Sector Capability Grants FY25/26

Who we are:

The Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) is a statutory body established under the Aboriginal Housing Act 1998 (NSW) to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have access to affordable, quality housing.

The AHO is governed by an all-Aboriginal Board, which provides advice to the Minister for Housing in NSW. In addition, the AHO manages and coordinates an annual capital works program, along with developing and implementing financial and resourcing strategies.

It is the AHO’s Vision to ensure every Aboriginal person in NSW has equal access to, and choice in, affordable housing. The AHO achieves this vision by ensuring they continue to provide support to a sustainable housing sector through accessible, culturally appropriate and affordable housing solutions for the Aboriginal people of NSW.

In line with this Vision, the AHO is pleased to offer this funding grant opportunity to the Aboriginal housing sector of New South Wales.

A key initiative of the Strong Family Strong Communities (SFSC) strategy is the Sector Capability Fund. This grant program supports Aboriginal Community Housing Providers (ACHPs) with improving their business growth, sustainability, compliance and supporting tenants by providing culturally appropriate and responsive housing to Aboriginal people across NSW.

The AHO is allocating $1,500,000 to the Sector Capability Fund for FY 2025 / 2026. The AHO is inviting ACHPs, to apply for funding in relation to the Program Objectives under a Grant Application process.

The maximum funding available to each successful individual application will be up to $100,000 (GST Inclusive) per ACHP.

Submitting an application will not guarantee funding. Allocation of Grant funds will be assessed based on applications meeting the Program Eligibility Criteria and Objectives, ACHP need and their ability to deliver, and total funding pool available. The ACHPs that are selected for funding will be managed under a Funding Agreement with support from the AHO through the engagement and delivery process.

To be eligible for the Sector Capability Grant FY 2025 / 2026 funding grant, the following criteria must be met:

• The Applicant must be located in New South Wales
• The Applicant must be an Aboriginal Community Housing Provider (ACHP)
• The applicant must be registered under the National Regulatory System for Community Housing (NRSCH) or NSW Local Scheme (NSWLS); or
• The applicant must be scheduled to undertake or is currently undertaking registration

Please Note: Aboriginal Community Housing Organisations (ACHOs) and Transitional Registered Providers are not eligible.

Before completing this application form, you should have read the program guidelines and conditions of application.

Incomplete applications and / or applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

The Applicant acknowledges and agrees that:

• submission of this application does not guarantee funding will be granted for any project, and the Department expressly reserves its right to accept or reject this application at its discretion;
• it must bear the costs of preparing and submitting this application and the Department does not accept any liability for such costs, whether or not this application is ultimately accepted or rejected; and
• it has read the Funding Guidelines and Conditions of Application for the Program and has fully informed itself of the relevant program requirements.

By submitting this application form, the Applicant acknowledges and agrees that:

• if this project application is successful, the relevant details of the project will be made public, including details such as the names of the organisation (Applicant) and any partnering organisation (state government agency or non-government organisation), project title, project description, location, anticipated time for completion and amount awarded;
• the Department will use reasonable endeavours to ensure that any information received in or in respect of this application which is clearly marked ‘Commercial-in-confidence’ or ‘Confidential’ is treated as confidential, however, such documents will remain subject to the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act); and
• in some circumstances the Department may release information contained in this application form and other relevant information in relation to this application in response to a request lodged under the GIPA Act or otherwise as required or permitted by law.

By submitting this Application form, the Applicant acknowledges and agrees that:

• the Department is required to comply with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) (the Privacy Act) and that any personal information (as defined by the Privacy Act) collected by the Department in relation to the program will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Act and its privacy policy (available at: https://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/privacy);
• the information it provides to the Department in connection with this application will be collected and stored on a database and will only be used for the purposes for which it was collected (including, where necessary, being disclosed to other Government agencies in connection with the assessment of the merits of an application) or as otherwise permitted by the Privacy Act;
• it has taken steps to ensure that any person whose personal information (as defined by the Privacy Act) is included in this application has consented to the fact that the Department and other Government agencies may be supplied with that personal information, and has been made aware of the purposes for which it has been collected and may be used.

• It has been prepared by and is being submitted by an eligible applicant
• Project applications are specific to applicants located in NSW
• Approved activities / projects can only commence after executing a Funding Deed
• Applicants will notify the AHO if grant funding is secured from another source