Social Sector Support Fund
Grants for eligible charities and not-for-profits (NFPs) in the social, health, disability and animal welfare service sectors in NSW. The Support Fund is targeted at organisations where COVID-19 has led to either increased demand for services, reduced revenue or disrupted staffing.
Grant streams and eligibility for them
There are four grant streams for the Support Fund:
- Workforce Contingency for DCJ providers delivering critical face-to-face supports
- Select Tender process for DCJ providers to provide immediate supports to clients (closed)
- Open Applications for eligible organisations to remain viable and continue to meet increased demand for their services (closed)
- Sector Support available to DCJ-contracted providers that need advice on implementing COVID-19 management plans and undertaking associated risk assessments
Your organisation may be eligible for funding under one or more of these grant streams.
We expect all grants to be fully expended by 31 December 2021.
This page provides preliminary information about these grants. We’ll update this page and inform you when we have more detail for you about the grant streams and their eligibility criteria.
Workforce Contingency
What is it?
This payment is for organisations contracted by DCJ to be able to maintain staffing levels and continue to deliver critical social services if you have to, for example:
- backfill staff due to COVID-19 isolation requirements, or
- increase staffing to meet increased demand for your services or due to other COVID-19 requirements, or
- other factors affecting your workforce.
DCJ will reimburse actual expenditure, based on an invoice paid by your organisation.
Eligibility criteria
Your organisation is eligible for a Workforce Contingency payment if you meet all of the following criteria; you’re:
- a charity or not-for-profit
- not receiving JobSaver or JobSaver for Not-for-Profit
- currently contracted by DCJ to deliver funded services
- contracted by DCJ to provide Permanency Support Program (PSP), Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) Contracted Care, Specialist Homelessness Services, or any DCJ contract including face-to-face and high-contact case management services.
Please talk to your DCJ contract manager about whether you can access this payment.
For full guidelines and application forms, refer to the:
- Child and Family COVID-19 Emergency Action Payment
- Specialist Homelessness Services COVID-19 additional payments.
Select Tender
This grant has closed.
What is it?
This payment is for selected organisations currently contracted by DCJ and delivering services to vulnerable people.
DCJ will select organisations and invite them to express their interest in receiving this payment. Expressions of interest will be invited in mid-October 2021.
Eligibility criteria
See the guidelines for the Select Tender grant stream.
Grant recipients
Download the list of grant recipients.
Open Applications
This grant has closed.
What is it?
This payment is designed to support the medium-term service needs of charities and NFPs, help to ensure their viability, and maintain diversity in the social, health, disability and animal welfare sectors.
This grant stream is open to all charities and NFPs, whether contracted by DCJ or not.
Eligibility criteria
See the guidelines for the Open Applications grant stream.
Sector Support
What is it?
Free advisory and information services for DCJ-contracted providers. This service will support organisations in implementing COVID-19 management plans, and in assessing and managing risk over the medium term as NSW transitions out of restrictions.
Examples of support include advice, seminars and written resources for implementing your organisation’s COVID-safety plans and completing risk assessments.