Up to $900,000 is available from Families and Communities Service Improvement to strengthen relationships, support families, improve the wellbeing of children and young people.
Families and Communities Service Improvement (FCSI)
The Families and Communities Service Improvement (FCSI) Activity is an element of the Families and Communities Program. This program aims to strengthen relationships, support families, improve the wellbeing of children and young people, reduce the cost of family breakdown, strengthen family and community functioning and facilitate the settlement of migrants and humanitarian entrants into the community.
Background
The Department of Social Services (the Department) funds organisations to develop and maintain a cohesive Australian community and improve independence and self-sufficiency, recognising that government contributions are only one source of funding for the operation of community services.
The seven activities listed below make up the Families and Communities Program and support the Australian Government’s priorities and responsibilities:
- Families and Communities Service Improvement
- Financial Wellbeing and Capability
- Families and Children
- Strengthening Communities
- Settlement Services
- Civil Society
- National Initiatives
Objectives
The Families and Communities Service Improvement (FCSI) Activity grant opportunity aims to inform the Australian Government’s social policy and to support and encourage the continuous improvement of Government grant funded services, by keeping them informed of the Government’s policies. This will be achieved through:
- contributing to/providing feedback on the Government’s social policy and the Department of Social Services’ families and communities policy and issues impacting the sector (for example through providing submissions to Australian Government inquiries and reviews, and responding to policy papers provided by the Department of Social Services)
- facilitating engagement between the Department of Social Services and the sector (including the not-for-profit sector, research sector, business community, philanthropic organisations, and Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse communities) on issues about the Government’s social policy and the Department of Social Services’ families and communities programs or policies
- communicating information about the Government’s social policy and the Department of Social Services families and communities programs and policies to peak body members and the sectors they represent
- conducting research into areas that relate to the Government’s social policy and the Department of Social Services’ families and communities programs or policies
- conducting evaluations to inform policy development relating to the Government’s social policy and the Department of Social Services’ families and communities programs or policies (for example new service model pilots/trials)
- development of data and information sharing to support and contribute to the Government’s social policy and the Department of Social Services’ evidence base relating to families and communities programs or policies
- delivering and facilitating events and conferences of relevance to the sector to inform and guide the Government’s social policy and the Department of Social Services’ families and communities programs or policies
- providing education and professional training about the Department of Social Services’ families and communities programs, policies and initiatives, including through online channels
Organisations eligible for funding are strictly limited to using FCSI funding to undertake the activities outlined above.
Funding
The Australian Government has a total of around $2.6 million (GST excl) a year for the FCSI Activity. A total of around $7.9 million (GST excl) over three years is available for this grant opportunity, commencing 1 July 2018 until 30 June 2021.
FCSI Activity grant recipients may be eligible to receive Social and Community Services (SACS) supplementation.
Annual base funding of $220,000 (GST excl) will be provided to each eligible organisation to deliver three core activities (further detail is provided at the Assessment Criteria section of these guidelines). The base funding is SACS exclusive.
A maximum of $900,000 (GST excl) per year, per grant, is available for this grant opportunity (inclusive of the $220,000 annual base funding). The maximum funding amount is SACS exclusive.
Eligible Projects
You can use the grant to pay for:
- staff salaries and on-costs which can be directly attributed to the provision of the grant activity as per the grant agreement
- cost for the publicity of an event and the distribution of the promotional material to the target audiences, including web-based information
- operating expenses and administration expenses directly related to the project as per the grant agreement, such as:
- telephones
- rent and outgoings
- computer / IT / website / software
- insurance
- utilities
- postage
- stationery and printing
- accounting and auditing
- domestic economy travel / accommodation costs
- assets as defined in the terms and conditions of the grant agreement that can be reasonably attributed to meeting agreement deliverables
- payment to subcontractors to perform eligible grant activities.
You can only spend grant funds on eligible grant activities as defined in the grant details in your grant agreement.
Eligible Applicants
To be eligible to apply you must be one of the listed invited organisations below and have received an invitation to apply through GrantConnect:
- Family Relationship Services Australia
- Families Australia
- The Australian Council of Social Service
- Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth
- Volunteering Australia
- National Social Security Rights Network
These six organisations have a long standing history with the Department of Social Services under the FCSI Activity. These organisations have been selected because they:
- are national in scope and community based organisations
- are concerned with issues of relevance to the needs of the Australian community with respect to family and/or community services
- have a broad membership base and processes in place to effectively represent their members’ views, reflected in their reporting and communication channels, financial resources, external credibility, and internal accountability requirements
- act as a conduit for information flow between the Government and their memberships, drawing together views on issues of relevance to their memberships and providing a consultative mechanism for the Department of Social Services
- work to enhance the effectiveness of service delivery through sector development activities, and
- have a primary focus on policy development and advice.
No further organisations will be invited to apply.
Timing
Applications close 13 April 2018.
