Aboriginal community-controlled organisations will receive support to establish early childhood education services and develop local workforce solutions under two new programs backed by philanthropist Nicola Forrest's Coaxial Foundation.

The three-year partnership with SNAICC - National Voice for Our Children, the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled peak body advocating for children and families, will deliver the Nest and Nurture program and the Workforce Innovation Fund.

The initiatives aim to address barriers to expanding Aboriginal-led early childhood education and care, including the structures needed to establish services and the workforce needed to sustain them.

SNAICC chief executive Catherine Liddle said demand for community-controlled early learning services exceeded the system's capacity, particularly in areas where culturally safe care was difficult to access.

"Together, these two programs tackle the biggest barriers to growing Aboriginal-led ECECs across the country — the structures needed to establish and operate services and the workforce needed to sustain them," Ms Liddle said.

Nest and Nurture will provide a model through which communities can establish their own early childhood services, with participating organisations receiving intensive support to build their capacity to deliver culturally strong, high-quality care tailored to local needs.

The Workforce Innovation Fund will offer grants for communities to develop their own responses to workforce challenges. The program will also collect evidence on successful approaches to help inform broader workforce and system reforms.

"Nest and Nurture provides the platform to grow and strengthen ACCO-led services, while the Workforce Innovation Fund helps build the people and leadership needed to make them sustainable. Together, they start to fill a huge gap in the market," Ms Liddle said.

The Arrernte and Luritja woman said the initiatives were developed following years of feedback from Aboriginal-led early childhood services.

"The communities with the greatest need have often been treated as the hardest places to deliver services. We should be asking what needs to change in our systems, so Aboriginal communities can lead those services themselves," she said.

"This is the kind of investment that can turn community demand into real services on the ground and ultimately give more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children the strongest possible start in life."

Ms Forrest — one of Australia's richest women — said children's early years had a lasting influence on their development and wellbeing. The Age reported this week SNAICC would receive $7.1 million in funding for the programs.

"SNAICC - National Voice for our Children has spent decades supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their communities," Ms Forrest said.

"Our partnership backs two new initiatives that will help build stronger early childhood services across the country."