Outcomes of the Empowerment Fund
The Empowerment Fund looks to address barriers the social services sector face relating to data and evaluation capability.
The Victorian Government is pleased to announce the outcomes of the Empowerment Fund and congratulate the 22 successful organisations that received funding.
A list of the successful applicants and the approved grant amounts are contained below.
There were a large number of applications for the Fund, showing its importance in supporting the social service sector to build data and evaluation capability.
Insights arising from the Empowerment Fund
A key objective of the Empowerment Fund is to enable greater sharing of useful evaluation findings and improved data collection and management processes.
All organisations have committed to provide their insights and learnings with a view to sharing these experiences with the broader social services sector.
The Victorian Government thanks each organisation for their support in sharing these insights and we anticipate the learnings will be of broader benefit. The following section will be progressively updated as projects are completed.
Completed data projects
Sacred Heart Mission
The project analysed two Sacred Heart Mission programs that support people experiencing homelessness, Journey to Social Inclusion (J2SI) and the Continuum of Care (CoC), by using machine learning to test various hypotheses on what factors affect outcomes and support duration or intensity of the programs.
Whilst some hypotheses were able to be proven, the project was unable to validate a range of hypotheses. This has helped clarify some of the existing challenges with the selection and design of data tools (survey questions) and the benefits of an aligned approach.
Data projects underway
Anchor Community Care LtdTo enhance the Organisation’s internal capacity, overcome cost barriers associated with architecture investments, and develop inhouse training that are aligned with business processes. | Brotherhood of St. LaurenceTo build automation and quality checks into existing infrastructure, build internal capability and enable access to and utilisation of evidence. |
Centre for Excellence in Child and Family WelfareTo trial an open-source benchmarking tool, Social Scope, which will provide critical data insights and bolster evaluation capability within the sector. | Community Health FirstTo develop a state-wide Community Health data platform that will support data collection and utilisation for the sector and health system. |
Flat Out IncTo streamline and improve the collection of monitoring and outcome data as part of the Organisation's day-to-day business. | Inclusion MelbourneTo enable functionality for end-to end service delivery aligned to the evidence-based, disability-sector specific Practice Framework. |
Launch HousingTo capture and quantify client outcomes and plan service delivery that is trauma-informed and person centred. | Law and Advocacy Centre for Women LtdTo improve the Organisation’s data collection, information systems and storage to better understand its clients’ needs and the outcomes of the support that it provides. |
OzChild, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Youth Support Advocacy ServicesTo implement data management systems that pinpoint early warning signs indicating children and young people who may be at risk of involvement in youth justice services. | Parenting Research CentreTo design, build and test a digital platform for the Me as a Parent Scale (MaaPs). |
Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community AgencyTo build the Aboriginal evidence base by developing systems and staff skillsets to collect, store and analyse quality data in the Family Services and Koorie Kids Supported Playgroups programs. | WestjusticeTo systemise the Organisation’s data collection from being reactive and ad hoc to that of a proactive data collection agency. |
Windana Drug and Alcohol LimitedTo collect and monitor longitudinal outcomes across early intervention services, including alcohol and other drugs, mental health, family violence and employment. | Youth Disability Advocacy Service | Youth Affairs Council VictoriaTo implement a customer relationship management (CRM) tool that links disparate impact measurement tools and existing outcomes data into a centralised database. |
Evaluation projects underway
Australian Community Support OrganisationTo develop an advanced evaluation system that operationalises the Organisation’s evidence-based Impact Logic Model and Outcomes Framework. | Berry Street VictoriaTo elevate research and evaluation data and long-term capabilities of Take Two, a specialist provider of therapeutic services for children, using longitudinal studies. |
Beyond the BellTo enhance evaluation capabilities for early intervention programs, which are critical for the support and development of Victoria’s youth. | Community Health FirstTo develop a Community Health evaluation framework that will support data collection and utilisation for the sector and health system. |
Elizabeth Morgan House Aboriginal Women’s ServicesTo implement an Outcomes Framework that aims to make evaluation of all programs more effective and allow the Organisation to better utilise the data collected. | Health Justice AustraliaTo build the capability of health and legal partners from Victorian Health Justice Partnerships to make informed decisions about shared outcome measurement across sectors. |
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Further context
Government provided seed funding of $2 million in the 2023-24 Budget through the Maximising outcomes from social investment initiative to trial the Empowerment Fund. Given the significant demand, further funding was identified to support more projects, which lifted the funding cap to $5 million.
A Fact Sheet on the Empowerment Fund is provided below.
Activities to date
Advice on outcomes
DTF publicly advised of the outcomes of the Empowerment Fund on Thursday 19 December 2024.
Application stage
The Empowerment Fund was open for applications on 28 November 2023 and closed at 5.00pm on 29 March 2024.
Market sounding stage
DTF undertook a market sounding on the Empowerment Fund during October 2023 (previously referred to as the 'Enabler Fund'). Responding to the market sounding was optional. Interested parties’ engagement with the market sounding did not impact the assessment or potential success of any application.
Updated