Strengthening Early Years Program in Australia

Deadline: 6-Sep-22

The Australian Communities Foundation is accepting applications for its Strengthening Early Years Program to support families and children to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive upon school entry.

In particular, they recognise the critical importance of the developmental period between conception and age two. Equally, they need to also ensure that parents are well supported to flourish during the early years of their child’s life.

Focus Areas

This program aims to support families and caregivers with children (aged prenatal to two years old) who are at risk of entering school demonstrating developmental vulnerability.
This nationwide open grant round seeks to support innovative practices which lead toward two key program outcomes:
- Caregivers and parents in target cohorts have the capability, resources and support they need to feel confident in their caregiving ability; and
- Children in target cohorts and communities have strong, positive relationships that support positive physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language, cognitive and communication skills.

Priorities

When assessing applications, they will look favourably upon those that:
- Impact
  - support best practice that directly addresses one
  - are informed by evidence
  - operate in geographic locations that are commonly under-resourced
  - aim to support children who are more likely to identify as developmentally vulnerable on two or more domains of the AEDC
- Organisation capability
  - have adequate governance frameworks and infrastructure to support the work
- Innovation and collaboration
  - have a demonstrated commitment to meaningful participation of lived experience in program design and/or delivery
  - demonstrate strong partnerships in their community
  - demonstrate ability and willingness to learn
- Ability to scale
  - are potentially scalable and/or replicable
These are priorities only and applicants do not need to possess all of the attributes to be eligible to apply.

Geography: The Foundation will support projects of any geographic scale in the Australian context – local, state/territory or national, that seek to have a positive impact on early years development for Australia’s most vulnerable children.

Funding Information

Large Grants: Grants of between $250,000 and $750,000 (total) for a period of up to five years are available and amounts will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Small/medium Grants: Grants of between $50,000 and $250,000 (total) for a period of up to five years are available and amounts will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Use of Funds

Funding can be used for:
- establishment and/or delivery of programs
- building the evidence base of what works
- targeted capacity building
- design and delivery of innovative practice.
Funding cannot be used for:
- general fundraising appeals
- projects or organisations that are partisan in nature
- retrospective activities
- non-charitable activities.

Eligibility Criteria

Be Australian charities registered with the ACNC
Be focused on children and families, with a particular emphasis on families with children aged prenatal to 2 years old
Operate in Australia

Deadlines