2019 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS GRANT INFORMATION AND TIPS

Transcription

1 2019 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS GRANT INFORMATION AND TIPS If our community is to thrive it is important to promote community connections. We know that connections matter. That strong ties with family, friends and the community provide people with happiness, security, support and a sense of purpose. And that this connectedness builds resilience in people. These connections matter especially for those who are vulnerable. Age, disability, chronic illness, ethnicity and socio-economic conditions are all factors contributing to the social marginalisation of vulnerable people and community groups. The Give Where You Live Foundation provides Community Connections Grants with support from AWA Alliance Bank in the following focus areas: To help reduce social isolation of vulnerable community members to promote resilience To support social participation of vulnerable community members to promote resilience The maximum grant request in this Grant Round is $10,000. All grants are non-recurrent and will be for the 12-month period of 1 November 2018 to 31 October Only one application will be accepted from each organisation in the 2019 Community Connections Grant Round. ELIGIBILITY To be eligible to apply for a Community Connections grant from the Give Where You Live Foundation you must be able to demonstrate that your application: will impact and benefit the G21 region (The G21 region is defined as the five local government areas of the City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire, Borough of Queenscliffe, Golden Plains Shire and Colac/Otway Shire) and; aligns with one of our Program Areas/Focus Area (Live and Learn, Live and Earn or Survive and Thrive.) Program/focus areas are how the Foundation defines disadvantage and the community issues, which the Foundation regards as a priority In addition, your organisation must be endorsed as a Tax Concession Charity (TCC) and have an ABN. While applicant organisations may be a not for profit organisation, an educational institution, an incorporated body, a cooperative or association, a social enterprise or a registered charitable organization, you must have an ABN and must be endorsed as a Tax Concession Charity (TCC). You can visit to check your organisation s endorsements. 1 P a g e

2 Note: While you DO NOT need to be endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) as covered by Item 1 of the table in section of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to apply for a Community Connections Grant, if you do have DGR1 status (and TCC) you can still apply for a Community Connections Grant. APPLICATION PROCESS Eligible organisations may submit an application until 3:00pm Thursday, 13 September All Community Connections Grant applications and support documentation MUST be submitted via the online application form which can be found at the Give Where You Live website. Please contact Give Where You Live before the due date if you need assistance in submitting the online application form, face difficulties uploading files, etc... We regret late or paper applications cannot be accepted. Successful submission of your Community Connections Grant application will be acknowledged by and will include a PDF copy of the application you submitted Before submitting an application please ensure that you have read the following which can be found on our website: Give Where You Live Foundation Grantmaking Guidelines Community Connections Grant Information and Application Tips A word version of the online application is also provided to assist you in preparing your application and can be found on our website. Applicants are assessed on the merit of their submitted application (including requested attachments). The process is managed by the Give Where You Live Foundation staff in conjunction with independent grant review panel members representative of the community who rate applications against the following key criteria: Community Need (ability to clearly define a need and present a grant request that will meet that need) - 25% Organisational Capacity (ability to demonstrate organisational competency to deliver the proposed project) - 20% Budget and Financial Management (ability to demonstrate financial and budgetary accountability, transparency and effective management.) - 20% Evaluation and Impact (ability to demonstrate impact aligned with the Foundation s Theory of Change and a clear plan to collect data that will demonstrate this impact) - 35% These assessments are used to prioritize and make recommendations to the Give Where You Live Foundation Board. The Give Where You Live Foundation Board retains final and discretionary approval of all grant awards. 2 P a g e

3 Applicants will receive initial notification via phone by 5 November 2018 with written follow-up as appropriate. Successful applicants will receive funds by 6 December (on receipt of a returned signed funding agreement and requested documentation). TERMS AND CONDITIONS Please be aware that the following terms and conditions will apply to all successful grantees: This funding round is for 12 months (1 November 2018 through 31 October 2019). Any unspent funds are required to be returned to the Give Where You Live Foundation for reallocation. Any significant delay or changed circumstances for projects or organisation must be advised. Any requested variations need to be submitted in writing for prior approval by the Give Where You Live Foundation. The return of a signed Funding Agreement and current organisational logo (JPEG) prior to receipt of funding (due Friday, 23 November 2018). CEO (or equivalent) participation in a Grant Announcement event (date TBA) Grant Project Manager attendance at any appropriate Grantee Meetings (dates TBA) Submission of a Final Report and Acquittal Statement to document expenditure and the impact and outcomes achieved by the end of the project (due 22 November 2019). Host a possible site visit. Acknowledgement of funding and use of Give Where You Live Foundation logo. Marketing and media support e.g. submission of media collateral for use within Give Where You Live Foundation marketing materials, guest speakers, special event invites. We are happy to help you put the best application forward. If you have any questions about eligibility criteria, the assessment process, the application questions or difficulty in completing the online application please contact: Cynthia Scherer Community Impact and Grants Manager T E cynthia@givewhereyoulive.com.au 3 P a g e

