Ideas for Funding Sources and Grants Applications

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• Ideas for funding sources and grant applications
• Office for Older Australians
• Department of Veterans' Affairs
• Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
• SA Council of Social Service
• Australian Sports Foundation
• Australian Directory of Philanthropy
• National Australia Bank
• National Heart Foundation
• Active Australia
• Tips for successful grants

Ideas for funding sources and grant applications

Contact details for all organisations specifically mentioned in this section can be found in the Contacts section.

Many local government authorities offer a grant scheme, so it is worth contacting your local council to see what is available. Some offer a small community grant scheme to assist local clubs with such things as minor repairs, coach education, equipment costs, administration support and conducting an event.

Other councils help sporting groups obtain bank loans to build facilities by acting as guarantor with certain conditions attached. Some councils provide incentive funding to community athletes who are selected in state or national representative teams.

A number of councils also have been involved in joint funding schemes with the local school and sports club to provide funding for a major facility such as a synthetic hockey pitch or multi-purpose gymnasium.

At the local level there are service clubs, such as Rotary or Lions, that provide their community sports clubs with funding for a specific project that will also benefit the wider community.

State departments of sport recognise that one of their main roles is to provide funding to help develop and promote of community sport. To that end most state departments offer funding schemes which cater for both major regional facility development and smaller community projects such as training and development, coaching accreditation or minor facilities. Contact your state department for more details on the grant schemes they are offering to community organisations.

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National agencies also offer grant schemes for community organisations. Currently the Office for Older Australians within the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care is offering grant schemes for physical activity projects promoting a healthy lifestyle for older Australians.

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs has a grants program which provides opportunities for the veteran community to participate in new and existing health-enhancing activities adapted to meet their specific needs. The Department’s Veteran & Community Grants Program aims to maintain and improve the independence and quality of life of members of the veteran and ex-service community through activities or services that maintain or enhance well-being. These grants can provide opportunities for the veteran community to participate in new and existing health-enhancing activities which aim to help the veteran community adopt healthier lifestyles, prevent illness, and improve health and quality of life.

This may be through the provision of limited capital funding, social and personal support services or improved access to community care services. The grants focus on the delivery of funding through in-home, community and residential care support streams. These grants recognise health promotion as a key element of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ strategy in providing effective support to the veteran community. The Veteran & Community Grants Program also recognises the desire of more people to remain independent in their home for as long as possible and the right to quality living in a safe and secure environment.

Grants are available to any ex-service, community or other relevant organisation that wants to develop and implement projects that target and meet the identified needs of the veteran community. There is a requirement that proposed activities are sustainable.

Guidelines and application forms can be obtained through the Health Promotion Officers in the national and state offices of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs has a Living in Harmony grants scheme designed to help organisations that promote community harmony. Sport organisations fit into this category if they foster participation among a variety of groups.

The SA Council of Social Service has produced The Grants Book. This comprehensive guide to grants details many schemes available from Commonwealth, state and local government, and from non-government organisations. It also provides information on trusts and foundations, corporate sponsors and service clubs, and suggestions on how to apply for the various grants.

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Another way to raise funds for your club is via the Australian Sports Foundation (ASF). If your organisation is thinking of building or upgrading its facilities or needs to purchase new equipment, then the ASF offers an alternative fundraising mechanism by accepting tax-deductible donations from the public and corporate sectors. Donations are returned to the community in the form of grants to assist approved sports projects. If you think there are donors in your club and the local community who might be interested in donating and nominating your club’s project as their preferred beneficiary then contact the ASF for an information kit and application form so your project will be eligible to receive grants.

A valuable resource worth purchasing is the Australian Directory of Philanthropy which lists the specific information that community organisations need to have at their fingertips. This information includes philanthropic funding sources and how to apply for this type of funding.

Another avenue for community clubs is the funding offered through the numerous awards schemes. National Community Link, a project of the National Australia Bank, makes awards which recognise the outstanding performance of community organisations in terms of promoting the value of volunteering and motivating and managing community volunteers. The awards are given for projects in a number of categories, of which sport is one.

The National Heart Foundation annually conducts the Healthy Hearts Awards. Although these relate specifically to local councils, there are opportunities for those community clubs who are involved in joint projects with their local council to nominate for these awards.

Active Australia awards were established in 1998; one of the categories is sport and recreation. The awards recognise good practices within the sport and recreation industry. Community clubs are eligible to apply if they can demonstrate initiatives that promote and encourage participation in physical activity.

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Tips for successful grant applications

• Get to know your community, your club or organisation and the funding source. Spend the bulk of your preparation time on this and be able to communicate your knowledge in the application.

• Know and be able to describe where your organisation is likely to be in two years but be realistic.

• Read application guidelines and see what has been funded in the past year.

• Make applications well in advance of the starting date of the proposed activity.

When writing the application:

• Avoid flowery language.

• Focus on outcomes, not problems.

• Outline the overall goal of the project.

• Describe why the project is needed, with facts and figures to support that need.

• Describe the project’s objectives (what is measurable).

• Describe the methods you will employ to carry out the project’s activities and explain what makes them appropriate and effective.

• Stipulate the population/group that the project will serve.

• Include the expected result of the project. How will it meet the need or solve the problem identified above?

• Develop a detailed budget including description of any funds available or applied for, from any other organisation.

• Describe the resources that your organisation will be putting into the project.

• Outline the project’s timeline.

• Describe who will direct the project and his or her qualifications to do so.

• Discuss how the project is unique (different from others that have addressed the same need or problem).

• Outline how the project suits the chosen funding source’s interests and priorities.

• Consider whether sustainability is a factor. How will the program become self funding? How will it fit in with other community facilities or activities?

• Outline how the project will be evaluated (how will you show the project has achieved its aims?).

• Draw on the success, where appropriate, of similar programs.

If successful, provide a detailed report of the funded project’s progress to the funding body. Adapted from Grantwriting for Educators by D Keefe.