The opposition announced yesterday it would provide $400,000 in grants over four years to help veterans' organisations pay for administration, welfare support, capital projects and advocacy work.

Opposition Leader Zed Seselja and Veterans Affairs spokesman Jeremy Hanson said Canberra organisations that support ex-servicemen and women could apply for the grants, available on top of existing community service and federal funding.

Veterans groups said they could use the money for pensioner and welfare services, including accommodation, or to cover administration costs such as printing newsletters.

''[Currently] there aren't particularly specific grants for veterans organisations in the ACT,'' Mr Seselja said.

''But this extra $400,000 will be specifically targeted towards supporting these veterans organisations.''

Mr Hanson said the grants would be available to groups including the Returned and Services League, Legacy and the Kindred Organisation Committee, and applications would be managed by the Veterans Advisory Council.

Kindred Organisation Commitee president Pat McCabe said she would like to see the money contributed to accommodation, health and mental health services for veterans.

''I'd personally like to see it evenly divided between the pension and welfare work that the ex-service organisations do for the veterans,'' she said.

Chris Hudson, president of the ACT Totally and Permanently Incapacitated Ex-Servicemen and Women's Association, said the money would be valuable for smaller groups that did not always qualify for federal funding.