs or general operating expenses
Programs and activities coordinated by NSW Government Departments and Statutory Authorities
The same project twice. For example, two different organisations cannot apply for funds for the same program or activity.

What your application needs to include

Prepare your application with this checklist

Please review the Grant Program Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions before starting your application.

Address the eligibility criteria

Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.

Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.

Address the assessment criteria

This is an open and competitive grant program. All submitted applications will first be screened for eligibility. Eligible applications will then be assessed based on the following assessment criteria:

1. Relevance

The proposed activity/ies clearly align with the objectives of the grant program.
The applicant has a plan for how outcomes will be measured, and learnings will be applied beyond the grant period.

2. Impact

The proposed activity/ies deliver positive results and strengthen the ACCO’s capacity to deliver services that benefit Aboriginal children and their families in NSW.
The applicant has appropriate community relationships and capability to engage with community in a culturally respectful manner.

3. Implementation

The applicant has the necessary experience and resources to complete the project on time and within budget, ensuring good participation and value for money. • The budget is clear, reasonable and realistic, and proportionate to expected outcomes.

4. Prioritisation

Priority will be given to small and/or emerging ACCOs, including those looking to expand into other child and family program areas. This will be considered based on responses in your application form.
Applications may also be prioritised geographically to support an equitable spread of funds and projects across NSW.

Start the application

One step application process:

Before you start your application, please review the Grant Program Guidelines, the FAQs and consider attending the information session.
One application form submitted per applicant will be assessed based on eligibility and assessment criteria. Smarty Grants will be used to support the application process.
Applicants will be formally notified on whether their application has been successful. It is an applicant’s responsibility to ensure all contact details are up to date.

Further support on the grant is available by emailing aboriginalsectorengagementpathways@dcj.nsw.gov.au

For queries regarding Smarty Grants, please contact the DCJ Grant Design and Support team by emailing grantdesignandsupport@dcj.nsw.gov.au.

Please quote your Application ID in all correspondence. If you are not familiar with the SmartyGrants management system, please refer to the SmartyGrants Help Guide for Applicants or check out Applicant FAQs. You can also contact SmartyGrants directly if you are having technical difficulties with the application form or your SmartyGrants account/password, via email service@smartygrants.com.au.

Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.

Apply now

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: Minister or the delegated decision maker

All submitted applications will be screened for eligibility and compliance with guidelines.
DCJ Staff Assessors will assess and score all eligible applications against the assessment criteria.
A Grant Assessment Panel, comprising of majority Aboriginal members, will review the scoring conducted by DCJ Staff Assessors and make recommendations to the final decision maker. The Minister or a Delegated decision maker is the final decision maker.
Partial funding may be offered where an application includes ineligible activities or budget items.

Support information sessions are available via MS Teams

Note the below sessions will cover the same information

Session 1:

Date: 10 February 2026

Time: 10am – 10:45am

Link to join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/42050643546158?p=nwbhlZxMBhpSVm1svB

Meeting ID: 420 506 435 461 58

Passcode: jx92Jf3J

Session 2:

Date: 12 February 2026

Time: 2pm – 2:45pm

Link to join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/49026497240615?p=e9yrthL4U4Y7VVKvZu