Closing the Gap Outcomes and Evidence Fund

About the fund 

The Closing the Gap Outcomes and Evidence Fund is a program for First Nations people, organisations and communities to co-design, trial and evaluate projects aimed at contributing to: 

• Target 12: By 2031, reduce the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45% 
• Target 13: By 2031, the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children is reduced at least by 50%, as progress towards zero

Projects will also support First Nations people with disability.  

An expert panel comprising representatives of the Coalition of Peaks helped design the Fund. We are working with 8 communities across Australia to implement the Fund. 

Suitable service providers will deliver trial projects in their communities. 

Reporting and evaluation 

Service providers and their communities work with the department to design project reporting and evaluation methods. 

These will align with First Nations ways of measuring and communicating success. The design of the fund reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to Closing the Gap Priority Reforms(Opens in a new tab/window). 

Evaluators will work with service providers and Community Panels to assess: 

• how the program and projects contribute to progress towards Targets 12 and 13
• whether programs are being implemented as intended, and outcomes are being achieved 
• the suitability of the outcomes-based funding models

The evaluators will have experience in working with First Nations people and communities. They will also support service providers based on their identified needs. For example, to further strengthen data and evaluation capability.