CaTHC is a vehicle to enable local communities in Cape York, NPA and the Torres Strait to influence the design and planning of local health services according to local needs.

CaTHC is an independent, community-controlled commissioning entity that was established by respected Cape, NPA and Torres Strait leaders in May 2024 and has been working with the Queensland and Commonwealth governments to prepare for a transition to community-controlled commissioning.

CaTHC is forming a network of connected Community Leadership Groups (CLGs) across Cape York, NPA and the Torres Strait Islands whose job will be to improve community health and wellbeing by making better-informed health system funding choices.

Eventually, CaTHC plans to support CLGs across the entire region of 35 communities but is starting with a two-year “prototype phase” in a small number of communities using a $1.2m Community Wellbeing Funding Pool.

CaTHC is now ready to commence the establishment of the first CLGs that will be supported by CaTHC to carry out health funding decisions within their own communities.

By transitioning health decision-making to a place-based, community-led model, the CaTHC network ensures that health investments are culturally appropriate, evidence-based and directed toward the specific needs of the region’s diverse populations.

CaTHC is following a ten-year road map toward full community-controlled health service commissioning and is currently in the early prototype phase during which CaTHC is seeking a small number of Community Leadership Groups to test “participatory grantmaking” using support and funding from CaTHC.

Community Leadership Groups (CLGs) are local people who partner with CaTHC to enable better health and wellbeing outcomes for everyone in their local community.

Members of CLGs must seek to understand the different needs across their entire community and be able to work with their community to prioritise those needs.

CLGs can be new groups of people coming together for the first time or groups that already exist, but they must be able to show they are representative of and recognised in their local communities and can exercise culturally appropriate governance and accountability.

Community Leadership Groups will be expected to:

• Enter into a formal agreement with CaTHC called a “Community Compact”;
• Seek to understand their community’s wellbeing needs and aspirations using methods appropriate to their own community;
• Operate in a transparent manner, ensuring widespread community knowledge of opportunities for input and participation;
• Engage with potential funding recipients to ensure all initiatives have tangible outcomes;
• Decide initiatives to propose for CaTHC funding (drawing on a $1.2m shared Community Wellbeing pool managed by CaTHC);
• Help monitor the success of funded initiatives; and
• Share lessons learned with CaTHC.

Before your group expresses an interest in involvement, please review the draft Community Compact to better understand the likely expectations.  Please note, the Compact will form a legal agreement between the CLG and CaTHC.  The CaTHC Board of Directors will meet with short-listed groups to negotiate this agreement prior to selecting community groups to become “prototype” CLGs.

During the two-year prototype phase (1 July 2026 – 30 June 2028) only the CLGs selected for participation by CaTHC will have access to the $1.2m shared Community Wellbeing Funding Pool.

Funding is available to support the operation of the CLG and to fund initiatives or projects identified by the CLG over the next two years.

The expression of interest form is to apply to become a CLG, not to apply for project or initiative funding.  If the community group is selected in this “prototype” phase, the group will need to sign an agreement called a Community Compact between the group and CaTHC.

Under this agreement, CaTHC will provide up to $25,000 per year to cover basic administrative costs such as room hire or catering for the group’s meetings and to cover CLG members’ time commitment and related expenses.

The selected CLGs will then be expected to follow certain processes to determine community priorities and initiatives that are likely to have a positive impact and which could be funded within the two-year period by CaTHC from the $1.2m shared Community Wellbeing Fund.

It is important to note that this prototype phase funding Pool is likely to be one-off and non-recurrent and therefore is not suitable to fund ongoing essential health services.  

You must be part of a group that is representative of and recognised in your local community and can exercise culturally appropriate governance and accountability over health funding decisions.

Groups must come from one (or more) of the communities of Cape York (as far south as Wujal Wujal in the east and Kowanyama in the west), NPA or the Torres Strait Islands.

The CaTHC Board of Directors is looking for groups made up of individuals that are:

• committed to and excited about improving the health and wellbeing of the whole population within their community;
• representative of the diversity of their broader community (age, gender, ethnicity, etc),
• recognised and respected within their community,
• familiar with good governance including avoidance of conflicts of interest, and
• flexible and willing to work closely with CaTHC during this learning phase.

Community groups who wish to be considered can express their interest here.  This link takes you to a webform that can be submitted online.

Alternatively, you can print out the form here and then email the completed form to admin@cathc.org.au or post it to:  CaTHC, PO Box 5390, Cairns QLD 4870

Expressions of interest open on 1 July 2026 and are open for two (2) months, closing on Monday 31 August 2026 at 5:00pm.

