PACE equity grant scheme GUIDELINES

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1 PACE equity grant scheme GUIDELINES As the third pillar of the undergraduate curriculum, PACE (Professional and Community Engagement) is a key component of the University's strategic direction, emphasising the University's commitment to excellence in research, learning and teaching and community engagement. PACE units provide an academic framework through which students can engage with the community in a range of activities, learn through participation, develop their capabilities and build the skills that employers value. By completing a PACE unit, students develop all these skills and capabilities, and also gain academic credit towards their degree. Equity of Access is a key Principle of PACE. The PACE Equity Grant Scheme has been set up to provide financial assistance to students facing socio-economic and other barriers to their participation in PACE activities. PURPOSE The purpose of the PACE Equity Grant Scheme is to assist students who are experiencing financial hardship to undertake an approved PACE activity. Grants from this scheme may be awarded to a student in addition to a PACE Travel Grant. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA To be eligible for a PACE Equity grant, applicants must: 1. Be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, Australian Permanent Resident, Temporary Humanitarian Visa holder or holder of an International Student Visa; and 2. Be currently enrolled in a degree at MQ; and 3. Be either a. undertaking an approved PACE activity as part of an accredited PACE unit (or a unit that is co-taught/co-badged with a PACE unit) in which they are enrolled; or b. a participant in a PACE International project co-managed by Macquarie University and Australian Volunteers International (AVI); and 4. Have a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of Be experiencing financial hardship. Criteria 5 must be demonstrated by providing appropriate documentation that shows that you are: a. in receipt of Youth Allowance or any other means-tested support from the Commonwealth Government 2 ; and/or b. a dependant of a parent / caregiver or partner who is in receipt of Youth Allowance or any other means-tested support from the Commonwealth Government 3 ; and/or c. otherwise experiencing financial hardship due to life circumstances 4, such as 1 Students who do not hold a GPA of 2.0 or greater may be eligible for Special Consideration. Please see our GPA Special Consideration Policy. 2 Applicants will need to provide a certified Centrelink statement to evidence receipt of payment. See Attachment 1 for list of means-tested payments. 3 Applicants will need to provide a certified Centrelink statement to evidence receipt of payment. See Attachment 1 for list of means-tested payments. 4 Applicants will need to provide appropriate documentation to evidence their claim (see application form). See Attachment 2 for definitions of these categories. 1

2 Sole parent responsibilities Carer responsibilities Long term medical condition or disability 5 Trauma Indigenous status Refugee status Rural or remote disadvantage Another circumstance not listed above Recipients are able to defer their approved Grant for a maximum of one year. Requests to do so should be lodged in writing with the PACE Academic & Programs Director. Recipients who are unable to undertake and/or withdraw from their PACE activity, may be required to repay any funds paid to them, in full. NOTE: Applicants should note that selection for this grant is competitive and it is likely that the number of applications will exceed the available funds. Submission of an application and meeting the grant eligibility criteria do not guarantee the award of a grant. As part of the competitive application process, applicants will be ranked against the eligibility criteria and grants will be awarded to applicants who best meet the eligibility criteria. PACE EQUITY GRANT AMOUNTS Applicants are able to apply for a grant of up to $1,000. Applicants should clearly outline in their application how the grant money will be spent. The Selection Committee will determine the amount of Grant awarded to each successful applicant. Grants will be a one-off payment, payable into a nominated bank account. APPLICATION TIMELINE Applications will be assessed monthly. The due date for submissions is the 15th of each month. Important note for PACE International Participants: Applicants for PACE International projects who wish to apply for funding under the PACE Equity Grant Scheme will need to submit their completed PACE Equity Grant Application Form once they have been accepted into a PACE International activity. APPLICATION PROCESS 1. The Applicant downloads the PACE Equity Grant Application Form from the PACE website 2. The Applicant completes and signs the Application Form and lodges it electronically to pace@mq.edu.au, or to PACE Office, Level 5, Australian Hearing Hub, 16 University Avenue, Macquarie University NSW Costs associated with reasonable adjustments (access to educational material, being able to interact with educational material and being able to access educational environments) are not covered by the PACE Equity Grants Scheme, as such assistance is already provided to students through Campus Well-being and Support Services. However, a student with a disability may have additional costs associated with undertaking a PACE activity due to being unable to access their usual providers/services (living/accommodation, treatment, or carer costs). The PACE Equity grants may be able to contribute towards these additional costs. 2

