Partnering for Impact Fund - frequently asked questions

Proposal funding requirement

1. How is proposal funding requirement calculated under the fund?

The proposal funding requirement under the fund is the total of:

• establishment or capital investment phase funding requirement; plus
• initial operational phase funding requirement.

The establishment or capital investment phase and the initial operational phase are defined in section 4.5 of the guidelines.

The Office of Social Impact does not require a proposal to request funding for both components. Each of these components are described in more detail below:

Establishment or capital investment phase funding requirement
Means the total sum of all costs to complete a proposal from initiation (post execution of the funding agreement) to commissioning (commencement of the operational phase). The proposal establishment or capital investment phase costs can also be incurred during the initial operational phase, and these costs also form part of the proposal funding requirement up to and including year 4 (2029). It includes a full financial forecast beyond just construction or development and includes both hard costs (physical construction) and soft costs (design, legal, fees etc).

Initial operating phase funding requirement
Means the cashflow shortfall due to the ramp up of operations of the proposal. For the fund, a proposal’s cashflow shortfall is defined as the proposal’s total operating revenue less the proposal’s total operating expenses (excluding non-cash expenses such as depreciation and amortisation).

Using an accounting definition, a proposal’s cashflow shortfall would be calculated as the Proposal’s EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation) less interest on debt used for the proposal.

Cashflow shortfalls (up to year 4, 2029) will generally be eligible for part of the proposal funding requirement.

Repayment of debt principal, disbursements to equity and any other repayment of capital including all costs related to refinancing are excluded from any calculation of the cashflow shortfall.

Are any costs excluded from the calculation of proposal funding requirement?

The following costs must be excluded from the calculation of proposal funding requirement:

• all expenses or costs that arise prior to the execution of the fund’s funding agreement between the State and successful applicants
• future stages or expansion of the proposal beyond 4 years from the execution of the fund agreement
• repayment of debt principal, disbursements to equity and any other repayment of capital including all costs related to refinancing.

Can you provide an example?

Eligibility and priority areas

2. Which priority impact areas will be considering for funding?

Proposals must deliver new or additional high social impact within at least one of the impact areas as follows:

• ensuring quality jobs for disadvantaged Queenslanders
• helping vulnerable young people thrive, and reducing crime rates
• addressing the drivers and impacts of addiction and mental health issues
• reducing the number of children in out-of-home care, especially residential care
• improving women’s safety – preventing family and domestic violence and lessening its impacts
• reducing homelessness and increase social and affordable housing
• creating place-based initiatives to enable all communities to thrive
• other opportunities to generate high social impact for Queenslanders.

3. Does my organisation have to be located in Queensland to be eligible?
Yes, your organisation must be operating in Queensland with a physical presence in Queensland. Your organisation does not need to be headquartered in Queensland.

4. Can start-ups apply for funding?
Yes, if they meet the fund’s applicant eligibility requirements and are not a sole trader or individual. Organisations in the start-up phase that do not have historical independent financial statements can apply but will need to demonstrate that:

• a related (i.e. parent) entity can provide the requested historical financial figures for three years in Stage 1 and submission of the historical financial statements in Stage 2
• they have access to related (i.e. parent) entity and third party funding for at least 80% of the proposal funding requirement
• they have project partners that supports management, technical and financial capability to support delivery the proposal.

5. Can an organisation apply for funding if they are currently in the process of obtaining People and Planet First verification or Social Traders certification?
Yes, organisations who are currently in the process of obtaining verification or certification are eligible to apply. This process will need to be completed by the Stage 2 closing date which is 11.59pm AEST 3 May 2026 (note this date may be subject to change).

6. What are the financial model requirements for Stage 2 long form applications?
Stage 2 long form applications must include a detailed financial model covering a minimum 5-year period. The model must demonstrate viability, sustainability, and the ability to repay third-party debts, including potential fund funding. It must include:

• employment, wages, capital, operational expenditure, funding requirements and timing
• proposed amounts and timing of all sources of funding for the proposal (the applicant, all partners, related members, funders and fund funds) including capital, debt, and grant contributions, interest, equity distributions and repayments of capital
• a description of all assumptions to support the financial model.

