More than 20 ACT schools applied for federal funding grants for the federal government's school chaplaincy program, according to documents released under Freedom of Information laws.
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The most recent funding period for the National School Chaplaincy Program will run from 2015 to 2018 and provides up to $20,000 each for 23 Canberra schools to cover 400 hours of chaplaincy services each year.
Up to $460,000 will be provided to the ACT each year until 2018 to cover the cost of chaplains in selected schools.
While the vast majority of schools opted for the Scripture Union in Queensland to provide a chaplain, three schools chose different providers from around the territory.
University of Canberra High School Kaleen used the money for a chaplain provided by Fusion Australia, while Belconnen High School asked for a grant for Youth Life Australia.
North Ainslie Primary School received funding for a chaplain from The Salvation Army.
Scripture Union ACT director Dianne Priest said the organisation had received expressions of interest from additional schools and expected to have more chaplains in place after the next funding round.
"We have been doing it for a long time and we do it very well," Mrs Priest said. "The schools have a confidence that we deliver great staff and support and train them.
"I know schools ... I'm very aware of pastoral care needs and how you need to put qualified and capable people on staff."
Mrs Priest said the Scripture Union chaplains regularly went above and beyond.
"They're supportive of the school and their [students'] needs and you know [400 hour] is the bare minimum," she said.
"Some receive support from community groups who fund more hours [while others] do a lot out of the kindness of their hearts."
Fusion Australia ACT team leader Brenton Reimann said his organisation had first started providing chaplaincy services to ACT schools after the first round of funding in 2007.
"In Kaleen high school we have a youth worker chaplin and she works ... to basically support staff and students and run various programs," Mr Reimann said.
"She's looking to run a gardening program with the school farm and she's quite musical so she ran a choir for Pacific Islander students in the school last year."
ACT Council of Parents and Friends Associations spokeswoman Viv Pearce said the organisation would have if preferred schools were given an option to have a secular counsellor.
"We've just recently seen reports about mental illness and one of the major groups is that young teenage group, where mental illness often starts, where you get depression and suicide," she said.
"So, as a council, our position is we would have preferred that money would have gone directly into a counselling support-type service."