3 Incomplete applications will not be considered. SELECTION PROCESS & CRITERIA Applications will be assessed by a PACE Equity Grants Committee consisting of PACE Academic and Program Director (Chair) A representative from the Equity and Diversity Unit A representative from Campus Wellbeing Applications will be assessed against the following criteria: 1. The demonstrated need for financial assistance 2. How the grant will assist the applicant to undertake the PACE activity, including a demonstration of how the money will be spent 3. How the PACE activity will assist the applicant in achieving their academic and personal goals PAYMENT OF THE GRANT All successful applicants for a PACE Equity Grant will be ed: a PACE Equity Grant Offer Letter; a PACE Equity Grant Acceptance Form; a PACE Equity Grant Proof of Completion Form; and a banking authority form Payment will be made directly to the recipient s nominated bank account after the PACE Office has received the completed PACE Equity Grant Acceptance Form. Please note, that due to processing time, payment may be received up to 6 weeks after the Acceptance form is submitted to the PACE Office. CONDITIONS OF THE GRANT All successful recipients of a PACE Equity Grant offer must agree to: Use the Grant money for its intended purpose Actively participate in the work and other activities involved in the assigned PACE activity Adhere to the workplace policies and procedures of the partner organisation at which the PACE activity is being conducted Respect the property and confidentiality of the partner organisation Be respectful of their position as a representative of Macquarie University Comply with requirements of any relevant Macquarie University Policies and Procedures (e.g. Roles and Responsibilities Agreement as set out in the Student Undertaking, Code of Conduct) Complete all requirements as per instructions from the Unit convenor, Team leader and/or PACE staff Where possible, participate in promotional activities facilitated by Macquarie University during and after the participant returns from the PACE activity Submit a Proof of completion form (including receipts) by post to the PACE Office within 2 weeks of their return from the location of the PACE activity Failure to comply with the above conditions may result in the recipient being required to repay the Grant to the University. Recipients who are unable to undertake and/or are withdrawn from their PACE activity, may be required to repay any funds paid to them, in full. MONITORING AND REPORTING Within 2 weeks of completion of the PACE activity, all recipients of the PACE Equity Grant are required to submit a Proof of completion Form with all relevant documents to the PACE office. 3

4 ATTACHMENT 1 Means-testing is the process of detailed financial assessment. In order to be means-tested by Centrelink you must undergo full financial assessment, including income and asset assessment. The following Centrelink benefits are not means tested and cannot be used as evidence of financial hardship when applying for the PACE Equity Grants: AGDRP Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme Carer Allowance (adult) Carer Allowance (child) Child Care Benefit Double Orphan Pension Family Tax Benefit Part A Family Tax Benefit Part B Baby Bonus Mobility Allowance Pensioner Education Supplement Pharmaceutical Allowance Remote Area Allowance Seniors Supplement Telephone Allowance Utilities Allowance The following Centrelink benefits are means tested, and can be used as evidence of financial hardship when applying for the PACE Equity Grants: ABSTUDY Age Pension Austudy Bereavement Allowance Carer Payment (adult) Carer Payment (child) Disability Support Pension Newstart Allowance Parenting Payment Partner Allowance Pension Bonus Bereavement Payment Pension Bonus Scheme Sickness Allowance Special Benefit Widow Allowance Widow B Pension Wife Pension Youth Allowance This information is subject to change. For the most recently published information and for further details about each benefit, please refer to the Centrelink website. 4

5 ATTACHMENT 2 DEFINITIONS OF CATEGORIES CATEGORY Carer Responsibilities DEFINITION A carer is defined as a person of any age who, without being paid, cares for another person who needs ongoing support because of a long-term medical condition, a mental illness, a disability, frailty or the need for palliative care. A carer: * may or may not be a family member and may or may not live with the person they care for * may be in receipt of a Centrelink Carer Allowance or Carer payment Sole Parent Responsibilities Indigenous Australian A sole parent is defined as a person of any age who is single and has at least one child under 18, who is wholly or primarily in their care and who is in Australia A person will be considered to be an Indigenous person if they: * are of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent * identify as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander * are accepted as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in the community in which they live or have lived Long term medical condition / disability A person is considered to be experiencing a long-term medical condition / disability if their ability to study at university is being affected, or is likely to be affected by the longterm and ongoing effects of: * a severe and long-term or a severe and recurrent medical / psychiatric condition or illness OR * a learning, sensory, physical, psychological or other disability / disorder In order to be considered for an Equity Grant a student will need to be registered with the MQ Disability Service. Trauma Refugee Status Regional or remote disadvantage A person is considered to be experiencing trauma if their ability to study at university is being affected, or is likely to be affected by the long-term and ongoing effects of trauma / abuse (e.g. domestic violence, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse) Refugee status is evidenced by a verified copy of your visa showing refugee status, or a verified copy of your Red Cross or UNHCR registration if you arrived in Australia on a non-refugee visa, or a verified copy of your document for travelling to Australia. A person is considered to have experienced a regional or remote disadvantage if they can show that within the last two years immediately prior to the start of their current course of study they lived in a regional or remote area of Australia for at least 12 months. SOURCE: 5