Thursday, 12 February 2026
Dear Principals and School Leaders,
Thank you to everyone who attended our 2026 Per Capita Funding Information Sessions this week. It was excellent to see such strong engagement and thoughtful questions from across the sector.
As you would now be aware, the Department of Education has formally opened the 2026 CLS Per Capita Funding applications via SmartyGrants.
If eligible, you should have received direct communication from the Department with the relevant links. For ease of reference:
Key Dates – Please Mark These Clearly
- Applications open: 12 February 2026
- Applications close: 20 March 2026 (No extensions will be granted)
- 2025 Annual Reports due: 1 May 2026
- Schools notified of allocations: Late May / early June 2026
- Grant payments to schools: By end of June 2026
Please do not leave your submission to the final days. SmartyGrants traffic always increases significantly close to deadline.
Slide Deck from the Information Sessions
We encourage you to review the slides carefully as they walk through eligibility, documentation requirements and common compliance issues.
Important Data Entry Reminders
When uploading or entering your student data, please be particularly mindful of the following:
- Do not create duplicate student entries
- Do not use outdated spreadsheets
- Do not include special characters (e.g. accents in French or German names)
- Ensure first names and surnames are not reversed
- Avoid leading spaces before any data field (even one extra space can disrupt matching)
- Do not include unapproved campuses
Small data errors can delay processing or trigger unnecessary back-and-forth, so it’s worth double-checking before submission.
Questions or Support
You are also welcome to contact Heba or myself directly at any time if you need clarification or guidance.
We know this is a detailed process. The funding is significant for your school operations, so treat the application with care and allow adequate time for internal review before submission.
Wishing you all the best with your applications.