4 TIPS FOR COMPLETING YOUR 2019 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS GRANT APPLICATION General Tips for Completing Your Application Read the Application Information and Tips for Completing Your Application before submitting your application. Ask questions if information and/or instructions are not clear. Take care when writing, using spell check and clear, concise language. If you have received a grant from Give Where You Live Foundation in the last 12 months please request your Organisation name ID. This will ensure that your report is attached to the appropriate organisation and grant award in our data base. You can request this by ing grants@givewhereyoulive.com.au or contacting Cynthia Scherer at You may save and return to your online application form. On each page of the application form there is a Save Answers and Resume Later button. Simply click on this button when you would like to save what you have input into the form. Clicking this button will save all information input into the form EXCEPT attachments. Do not add attachments until you are ready to submit the form. Clicking on the Save Answers and Resume Later button will take you to the following screen: Click Save and Get Link and the following screen will appear: 4 P a g e

5 The screen will provide you with a link to your saved form. Copy and paste this link somewhere safe so you can use it to return to your saved form at a later time/date. You may also request that a copy of the link to your saved form be ed to your address this is also recommended. If you request and of the link you will get this screen: 5 P a g e

6 Before closing check your to see if you received an like the pictured below. Please note, each time you save your form you will be given a NEW link to your saved form. The link will only be valid for 30 days. If you do not return to your form within 30 days to either submit it or save your form again all information you have input will be lost. Do not lose your link as there is NO way to retrieve it from the system. Despite being able to save information you have input, we strongly encourage you to compose your application in a word document to ensure you don t lose any information inputted. You cannot print your completed application form. A PDF version of your application will be provided to you for your records when we send you your final confirmation regarding your submission. A number of the questions have word/character limits; be sure when crafting your answers to take these word limits into account. Please note the online application form however, will not count your words for you or cut you off when you have reached your limit. As the application forms will be reviewed by individuals with a diverse set of back grounds and understandings of the issue/needs you work with, have someone not from your organization review your narrative application answers and provide you with feedback prior to submitting your application. The most common errors made when submitting an online application form are: ABN number - When entering your ABN number DO NOT leave any spaces between the numbers or put any dashes between the numbers. If you do you will receive an error. There is also only space for 11 characters (which are the numbers). 6 P a g e

7 Not completing required fields - If any required fields are left blank or unanswered your application will not submit. Instead those fields that still need to be completed will be highlighted as required fields. Size of files you are attaching Documents uploaded to your application form CANNOT exceed 5MB in TOTAL. Please contact Cynthia Scherer if you need assistance with the size of your uploads. Additional attachments/large attachments can also be sent separately via to grants@givewhereyoulive.com.au. Specific to the Budget question, the total will self-calculate (i.e. it will automatically add the numbers you put in each line item to create a budget total) After submitting your application do not close your browser until you have received a Submission Successful! window and message. 7 P a g e

8 Specific Tips for Completing the Community Connections Grant Application Application Form Question ELIGIBILITY Are you endorsed as a Tax Concession Charity (TCC)? Tips for Answering TCC refers to your organisations status as being exempt from income tax, and having concessions related to Goods and Services Tax and Fringe Benefit Tax. While you may be a not for profit organisation, a school, an incorporated body, a cooperative or association, a social enterprise or a registered charitable organization, you must be endorsed as a Tax Concession Charity (TCC) and have an ABN to apply for a Community Connections grant. You can visit to check your organisation s endorsements. Note: While you DO NOT need to be endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) as covered by Item 1 of the table in section of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to apply for a Community Connections grant, if you do have DGR1 status (and TCC) you can still apply for a Community Connections grant. Please provide your ABN Please upload a copy of your TCC status. ORGANISATIONAL DETAILS Organisation Name Number and Street Suburb State Post Code Website Phone Please provide your ABN. You must upload documents which attest to TCC status. If you have provided copies of these documents to the Give Where You Live Foundation in the last 12 months you DO NOT need to provide copies again. This refers to the contact details of the applicant organisation. If you have applied for a grant from the Give Where You Live Foundation in the last 12-months please be sure to request your Organisation name ID from grants@givewhereyoulive.com.au. This will ensure that your application is attached to the correct 8 P a g e

9 organisational record in our database. CEO DETAILS CEO First Name CEO Last Name CEO title Phone Mobile APPLICATION CONTACT DETAILS First Name Last Name Position Held Phone Mobile REQUEST SUMMARY Grant Impact Statement This refers to the contact details of the applicant organisation s CEO. This refers to the contact details of the person submitting the application for the applicant organisation and is the person who will be contacted if there are any questions Provide a short description (maximum of 50 words) of your grant request. This description will be used for communicating to others the purpose of your grant application and if awarded your grant award. Your summary should start with the difference your grant will make if funded and included how you will use the grant funds requested. For example, "To strengthen educational and social participation of disadvantaged young people ages through support of the Brothers Big Sisters Youth Mentoring Program." Grant Amount Requested Grant Focus: To help reduce social isolation of vulnerable community members to promote resilience To support social participation of vulnerable community members to promote resilience Start Date and End Date Indicate the total amount of money you are requesting from the Give Where You Live Foundation only over the 12 month grant period. For the Community Connections Grants you may request up to $10,000. Indicate which grant focus best describes your Community Connections grant request. You may only pick one. Indicate when the project will start and when the project will end for the purposes of the use of 9 P a g e

10 requested funds from Give Where You Live. Give Where You Live Funds can only be expended between 1 November 2018 and 31 October Indicate which Give Where You Live Program area your grant request will address: Survive and Thrive: Promoting Community Connections reducing social isolation and supporting social participation to promote resilience. Indicate which Give Where You Live Foundation program area your grant request best addresses. You may only pick one. Based on which program area you select you will also be asked to select a focus area within that program area. Again, you may only pick one. In determining which program area and subsequent focus area to select, think about what will be different as a result of your grant request, not the activities you will undertake. Note: Community Connections grants only apply to the Survive and Thrive Program and the focus area Promoting Community Connections. Geographic areas your grant request will impact (mark all that apply) and list postcodes. City of Greater Geelong Post Codes: Surf Coast Shire Post Codes: Borough of Queenscliff Post Codes: Golden Plains Shire Post Codes: Colac Otway Shire - Post Codes: Please indicate the unique number of people you expect to be directly impacted by your grant request: Indicate which local government areas your grant request will impact and list all the post codes within each LGA which apply. Post codes should be separated by a comma. A list of postcodes by LGA is available on the Give Where You Live Foundation website or you can request the list from grants@givewhereyoulive.com.au. Indicate the total number of people that you estimate will be directly impacted by the grant funds you have requested. Generally, those directly impacted are your clients or the participants in the program or project for which you are requesting funds. This should be the number of unique people impacted as a result of the funding requested. This number should not be client contacts. This number should not be for all people your organization impacts this should only be the number of people impacted as a result of the funds requested. You will be able to explain who these people 10 P a g e

11 are and the impact you will have on them in another question in the application. Please indicate the unique number of people you expect to be indirectly impacted by your grant request: Indicate the total number of people that you estimate will be indirectly impacted by the grant funds you have requested over two years. ABOUT YOUR REQUEST (WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO AND WHY?) 1. What community need are you trying to meet in the Geelong/G21 region through your grant request? Generally, those indirectly impacted are those close to your clients/participants e.g. if the participants are school children, then those indirectly impacted may be their families. This should be the number of unique people indirectly impacted as a result of the funding requested. This number should not be client contacts. This number should not be for all people your organization indirectly impacts this should only be the number of people indirectly impacted as a result of the funds requested. You will be able to explain who these people are and the indirect impact you will have on them in another question in the application. Please describe the problem you are trying to fix. You can use a mix of qualitative and quantitative evidence to help us understand the need (maximum 400 words). 2. What are you requesting funds to do? Provide a detailed description (maximum 500 words) of the proposed project, program, service or activity you would like to implement and how it will meet/solve the need you have identified. 3. What impact will your request have? What are the expected outcomes of what you propose? Provide a description (maximum 500 words) of the expected outcomes and impacts of what you propose. Outcomes measure the change that has occurred as a result of a program. For example, an outcome evaluation would tell you how many of people who completed your training program demonstrated increased confidence, changed behaviors, found jobs because of the new skills, etc. This is your opportunity to share what will be different if your request is funded. Be sure to relate your expected outcomes/benefits to the need you identified. 11 P a g e

