DACS grants
The Australian Government administers grants under the DACS Fund for activities that respond to existing and emerging challenges in aged care, including:
- dementia care
- better support services targeting people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds
Open processes are advertised on our grants and tenders page and GrantConnect. There are no current funding rounds open for the Dementia and Aged Care Services Fund.
What are grants funding rounds?
The DACS fund has allocated approximately $331.9 million (GST exclusive) over 4 years to 30 June 2023.
This funding is distributed through grant funding rounds.
DACS grants funding rounds can be through:
- an open competitive selection process — open to all providers operating in the market place
- a restricted competitive selection process — open to a small number of potential applicants, based on the activity or project’s special requirements
- a direct selection process — a closed process where we approach an existing provider to expand their services
- an expression of interest (EOI) process — where we call for potential applicants, then run a restricted or direct selection process
- unsolicited proposals — an applicant can send us a proposal outside of the above processes, which we can make special provision for if it fills a specific need
Open competitive selections and EOIs are advertised:
- on GrantConnect
- in newspapers and other media
- on our website
- other sources as required
We assess eligible applications against set assessment criteria and in the timeframe outlined in the grant round documentation.
These criteria are in the grant opportunity guidelines, which are published with the grant opportunity.
What you can use grants for
To be considered for funding, the activities in the application must meet the aims, objectives and priorities for DACS and comply with our terms.
You cannot use grants for:
- costs incurred in preparing a grant application or related documentation
- overseas travel
- other activities the Australian Government is already delivering
Full details of what you can and can’t use grants for will be in the grant opportunity guidelines.
Current grant funding round
If we are running an open grant funding process or EOI, you will find it on: