Current Grant Opportunity View - GO7031

Under the Central Australia Boarding Response Fund open competitive Grant Opportunity Guidelines, the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) invites established boarding providers or those intending to establish a boarding facility in Central Australia, to apply for grant funding.

The Fund can be used for capital upgrades or improvements to existing boarding facilities in Central Australia (up to $10 million, including but not limited to:

• extending / expanding existing boarding houses for students, families or staff;
• upgrading to improve the function or quality of boarding houses, family or staff accommodation facilities;
• upgrading furniture, soft furnishings or other required equipment within boarding facilities for use by boarding students, families or staff; and
• improving recreation or outdoor areas at boarding facilities used by boarding students, families or staff.

The Fund can also be used to construct new boarding facilities in Central Australia (up to $10 million), including but not limited to:

• the planning, design, approvals and development stages of a construction project
• costs associated with initial stages of construction (or another specified stage)

The funding cannot be used to cover things otherwise covered by Northern Territory or Commonwealth Government funding or other funding sources. The Fund also cannot be used for operational costs associated with the boarding facility.

Providers must be eligible to receive students’ ABSTUDY Away from Home entitlements OR intend to be eligible in the future following establishment of a new facility.

To be eligible for grant funding under Central Australia Boarding Response Fund you must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN);
• where relevant, be registered for the purposes of GST;
• be a permanent resident of Australia;
• have an account, in your name and which you control, with an Australian financial institution;
• be delivering the funded infrastructure project in the Central Australia region (NT Government Admin Regions with place names);
• either be an established boarding provider that is a secondary boarding school, hostel, stand?alone or independent facility that supports First Nations students located in Central Australia OR intending to establish such a boarding facility following construction of a new facility;
• be eligible to receive students’ ABSTUDY Away from Home entitlements, or intend to be eligible in the future following establishment of a new facility; and
• be one of the following entity types:
  • an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006
  • a company incorporated in Australia,
  • a company incorporated by guarantee,
  • an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust,
  • an incorporated association,
  • a partnership,
  • a joint (consortia) application with a lead organisation,
  • a registered charity or not-for-profit organisation,
  • a body incorporated by legislation (for example, faith-based organisations),
  • a publicly funded research organisation as defined in the Glossary,
  • an individual,
  • an Australian local government body,
  • an Australian state or territory government body.

The Central Australia Boarding Response Fund will run over 2 financial years (2024-2025 to 2025-2026). Projects must be completed and funding spent by 30 June 2026.

$18,000,000.00

From $1.00 to $10,000,000.00

You must submit your application form online.

You will receive an electronic Submission Reference Number once your application has been lodged with the Agency. You should keep a copy of your application, Submission Reference Number and any supporting documents.

If you find an error in your application after submitting it, you should contact the NIAA Assessment Management Office immediately at IASAMO@niaa.gov.au.

If we find an error or information that is missing, we may ask for clarification or additional information from you that will not change the nature of your application. The Agency can refuse to accept any additional information from you that would change your application after it has been received by the Agency.

The Grant Opportunity Guidelines attached contain further information about eligibility criteria, what the Fund can be used for and the assessment criteria. Please refer to the Guidelines when completing your application.

Please feel free to contact the NIAA National Office on 02 6152 3871 or at boardingpathways@niaa.gov.au if you have any questions.