Building Early Education Fund – Fact Sheet

SNAICC – National Voice for our Children is sharing information with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations about the Australian Government’s new Building Early Education Fund.

What is the Building Early Education Fund?

The Building Early Education Fund is an Australian Government capital funding program designed to support early childhood education and care (ECEC) services to build new centres, expand existing services or upgrade facilities in areas of need. The Australian Government has announced a total of $500 million in capital grants over four years for high-quality, non-profit ECEC providers through the Building Fund, including a targeted ACCO grant round. The goal of the fund is to increase access to early learning in communities where there are not enough ECEC places for children.

For ACCOs, the Building Fund may provide support to:

• build a new ECEC service,
• expand an existing service to create more places, and
• upgrade or renovate buildings.

What is the ACCO grant opportunity and how can ACCOs access it?

The ACCO Capital Grant stream will provide funding for ACCOs to expand or build new Centre-Based Day Care (CBDC) services in areas of need. These grants are designed to strengthen ACCO-led service delivery and increase access to culturally safe early learning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities. Participation in this grant opportunity is by invitation only, with eligible ACCOs identified by the Australian Government through consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners and peak bodies, including SNAICC.

The grant opportunity opened on 23 March 2026 and will close on 30 June 2027.

SNAICC is here to help

The SNAICC team has developed a fact sheet that provides a clear overview of the Building Early Education Fund and outlines the capital funding opportunities available to ACCOs, including eligibility, key grant streams and available support.

If you would like to discuss this grant opportunity or have any questions, please contact the SNAICC team at policy@snaicc.org.au.