The ANCP is the Government's longest running funding program for non-government organisations (NGOs) and began in 1974. It is also the largest single support mechanism for accredited Australian NGOs working in development. The ANCP is an annual grants program that provides support across a range of sectors, including education, health, water and sanitation, governance and economic development.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's produces annual performance reports for each of the major countries and regions in which Australian aid is delivered. Annual Performance Reports for the ANCP are prepared in consultation with the peak body for Australian NGOs working in development, the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).

The 2014-15 Performance Report for the ANCP, found that the ANCP reached 19.2 million people with 85 per cent of ANCP projects addressing gender issues; 28 per cent of projects involving engagement with the private sector and 61 per cent of projects addressing disability inclusion.

The ANCP is a successful and highly valued program. This was confirmed by the independent evaluation of the ANCP by the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) in 2014-15 which found that the ANCP provides considerable value for money, not only in the way that ANCP is leveraged to access other resources, including support from the Australian public but also in the way it is managed (in terms of staffing size and the application of an online grant management system).

There are, however, areas that require improvement for the management of the program such as addressing the complexity and improving transparency of funding allocations, greater sharing of knowledge and learning, improving the accuracy of data collection and reporting and increasing awareness and engagement across DFAT, particularly with Australian High Commissions and Embassies (Posts) and the wider Australian public.

• Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) Aid Program Performance Report 2014-15
• Evaluation of the Australian NGO Cooperation Program: Office of Development Effectiveness

ANCP fast facts

• $127.3 million in 2015-16
• 53 Australian NGOs
• 57 countries
• 575 projects in 1550 locations

Funding by sector

• Health: 32%
• Effective governance: 20%
• Agriculture, Fisheries and Water: 16%
• Education: 14%
• Building resilience: 12%
• Infrastructure, Trade Facilitation and International Competitiveness: 5%
• General Development Support: 1%