PLEASE NOTE: this process is about selection of Community Leadership Groups (CLGs), not specific projects to be funded.  CaTHC will select successful groups to become the initial CLGs.  The CLGs will then follow co-designed processes to identify and select projects and initiatives for CaTHC to fund from the $1.2m Community Wellbeing Funding Pool.  This “prototype” phase is to begin the shift of decision-making power to communities, building readiness for future widespread community-led commissioning of health services.

The first step is for community groups to apply using the expression of interest form.

Once expressions of interest are received, the CaTHC Board of Directors will consider applicants and will meet with short-listed groups to discuss mutual expectations.  The CaTHC Board may request local referees in some cases, to assist with short-listing of applicants.  The answers you put on your expression of interest form are important in helping the CaTHC Board of Directors short-list their choices.

Following meetings with short-listed applicants, if both parties are happy to proceed, the community group and CaTHC will sign a Community Compact agreement, setting out what CaTHC promises to do to support your group and what you promise to do to participate in this two-year prototype phase.

CaTHC will then work closely with your group to support you with identifying community needs, prioritising those needs, and selecting fundable initiatives using CaTHC’s $1.2m shared Community Wellbeing Funding Pool.

CaTHC will respond to all applicants to let you know we have received your expression of interest.  We will contact those who are not selected in this initial round and will keep you on a list for future stages, if you wish that to happen.

You can also stay informed from news updates that will be posted on the CaTHC website or follow us on our social media channels.

CLGs will work in close partnership with CaTHC.  Over a two-year “prototype” phase, initial CLGs will have access to a $1.2m shared Community Wellbeing Funding Pool from which to fund initiatives to address community health and wellbeing priorities.

CLGs will be expected to follow basic process guidelines described in the diagram below:

¹ Agreed principles – these principles will be worked out between the CLG and the CaTHC Board and then written into the Community Compact.  The Community Compact will be a public document on the CaTHC website.  Examples of the likely principles are contained in the draft Community Compact available here.

² Shared pool – there will be more than one CLG proposing projects/initiatives to be funded from the Community Wellbeing Funding Pool (the Pool).  To prevent over-expenditure of the Pool, CaTHC will participate in CLG discussions and keep the CLG informed of what is available in the Pool at all times.  CaTHC and the CLGs will need to take a collective, custodial approach to ensure all participating CLGs have equitable access to the Pool.

CaTHC team members will be involved with CLGs every step of the way. 

Because this is a “prototype” or “trial” phase, the CLG will need to be prepared to work closely with CaTHC so that learnings can be captured along the way and fed back to the Commonwealth and Queensland Departments of Health.

CaTHC will:

• Provide administrative funding of up to $25,000 per annum to the CLG to cover meeting costs such as room hire or catering and to cover CLG members’ time commitment and related expenses;
• Provide data, information, upskilling or other support as requested by the CLG;
• Provide access to a funding pool totalling $1,200,000 (shared across all participating communities over the two years) to fund locally determined initiatives;
• Assist in the design of outcome measures for funded initiatives;
• Ensure all legal, financial, regulatory and contractual processes are undertaken and obligations are met.

CaTHC team members will participate in CLG meetings, where possible, to ensure that CLGs have access to as much information and support as they require.  CaTHC team members will report progress to the CaTHC Board of Directors who will undertake a review of how the prototype phase is going after the first twelve months, to ensure agreed principles are being upheld and communities are benefiting from the efforts of the CLGs.

“Prototype” means to test a particular method and learn from its successes and challenges.

CaTHC is following a ten-year road map toward full community-controlled health service commissioning in the Cape York, NPA and Torres Strait Island regions.  CaTHC was originally known as the TORCH Project and was launched in 2021 by the Commonwealth and Queensland Departments of Health.

The plan to transition to community-control of health funding for the region has always been a bold approach, and CaTHC is taking a phased approach to build community readiness and, at the same time, work with governments to ensure essential health services are strengthened as a result of the eventual transition to community-control.

CaTHC’s “operating model” is to form a network of connected Community Leadership Groups (CLGs) across Cape York, NPA and the Torres Strait Islands whose mandate is to improve community health and wellbeing by making better-informed health system funding choices.

CaTHC is the community-controlled “backbone” organisation that supports CLGs at every step of the way to make the most efficient and effective use of available funding.

Eventually, CaTHC plans to support CLGs across the entire region, but is starting with a two-year “prototype phase” in a small number of communities using a $1.2m Community Wellbeing Funding Pool.

This prototype phase commences on 1 July 2026 and is expected to last for up to two years.  The prototype phase funding is likely to be one-off and non-recurrent and therefore is not suitable to fund ongoing essential health services.  

We have an FAQ page which will be added to as new questions come in.

If you would like to speak to someone from CaTHC about your interest, you can email admin@cathc.org.au or phone 0491 463 835.  Please note if there is no one available to take your call, you can leave a message with your name and contact details, and we will get in touch.

You can also request we contact you by giving us your name and contact details using this form.