What is Grants-in-Aid Grant Opportunity?
The Grants-in-Aid program is a grant opportunity to support the role of national ex‑service organisations (ESOs) to provide coordinating and representational support for the Australian veteran and Defence community.
This program is open to bona fide national ESOs and provides funding to encourage cooperation and communication between the ex-service community, ESOs and the Australian Government. Funding for national ESOs aims to encourage the advancement of the objectives of ESOs.
Objective
The objective of the grant opportunity is to fund discrete projects or activities that address a specific problem or issue and will achieve a clear benefit to the Australian ex-service and Defence community.
Grant applications will be assessed against how they will meet one or more of the program outcomes and whether the funding will support discrete projects or activities including how the project or activity assists national ESOs to:
- support their branches, sub-branches and affiliated organisations in performing compensation or wellbeing advocacy or other welfare work
- advance the objectives of all ESOs more generally
- improve co-operation and communication between national bodies, branches, sub‑branches and affiliated organisations on repatriation and military compensation matters
- encourage co-operation and communication between the ex-service community, ESOs and the Australian Government.
Funding
This grant opportunity is funded under the Grants-in-Aid program within DVA’s Portfolio Budget Statement. The Australian Government announced a total of $725,000 over 5 years from 2019–20 to 2023–24 for the Grants-in-Aid program.
For this grant opportunity up to $145,000 GST exclusive is available for the 2021–22 financial year. There is no minimum grant amount but the maximum grant amount is $10,000. Grants are limited to one per organisation. There is one Grants-in-Aid funding round each year.
Eligible Projects
Grant funding is intended to fund discrete projects or activities that address a specific problem or issue, rather than everyday business-as-usual costs. Proposed projects or activities should relate to the role of national ESOs as co-ordinating and representative bodies.
Examples of discrete projects that address a specific issue could be a national conference to develop a 5 -year business plan, training in representational skills for key spokespeople in the organisation, or projects that help national ESOs further develop their capacity to support veterans and their families.
You must incur the expenditure on your grant activities between the Activity Start Date stipulated in your agreement and 30 June 2022 for it to be eligible.
These eligible items could include but are not limited to, costs associated with:
- purchase or upgrade of IT equipment and services to enable virtual meetings and other online engagement activities with members and stakeholders
- organisational improvements and capacity-building activities (for example, training in representational skills for key spokespeople in the organisation etc.)
- accommodation expenses (interactions with local, state/territory and Commonwealth government bodies or attendance at conferences etc.) where safe to do so, and in accordance with COVID-19 social distancing or other public health measures
- travel expenses (interactions with local, state/territory and Commonwealth government bodies or attendance at conferences etc.) where safe to do so, and in accordance with COVID-19 social distancing or other public health measures
- venue hire (hosting annual general meetings or other meetings etc.) where safe to do so, and in accordance with COVID-19 social distancing or other public health measures.
Eligible Applicants
ONLY national ESOs are eligible to apply.
For the purposes of Grants-in-Aid grants, a national ESO is considered to be an organisation:
- which has direct links to the ex-service community
- whose membership consists primarily of veterans, past and present members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and/or their dependants and has branches of offices in a majority of states and territories
- which is established primarily to represent the interests of members, to provide pensions, advocacy and/or welfare assistance to veterans, past and present members of the ADF and/or their dependants
- which does not operate as a business or charge any fee for acting on behalf of the veterans, past and present members of the ADF and/or their dependants in the provision of claims or welfare services
- which has objectives that aim to benefit the welfare of its members nationally
- which is incorporated in the states and territories in which it is established and/or acts, and is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission.
Timing
Applications close 6 May 2021.
