As well as recurrent funding for schools, the Australian Government (the Commonwealth) provides other funding for schools. Funding is provided to support improvements to school infrastructure and to help school communities.
Capital Grants Program
The Capital Grants Program (CGP) helps non-government education authorities with financial assistance to improve school infrastructure.
Schools Upgrade Fund
The Schools Upgrade Fund (SUF) is delivering funding over two years to improve school facilities across the country.
Non-Government Reform Support Fund for non-government schools
The Non-government Reform Support Fund provides funding for non-government representative bodies to represent non-government schools and support implementation of policy initiatives and reforms in non-government schools.
Choice and Affordability Fund
The Choice and Affordability Fund (the CAF) provides funding to non-government representative bodies (NGRBs) for the non-government schools sector.
NGRBs must prioritise CAF funding to help non-government schools transitioning to the new recurrent funding arrangements.
NGRBs must also prioritise CAF funding for schools facing short term financial difficulty because of unexpected special circumstances such as COVID-19, drought, bushfires and other natural disasters. Funding must be prioritised to schools have exhausted all other options to remedy their financial situation.
The amount of special circumstances funding provided for a school is a matter for each NGRB based on the needs of their schools and the CAF funding available.
Other CAF priorities include providing choice to parents of an affordable school, improving educational outcomes and improving student wellbeing.
Special circumstances funding for non-government schools impacted by natural disasters
Generally, funding for non-government schools financially affected by unforeseeable events, such as floods, fires and other natural disasters, is provided for under the Choice and Affordability Fund.
From time-to-time the Australian Government provides additional special circumstances funding for schools facing sever and temporary financial difficulty following natural disasters.
Support for government schools in the NT
From 2018 to 2027, $78.5 million will be provided for government schools in the Northern Territory to accelerate evidence-based reforms to improve student outcomes