The Disability Peer Support and Connections Program 2026-27 supports Australians with disability under the age of 65, their families, carers and kin by funding activities that strengthen support networks, empower people with disability, and foster meaningful connections across diverse communities. This open competitive grant opportunity is administered by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and represents part of a phased approach to disability reform, including reform of the former ILC program.

Overview

The program is split into three activity streams:

• Stream 1: Individual and Family Capacity Building
• Stream 2: Community Capacity Building
• Stream 3: Information, Advice and Referral

Applicants may apply for more than one stream, though a separate application must be submitted for each stream. Supports funded under the grant may also benefit children aged 0–8 and their families where that forms part of a broader service offer or scope.

To assist applicants, an industry briefing video with full captioning and Auslan interpretation is available.

Funding and Benefits

Total Amount Available (AUD): $517,000,000.00

The selection process is open competitive. Successful organisations will be funded to deliver activities in one or more of the three streams across all Australian states and territories: ACT, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, QLD, NT, TAS.

Eligibility

To be eligible, an applicant must be one of the following entity types:

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006
• Company
• Corporate Commonwealth Entity
• Non-Corporate Commonwealth Statutory Authority
• Corporate State or Territory Entity
• Non-corporate State or Territory Entity
• Non-corporate State or Territory Statutory Authority
• Local Government
• Cooperative
• Incorporated Association
• Statutory Entity
• Partnership

Trustees applying on behalf of a Trust must have an eligible entity type. Applications from consortia are acceptable, provided a lead organisation that is solely accountable to the Commonwealth and meets the eligibility criteria submits the application and enters into the grant agreement.

Eligible organisations may form a consortium with ineligible organisations, except those that are:

• Included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of institutions that have not joined or signified intent to join the Scheme
• Included on the non-compliant organisations list on the Workplace Gender Equality Agency website
• Included on the NDIS Commission’s website for compliance action
• Subject to a banning order in force under section 73ZN of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013

Application Process

Applications must be submitted via the Online Application Form, accessed through the Grant Opportunity Documents. Completed applications and all necessary attachments must be submitted by the closing date and time. A 2MB limit per attachment applies; multiple files should be scanned into a single document. Compressed or zip files are not accepted. File names must be unique and not include foreign characters.

Applicants should retain a copy of the application and any supporting documents. An automated email acknowledging receipt will provide a Submission Reference ID. If no acknowledgement is received within 48 hours, contact Grant.ATM@health.gov.au.

Deadline and Timeline

Close Date & Time: 3 July 2026, 2:00 pm (ACT Local Time)

Publish Date: 9 April 2026

Internal Reference ID: P7798

GO ID: GO8264

Contact Information

Health Grants Team
Email: Grant.ATM@health.gov.au

Grant opportunity documents and addenda are available for viewing.