7. What type of repayable funding instruments will be considered by the State?
Repayable funding support is intended to be concessional and catalytic to de-risk financing of the proposal. Any funding offer made by the State will be determined by the Office of Social Impact’s assessment of the proposal, the financial position of the successful applicant and the other sources of funding and/or investment. Examples of potential funding instruments are:

• Concessional debt – may be structured in different ways depending on the level of flexibility and conditionality in repayment terms. Features may include (but are not limited to) grace periods or deferred repayments, longer maturities, subsidised or capped interest rates that are lower than commercial market rates.
• Recoverable grants – can be structured in different ways depending on the level of flexibility and conditionality in repayment terms. For the fund, recoverable grants may be structured as an upfront payment (the recoverable grant) with an automatic repayment after a grace period or repayment on achievement of a proposal specific event (such as achieving a profit above a set forecast).
• Loan guarantees (full or partial) – is a guarantee provided by the State to a third party funder to reduce the funder’s risk of default.

Funding support may be provided as one or a combination of the above options. However, the value of the funding support is limited to 20% of the proposal funding requirement (section 4.6 of the guidelines and FAQ point 1) capped at $2,000,000.

Funding support will not include non-recoverable grants.

8. What level of information and certainty is required from potential funders?
For Stage 1, applicants are expected to provide an overview of funding secured or identified to date from potential private or philanthropic funding sources including (if available) any preliminary terms and security requirements for the proposed funding.

At Stage 2, applicants are required to provide a non-binding letter of support from potential funders which includes a clear statement indicating the applicant and the proposal it supports and details of its proposed funding includes the nature of funding and any conditional funding terms and security requirements.

Key fund concepts

9. How will competition be assessed under the fund?
The assessment of competition will be based on considerations of the proposal’s outputs; location(s) where outputs are to be provided; and scale of outputs in the location(s) and in Queensland relative to existing business (both for purpose and for profit) providing the same or similar outcomes in the location(s) or in Queensland.

10. How is new or additional social impact defined under the fund?
New or additional social impact refers to the creation of additional or expanded, products and services for the benefit for individuals and communities within the priority impact areas set out in guidelines. Applicants must clearly demonstrate how their Proposal will generate new or additional social impact in Queensland.

For example, buying an existing social enterprise would not be considered eligible as a stand-alone Proposal as the transaction is considered a change in ownership not delivering new or additional social impact.

Application process

11. How can I submit applications to the fund?
You will need to submit a Stage 1 (expression of interest) application. Please note, you will need to register with SmartyGrants to be able to complete and submit your application.

12. Can I submit my Stage 1 (expression of interest) before the closing date?
Yes, Stage 1 applications can be submitted any time before the closing date and time of AEST 11.59pm 15 March 2026.

13. How will applicant be notified after submitting a Stage 1 applications?
All applicants will be notified via email of the outcome of their expression of interest submission on 3 April 2026*. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a Stage 2 Long form applications from 6 April 2026*. Feedback will be provided to unsuccessful applicants if requested.

14. What are the key date and timelines for the fund?

• Stage 1 (EOI) closes at 11.59pm AEST 15 March 2026
• Stage 1 Applicants will be advised on the outcome by 3 April 2026*
• Stage 2 (Long form applications) opens to shortlisted Stage 1 Applicants on 6 April 2026*
• Stage 2 (Long form applications) close 11.59pm AEST 3 May 2026*
• Successful Stage 2 Applicants will be selected, and funding agreements finalised by 30 June 2026*.

15. What if my proposal is not investment ready?
If your proposal is not yet investment ready, it may be beneficial to consider waiting for future allocations of funding or potentially exploring other initiatives under the Social Enterprise and Impact Investing Roadmap, such as the Ready to Launch Fund or Financing Growth Fund when they become available.

The timing and process for the next allocation will be announced after 30 June 2026* on the Queensland Treasury website.

If you would like to subscribe to the Office of Social Impact’s mailing list, you will receive updates about the fund as well as upcoming programs that may be suited to your organisation.

16. What support is available during the application process?
The Office of Social Impact is providing public information sessions on the fund on the following dates and times:

• Friday 20 February 10am to 11am AEST
• Monday 23 February 10am to 11am AEST
• Wednesday 4 March 2:30pm to 3:30pm AEST.

Interested organisations are encouraged to register to attend these sessions.

Review the FAQs page from time to time for any updates and review the fund’s guidelines for detailed information.

For further information or questions, please email your query to: pfifund@treasury.qld.gov.au.

Note:*(these dates may be subject or change)