Latest Update – July 2026
Mental Health Child, Youth and Families Grant – Applications Open
Applications for the Mental Health Child, Youth and Families Grant are open until 3pm 25 August 2026.
Funded services are expected to do one or more of the following:
- Provide support across the support needs spectrum with a focus on, in order, Prevention Promotion, Community Connection and Supports, and Early Intervention.
- Support individuals and families during the perinatal period.
- Respond to the specific needs of priority populations, including LGBTIQA+ communities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Engage and support young people who are disengaged from existing systems due to identified barriers to access.
- Improve access for young people, including through outreach services, services delivered within educational settings, and services operating outside school hours.
- Recognise and incorporate the role of carers and families.
It is recommended that applicants consider existing mental health services when developing applications. Applicants should refer to the Overview of Child, Youth and Families Mental Health Services in the ACT, sector information and other relevant resources.
Read the Mental Health Child, Youth and Families Grant for more information.
Sector Briefing
A sector briefing for the Mental Health Child, Youth and Families Grant will be held on 21 July 2026 at 1pm.
The session will include an overview of the grant and a Q&A opportunity.
To attend the information session please register via Humanitix.
Child, Youth and Family Services Program
This grant is part of a coordinated investment in services for children, young people and families across the ACT.
The Mental Health Child, Youth and Families grant and the Child, Youth and Family Services Program (CYFSP) are working together to support a more connected service ecosystem, alongside the emerging Thriving Kids program, which focuses on providing the right support early.
Together, these grants aim to:
- provide the right support early
- improve outcomes for children, young people, families and carers
- strengthen connections and collaboration across the service ecosystem
- ensure services are funded appropriately and avoid duplication.
Organisations can apply for funding across multiple grant processes where appropriate.
We encourage applications that recognise the full needs of children, young people and families.
Applications may include multiple streams or programs. However, the same activity will not be funded more than once across applications.
Read more about the CYFSP grants at these links:
Mental Health Sector Support Opportunities
Mental Health Commissioning have engaged Mental Health Community Coalition (MHCC) to provide sector development opportunities to community organisations to support the commissioning processes.
MHCC will be delivering skills building workshops and preparedness activities which are available to all organisations that would like to participate.
Updates about the available opportunities can be found of MHCC’s website as they become available: Mental Health Community Coalition - Events
Commissioning overview
Tranche 1 - New contracts to commence by 1 July 2026
- Individual Advocacy and Residential Community Supports
(Direct Grants Process): Applications for Tranche 1 closed in February 2026 and the grant process is now complete. Services started 1 July 2026.
Tranche 2 - New contracts to commence by 1 July 2027
- Child, Youth and Families (Open Grant Process): Applications for the Child, Youth and Families Stream are open until 3pm 25 August 2026. All open grants will be advertised on the ACT Government Funding and support page.
Tranche 3 - New contracts to commence by 1 July 2027
- Adults and Older People (Open Grants Process): This grant process is planned to open in September 2026. The Commissioning Team will provide more information about the grant application process and timeframes through the Mental Health Commissioning Webpage and Newsletter when available. All open grants will be advertised on the ACT Government Funding and support page.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing (Select Grants Process): The Commissioning Team will provide updates on timelines through the Mental Health Commissioning Webpage and Newsletter when available, although this process will be targeted at Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations. Detailed information about the grants process will be provided directly to relevant organisations.
Resource Library
We have compiled all relevant Mental Health Commissioning documents to ensure they are easily accessible for the commissioning process.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We will publish answers to key Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) throughout the Invest Phase. The FAQ document will be uploaded to our webpage and distributed through our quarterly newsletter.
If you have a question about the commissioning process, please contact: mentalhealthcommissioning@act.gov.au
Subscribe to our newsletter
Please subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates throughout the Invest Phase.
Discover and Strategise (completed)
These phases concluded in February 2022 and provided an opportunity for Mental Health Policy and Strategy to engage with carers, consumers, service providers, Peak NGOs, and partners within the ACT Government to highlight what the community sees as priorities, needs, and challenges in the mental health system.
This included looking at what is currently working well in the community mental health sector, what is not working as well, and any service gaps. The workshops and consultations within this phase of commissioning was guided by the Discovery Paper.
Through the Strategise phase the Mental Health Commissioning team ran two workshops to support discussion around the Discovery paper, and ten questions included within the Answers to the Discovery Questions. These workshops provided a number of valuable insights and themes that have been captured in a Listening Report and a Companion Document, which provides the raw answers to every question.
Design (completed)
The Design phase is where essential collaboration between commissioner, sector partners, service providers and other stakeholders takes place. The Design phase enables us to examine, shape, and align key service models and characteristics with desired health and wellbeing outcomes for the community. The Mental Health Commissioning team have developed an Insights report which synthesises the feedback that was heard throughout all consultation activities from May – July 2023. This Insights Report also includes an appendix that includes a summary of all the feedback received during the Design Phase to date across each individual consultation activity. You can access the Design Phase Insights Report here [PDF 955KB] [Word 603KB] |
Invest (in progress)
The Invest phase provides an opportunity to define our approach to market and commissioning health services which meet the needs of the ACT community, in accordance with the Territory’s Value for Money Considerations and the Commissioning Principles.
The Invest Phase commenced in November 2025 and is informed by Design and all consultation that has occurred across the previous phases.
Progress | Activity | Date |
Complete | Tranche 1 - Approach to Market | December 2025 |
Complete | Tranche 1 - Contract Commencement | July 2026 |
In progress | Tranche 2 - Approach to Market | June 2026 |
Not yet started | Tranche 2 - Contract Commencement | July 2027 |
Not yet started | Tranche 3 - Approach to Market | September 2026 |
Not yet started | Tranche 3 - Contract Commencement | July 2027 |
Deliver (not yet started)
The Deliver phase is all about delivering high quality health services, monitoring the reach and impact of health services and drawing on lessons learned to inform future Commissioning cycles.
Integrate (not yet started)
The Integrate phase is about integrating the knowledge and experience gained from previous commissioning cycles into future commissioning cycles as part of a quality improvement and continuous system reform approach.
How to participate
You can have your say by registering and participating in a scheduled commissioning activity.
What we are looking at, listening to, and sharing
We are seeking insights, perspectives and experiences that help us understand:
- What service gaps you have identified
- What emerging needs you have identified
- How your organisation is providing services
- Any new or emerging groups you have identified for targeted services
- What are meaningful measures and indicators
- Lived experiences of people accessing services
- Solutions or ideas or innovations that could meet the service needs
- How to develop better linkages and coordination across service delivery
- How to ensure services are delivering and reporting on outcomes
We will use your views to
- Innovate ways we can address the service gaps
- Refine outcomes in line with the ACT Wellbeing Framework
- Design and improve service models
Related commissioning cycles
We are listening to, connecting with, and drawing from these related commissioning cycles:
Key links
We are referencing the following plans, strategies and frameworks in this cycle:
Page updated: 14 Jul 2026