12 4. What is the scope of your impact? Who and how many will benefit (directly and indirectly) from what you propose? Please describe the specific target population that will participate or benefit from your proposal including number of people, age, gender, region and other demographics (maximum 300 words). ABOUT IMPLMENTATION (HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DO IT) 5. Who will implement what you have proposed and how? This is your chance to explain how you calculated the number of people directly and indirectly impacted (these numbers are asked for in the Request Summary Section) and to help us understand who these people are.) Provide a brief narrative description (maximum 200 words) of who will implement your grant request (i.e. which staff, volunteers, consultants, contractors, partners) and how will be implemented (e.g. in January as part of a volunteer working bee, between November and June as part of our regular operations). 6. How will you know if these outcomes have been achieved? 7. Please indicate how you will spend the requested funds: EXPENDITURE Salaries Consultants and professional fees Travel Equipment Supplies Printing and copying Telephone Rent Utilities Research & Evaluation Marketing Admin/Overhead Other Total Expenditure 8. Please provide a budget narrative describing how the requested funds will be spent. Please indicate what evidence you will collect and what tools or methods you will use to collect this evidence. This is your opportunity to explain your evaluation plan Maximum 300 words Please provide a budget ONLY for how you will spend the funds requested from Give Where You Live. This budget should not include funds from any other sources. The Total line item self calculates based on amounts you place in the individual line items. This should include an explanation of what the numbers in the budget represent and how you arrived at them. (maximum 250 words) 12 P a g e

13 For example: If you indicated the money will be spent on staff tell us what staff person and how much of their time and at what rate. If you indicated that $2000 of the requested funds will be spent on equipment describe which equipment and how you determined its cost. Describing how you will actually spend the requested funds will add to our understanding of why you need the funds. 9. Please provide any additional financial details that may be relevant to your grant request. Other budget or financial related details may add to our understanding of your request: For example, your request may only be part of the total costs required for a project or program. What will happen if you don t receive additional funding? Perhaps you already have some funding in hand or are providing in kind support to the project. You may also want to explain organisational reserves or deficits highlighted in your audited financials. Maximum 300 words ABOUT YOUR ORGANISATION (HOW DO WE KNOW YOU HAVE CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT?) 10. Briefly describe your organisation including history, mission, goals and services and programs provided. Provide a brief narrative description (maximum 300 words) about your organisation. This should include history (when started), your mission, goals and services/programs provided. Think elevator speech, how do you describe what your organisation is and what it does to those who don t know you? 11. Please upload a copy of your annual report Or Alternatively provide a link to a copy on your website. Please upload or provide a web link to your most recent annual report. If available, a web link is preferred. If you do not have an annual report then please provide a list of board members or committee of management, a list of senior staff and a summary of your activities and accomplishments in the last year. If you do not publish an annual report please provide the following in a document: a list of 13 P a g e

14 board members or committee of management, a list of senior staff and a summary of your activities and accomplishments in the last year. 12. Please attach a copy of your most recent audited financials. Alternatively, please provide a link to your most recent audited financials on your organisational website. If you do not have audited financials, please provide the following: a copy of your revenue and expenses for the last financial year; a statement of organisational assets and liabilities. 13. If you received a grant from the Give Where You Live Foundation in the 2018 Community Connections Grant Round please provide a short description of the grant, the amount awarded and the outcomes you have achieved to date. (Maximum 250 words) DECLARATIONS I declare that the information in this application and any attachments is true and correct and I am authorized to submit the application on behalf of the organisation. If successful we will meet the conditions of the funding agreement. Please upload or provide a web link to your most recent audited financial report. If available, a web link is preferred. If your Annual Report and Audited Financials are a single document and you uploaded the document in response to Question 11, there is no need to attach the document again. If you do not have audited financials, please provide a copy of your revenue and expenses for the last financial year; a statement of organisational assets and liabilities. You may want to use your Grant Impact Statement from your 2018 Grant as the short grant description. This contributes to understanding your organizational capacity and your ability to receive and use funds effectively and with impact. These declarations must be checked in order to submit your online application. I understand that Give Where You Live may on occasion forward and/or discuss my application with external reviewers for the purpose of assessment and/or other trusts and foundations for the purpose of consideration. 14 P a g e