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Active Schools Expert Support Service Grant Program

This grant program will support the implementation of the Active Schools program in Victorian government schools.

Overview

Status: Closed

Who can apply: Businesses, not-for-profit groups

Funding: $8,000,000 - $10,000,000

The Active Schools initiative is a flagship initiative of the Joint Ministerial Statement on Physical Activity for Children and Young People (PDF, 8.52MB) and contributes to collective action across government to increase young Victorians’ levels of physical activity, reflecting the inclusion of active living as a priority under the 2023-27 Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan.

It provides Victorian government schools with a guiding framework, resources, professional learning and direct funding to support them in developing and implementing whole-of-school strategies to improve physical activity levels for their students.

Key dates

15 August 2025

11 September 2025

1 January 2026

31 December 2028

Guidelines

Open all

This grant will provide funding to an organisation to deliver the Active Schools Expert Support Service (ESS) to support Victorian government schools in implementation of the Active Schools program, from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028.

The grant will fund an organisation to recruit and oversee a workforce of 12 FTE Physical Activity Advisors (PAAs) who will provide expert leadership, professional development and on the ground mentorship to build school capacity to implement and sustain the Active Schools Framework across its 6 Key Priority Areas.

The ESS will support schools through its tiered support model, prioritising schools in disadvantaged communities (as indicated by the Student, Family, Occupation and Education Index) across Victoria that receive Active Schools funding, and each year includes:

Initially funded in the 2019-20 Victorian State Budget and subsequently extended through the 2022-23 Budget, Active Schools has received a total investment of $87.8 million. Ongoing funding of $10.7 million each year in the 2024-25 Budget underscores the government’s commitment to this program.

The Active Schools Framework outlines 6 Key Priority Areas of an Active School, recognising that shifting inactivity requires a multifaceted and systemic effort, rather than a single solution. The 6 Key Priority Areas are Quality Physical Education, Quality School Sport, Active Classrooms, Active Travel and Active Recreation. The sixth priority is a supportive school environment that relates to the design of the school environment and influences how active students will be during class and break time, as well as before and after school.

The Expert Support Service (ESS) is a key component of Active Schools. Since the program inception in 2020, the ESS has supported over 500 schools to implement strategies that increase and sustain student physical activity. While prioritising schools in disadvantaged communities that receive Active Schools Grant and Extracurricular Boost funding, the ESS supports all Victorian government schools (where possible) to build an Active School and ensure equitable access to program resources and guidance. The ESS aims to maximise the program’s impact by enabling schools to develop and implement whole-of-school strategies that foster lasting physical activity habits among their students.

The ESS Agreement with the current supplier concludes on 31 December 2025. To ensure transparency and value for money, provider sourcing through an open market competitive grant process is required for the continuation of this service.

Activity start date and end date

1 January 2026 - 31 December 2028

Who will benefit most from this activity?

The main beneficiaries of the grant program are students in select Victorian government schools that are supported by the ESS through a tiered support model. The supports will be provided to schools across all types of school settings.

Local Jobs First policy

The funding meets the threshold for Local Jobs First (LJF) policy implementation. Successful grant recipients will be required to:

Service to children

As this funding arrangement involves services to children, the selected organisation will be required to comply with the Victorian Funding Guideline for Services to Children by providing relevant incorporation and insurance evidence. For further information, refer to the Victorian funding requirements for services to children fact sheet (DOCX, 803KB).

To be eligible to apply, organisations and/or their workforce must meet the following criteria:

  1. Education system, schools and curriculum knowledge:
  1. Capacity building and professional development:
  1. Sport, active recreation and health sector expertise:
  1. Project management expertise:
  1. Organisational alignment:
  1. Compliance with the Local Jobs First (LJF) policy – refer to LJF Policy Supplier Guidelines.
  2. Compliance with the Victorian Funding Guideline for Services to Children (VFGSC) - refer to Victorian funding requirements for services to children fact sheet (DOCX, 803KB).

Applications

The application process is an open-market competitive grants process.

All applicants are responsible for submitting the complete list of required documents for their application to be considered eligible. The documents required are:

Assessment

Eligible applications will be reviewed by an evaluation panel comprised of subject matter experts who will assess and rank each application based on their ability to meet the deliverables and achieve the objectives of the program.

The Department of Education will use the following criteria to assess the application(s):

Contract

Successful applicants will be required to enter into a Victorian Common Funding Agreement (VCFA) with the Department of Education. Both parties will be required to comply with the Terms and Conditions of the VCFA.

The successful organisation will be required to submit the following reports, outlined in detail in the VCFA, by agreed timelines and using a format agreed between the Department of Education and the organisation. The reports will be signed by an authorised delegate from the organisation.

Register or log in to SmartyGrants.

Complete the online application form.

All applicants will receive an email confirming submission of their application via the SmartyGrants portal.

Please note:

Contact

During the application period, enquiries can be directed to: active.schools@education.vic.gov.au.

The Department of Education will notify all organisations about the outcome of their application as soon as practical following the close of applications. This process may take 8-10 weeks.

Key Performance Indicator #1: recruit and oversee a workforce of 12 FTE Physical Activity Advisors (PAAs)

Question: is the preference for the 12 FTE Physical Activity Advisors to be managed by a project-specific management team? If so, do you have guidance for the types of roles you would prefer included in the management team? Alternatively, is the preference for the 12 FTE Physical Activity Advisors to be overseen without the use of a project-specific management team, and instead use the suppliers existing workforce structures?

Answer: the preference is that the 12 FTE Physical Activity Advisors be overseen by a project-specific management team provided by the supplier. We don’t prescribe the specific roles or composition of this management team - it is the responsibility of the supplier to propose an appropriate management structure that will ensure the successful delivery of the Expert Support Service.

Updated 27 March 2026

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