Innovative community participation is one of the lesser-known NDIS funding categories. For participants who have clear community goals and want to do more than just attend existing activities, it's genuinely useful. The funding pays for structured programs that build your capacity to engage with the community in skill-building ways.

Most participants don't have this funding and don't know it exists. Most coordinators don't proactively suggest it because the standard pathways are easier to set up. But for the right participant, innovative community participation can fund some of the most valuable supports in an NDIS plan.

Definition and purpose

Innovative Community Participation (Registration Group 0116) is part of Capacity Building, not Core Supports. The hourly rate is similar to other Capacity Building line items, around $69.95 in Queensland in 2025–26.

The purpose, in NDIA's framing, is to support new and creative approaches to community participation that build skills and capacity. The key word is innovative. The funding is meant for programs that are structured, goal-directed, and oriented around capacity building — not just attending existing community activities.

In practice, that means the funding is best used for structured programs delivered by specialist providers who design and run innovative participation activities. It's not really for "let's go to the local cafe with my support worker" — that's standard community participation under Core Supports.

How it differs from standard community participation

A clear distinction:

Standard Community Participation (Core Supports). Funds support for you to take part in community life — outings, social activities, attendance at events, getting out and about. The worker's role is enabling participation. The funding is ongoing and flexible.

Innovative Community Participation (Capacity Building). Funds structured programs designed to build your capacity for community engagement in deeper or more skill-focused ways. Examples: leadership development programs, public speaking groups for participants with disability, creative arts programs that build artistic skills as well as participation, participant-led advocacy groups, structured volunteering programs with skill development components.

The philosophical difference: Core Supports community participation is about being part of community as you are. Innovative Community Participation is about expanding your capacity to engage with community in new ways.

Examples: volunteering, mentoring, leadership

Some real examples of what innovative community participation funding might support:

Volunteering programs with skill components. Not just turning up to volunteer — but a structured program where you build workplace skills through volunteering, with worker support, mentoring, and progression goals. Programs like this exist through some disability employment services and community organisations.

Peer leadership programs. Where participants with disability are supported to develop advocacy or leadership skills — running groups, speaking publicly, contributing to disability services policy and practice. These programs build genuine capacity that opens up new community roles.

Skill-based community engagement. Photography clubs that develop technical skills alongside social engagement. Music programs that build performance skills. Theatre groups that work toward public performances. The skill-building component is what makes them "innovative."

Mentoring relationships. Both being mentored and mentoring others. Programs that connect participants with mentors in areas of interest (arts, sport, business, faith communities) and over time grow into reciprocal relationships.

Microenterprise development. Programs supporting participants to develop small business activities, with the work counting as both skill development and community engagement.

Participant-led research or policy work. Some innovative community participation funding supports participant involvement in research, government consultation, or service co-design — building skills in advocacy and influence.

The common thread is structure and capacity building. Without those elements, an activity is standard community participation, not innovative.

Who it's funded for

The participants who benefit most from innovative community participation tend to have:

A clear sense of community-related goals (advocacy, leadership, skill development, contribution).

The cognitive and physical capacity to engage with structured programs.

Existing community participation that's already working — innovative participation builds on a base, it doesn't replace it.

Goals in their plan that line up — for example, "develop my skills as a peer mentor" or "contribute to my community through volunteering with structured progression."

It's less suitable for participants who need more basic community engagement support, those for whom structured programs aren't accessible or appropriate, or those whose participation goals don't have a capacity-building component.

How to get it in your plan

To get innovative community participation funding in your plan, you generally need to:

Have clear goals around community engagement and capacity building.

Identify a specific program or type of program you want to access. Vague requests for "innovative participation" without a target program rarely succeed.

Provide some evidence that the program is appropriate — provider information, program descriptions, reasons it suits your goals.

Explain why standard community participation under Core Supports isn't the right tool. The case is usually that the program has structured skill-building components that need separate funding.

Discuss with your LAC or planner at your next review. Bring the program information.

Innovative community participation requests are sometimes resisted by planners who default to Core Supports for all community-related funding. If you're refused, ask for written reasons and consider an internal review with stronger justification.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use innovative community participation funding for any activity I want?

No. The funding is for specific structured programs. You can't use it like flexible Core Supports community participation funding.

What's the difference between this and life skills development?

They overlap. Life skills development tends to focus on individual skills (cooking, transport, money management). Innovative community participation focuses on community-engaged skills (advocacy, leadership, volunteering, creative or performance skills). Both are Capacity Building but different sub-categories.

Are there many providers offering innovative community participation programs?

Fewer than for standard supports. In regional Queensland, the options can be limited. This is one reason the funding is underused — even when it's allocated, finding suitable programs locally is sometimes hard.

Can I create my own innovative participation activity?

In principle, yes — particularly if you're self-managed. You'd need to demonstrate that your activity has the structure and capacity-building components to count, and find a provider willing to deliver it.

Is this the same as "Inclusive Community" or "Capacity Building Community Participation"?

Different providers and planners use different language for similar things. Officially, the line item is Innovative Community Participation. If a provider talks about "capacity building community programs," it's probably the same thing.

If you're interested in capacity-building community programs and want to know what's available in your region, contact Seareal. We work with a range of program providers across Queensland and can help you identify what's accessible from where you live.