4ST Partnership Fund

Who can apply

The applicant must be a social service agency (SSA), social enterprise (SE), or a ground-up group collaborating with another entity or individual.

Organisations without charity status (regardless of registration type) must declare that the project is not-for-profit, and it serves local communities.

Lead applicants must be NCSS members with Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status collaborating with another entity/individual.    

Non-NCSS members, including SEs and ground-up groups without IPC/Charity status can also apply as a co-applicant.    

Organisations without charity status (regardless of registration type) must declare that the project is not-for-profit, and it serves local communities.

Type of project

Projects that turn an innovative idea into a working prototype and test its feasibility.

Projects that further develop and validate a working prototype

OR scale up a proven solution to reach more users.

Funding parameters

Up to 100% of the project's total operating expenditure (TOE), with a maximum of $50,000.

Up to 90% of the project's total operating expenditure (TOE), with a maximum of $400,000 per year.

There is a separate evaluation budget of up to $80,000 for each approved project.

Duration

Up to 1 year

Up to 3 years

Deliverables

• Articulate proof of concept

• Refine the value proposition of the solution in the landscape

• Share learnings and insights from prototype testing with the wider sector

• Use learnings to improve the solution.

• Adopt the NCSS Service Standards in service delivery

• Achieve outcomes under the Sector Evaluation Framework

• Submit evaluation research reports

• Complete the Organisational Health Framework for Social Services (OHFSS) assessment.

Innovative

New and value-added approaches: Solutions should demonstrate that they are either new ideas/approaches to solve the identified problems or value-add to an existing solution to improve service user outcomes.

Collaborative

Partnerships for better outcomes: Solutions should feature inter-organisational partnerships between two or more organisations, either in the form of joint projects or systematic alignment of work structures and systems.

Empowering

Person-centred and empowering: Solutions should be person-centred and allow service users to have access to relevant information, gain skills to improve capabilities, provide feedback to improve the quality-of-service delivery, and participate in service design/delivery.

Service Areas

Targeted solutions: Particularly for Grow funding, these solutions should focus on addressing these identified areas:

• Upstream support for low-income families.

• Support for persons with mental health conditions.

• Emerging needs and gaps, such as addictions.