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The NSW Government announced the $50 million Social Sector Transformation Fund (SSFT) in November 2020. The Fund is part of a number of economic stimulus measures announced in the 2020 State Budget.

The Fund provides grants to small and medium-sized charities and not-for-profits working in health and social service sectors to help modernise their operations.

The grants were released in three tranches through a combination of direct payments, competitive grants, and select tender processes.

Click here for details of the third tranche: Free Advisory and Information Services

Services will be provided in:

  • Digital and Information Technology
  • Legal Advice
  • Governance and Strategy
  • Evaluation and Service Delivery
  • Leadership and Workforce Development

The overall objective of the services is to assist small to medium not-for-profits to remain efficient, effective and viable.

The services will conclude on 30 September 2022.

To receive updated information about all the SSTF Advisory and Information Services as it becomes available, register here or email your details to SSTF@ncoss.org.au.

18 August 2021

Small to medium-sized organisations play a crucial role in supporting communities during tough times, which is why NSW peak bodies have been urging the NSW Government to allocate unspent Social Sector Transformation (SSTF) funds to the NGOs that the scheme was intended to benefit. Pleasingly, our advocacy efforts have paid off and the Government has today confirmed it will contribute $5.5 million left over from the SSTF to more than 550 organisations to help improve digital service delivery. This is a great outcome, and I would like to thank Minister Henskens for making this happen. Further information will be released by the department in the coming days.

Joint Media Release: Peak Organisations Urge NSW Government to Commit to Rolling Out Unspent Social Sector Transformation Funding

11 August 2021

Details on the outcome of the Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 providers have been announced, more information can be found here: Social Sector Transformation Fund

The SSTF Advisory and Information Service (Tranche 3)  will provide free support to small to medium social service NGOs to assist them grow capability, effectiveness and sustainability.

This includes free legal services, workforce development opportunities, practical support and resources to strengthen governance and strategy.

The NSW Government has engaged seven organisations to deliver initiatives under the third tranche of the Social Sector Transformation Fund, including:

  • Infoxchange will receive $2.7 million to provide digital and information technology advisory services to not-for-profits, migrate organisations to the cloud and enhance the Digital Transformation Hub;
  • Social Impact Hub will receive $1.5 million to deliver governance and strategy support through its Professional Impact Network to help not-for-profits grow, innovate and become more sustainable;
  • The NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) will receive $1 million to support resilience building for emergency responses and to convene a symposium for health and community service NGOs to come together to share the results, opportunities and challenges that the SSTF has generated;
  • AbSec will receive $1 million to provide small to medium sized not-for-profits with a holistic model of supports, providing practical advice and solutions to help organisations improve how they do business;
  • Justice Connect will receive $1 million to deliver a range of legal services for not-for-profits to help board members, staff and volunteers understand the law, prevent legal problems and increase efficiency;
  • The Association of Children's Welfare Agencies will receive $1 million to deliver on-demand leadership training and workforce development activities through online workshops and face-to-face training; and
  • Sefa (Social Enterprise Financial Australia) will receive $1.5 million to deliver a range of strategic analysis, governance support, quality assurance and evaluation services to help organisations futureproof their operations.

Read the media release from Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services, The Hon. Alister Henskens, SC MP: $10 MILLION BOOST TO SOCIAL SERVICES SECTOR

To learn more about the Social Sector Transformation Fund and to register your interest for information on the SSTF Advisory and Information Service click here: Social Sector Transformation Fund

NCOSS Media Release: NCOSS Welcomes Investment in Social Services Sector