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Quirky Kid was awarded $200,000 through the Australian Government’s Boosting Female Founders Initiative to develop and scale BriteChild, its digital child psychology platform.
Announced on 1 February 2022, Quirky Kid was one of 38 female-founded startups selected in Round 2 of the national program. More than 2,500 expressions of interest were received for the round, with $11.6 million in grant funding awarded to businesses selected to scale into domestic and global markets.
The Australian Government listed Quirky Kid’s funded project as “Britechild: Smart Digital Mental Health Platform for Children and Parents” and awarded the company $200,000.
For Quirky Kid, the grant represented significant external recognition of an idea the team had been developing for several years: using digital delivery to make child psychology support easier to access when families face barriers such as geography and wait times.
Government backing for BriteChild
The Australian Government described BriteChild as a digital child psychology clinic providing professional, personalised, child-centred mental health and wellbeing intervention to caregivers, with a focus on early intervention and reducing barriers to care.
The grant supported the next stage of BriteChild’s development, including strengthening the digital platform and preparing the service for broader reach.
From Quirky Kid clinic experience to digital delivery
BriteChild grew from Quirky Kid’s experience supporting children and families through psychology services, parent consultations, programs and educational resources. The digital model was designed to extend that expertise beyond the limits of a traditional clinic appointment.
The grant built on earlier capability and innovation support received by Quirky Kid, including the Australian Government’s Sector Readiness Fund, and formed part of a longer pathway of investment in the organisation’s digital mental health work.
BriteChild has continued to develop since the grant. It now operates as Quirky Kid’s digital psychology clinic, providing online access to Australian registered psychologists, practical guidance and telehealth support for children, young people and families.
We're Hiring - Apply Now
Quirky Kid continues to grow, develop and evolve. As a result, we have new positions for child psychologists and a mental health clinician (Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, Mental Health Nursing or Psychologist) who shares Quirky Kid’s passion for working with children – Together, amazing things happen.
National recognition for a female-founded Australian business
The Boosting Female Founders Initiative was established to help female-founded startups overcome barriers to accessing finance and scale into domestic and global markets.
Round 2 supported 38 businesses. The Australian Government’s official recipient list records Quirky Kid Pty Ltd, the BriteChild project description and the $200,000 grant amount.
The funding remains an important milestone in Quirky Kid’s development. It recognised both the company’s female leadership and its work to create more accessible models of child and family mental health support.
Learn more about BriteChild and its current digital psychology services.
