What is the Indigenous Land Enterprise Infrastructure Fund?
The Indigenous Land Enterprise Infrastructure Fund is a grant opportunity which aims to fund the design, supply and/or installation of infrastructure to support relevant primary industry and/or land management activities in remote and very remote Australia.
Background
The Indigenous Land Enterprise Infrastructure Fund grant opportunity is funded under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) Remote Australia Strategies (RAS), to achieve the National Indigenous Australians Agency’s (NIAA) Outcome 1, to support economic development in remote Australia. The grant opportunity is for Indigenous entities looking to use the funding to design and install infrastructure in remote and very remote Australia to assist their primary industry and/or land management activities. The intention is for funded infrastructure to meet the Indigenous entities’ business needs and increase the viability and sustainability of their primary industry and/or land management activities.
Objective
This grant opportunity will contribute to this target by achieving its objective to:
- support economic opportunities in remote Australia by providing grant funding to existing Indigenous entities for minor infrastructure projects that will expand or improve the viability of their activities in the primary industry and/or land management industries. Economic opportunities in this context includes business growth, sustainability and Indigenous employment.
The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are:
- New and/or improved infrastructure for Indigenous entities in remote Australia.
- Increasing employment opportunities in the primary and land management industries.
- Supporting the expansion into or improvement of primary industry and/or land management activities undertaken by Indigenous entities in remote Australia.
Funding
A total of $9.5 million in grant funding will be available over 2021-22 and 2022-23.
At least $4.75 million will be available for this grant opportunity in 2021-22, however the Agency may fund additional activities if a high volume of suitable applications are received. It is anticipated that another grant opportunity will be available in 2022-23, to offer the remaining balance of the $9.5 million.
The maximum grant amount you can apply for is $300,000 (GST Exclusive).
Eligible Projects
To be eligible for this opportunity, your application must:
- be applying for a grant amount of $300,000 (GST Exclusive) or less
- be proposing to deliver the grant in remote or very remote Australia
- be undertaking or intending to undertake primary industry or land management activities.
The grant is to be used for items that support development of Indigenous entities in the primary industry or land management industries, including any of the following grant activities:
- Business related or industry-specific infrastructure, including but not limited to:
- off-grid solar power systems
- upgrades to water infrastructure (such as bores)
- fences
- stock yards
- water storage (such as tanks and troughs)
- dam silt traps
- sheds
- irrigation systems
- Where possible and relevant, your proposed Indigenous Land Enterprise Infrastructure Fund activity should take into account:
- How the project addresses the Closing the Gap target outlined at section 2.1 – ‘About the Indigenous Land Enterprise Infrastructure Fund grant opportunity’
- The cultural and linguistic needs of Indigenous Australians and others whose first language is not English, and be mindful of the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s Best Practice Principles for interpreting.
- The needs of Australians with disability including how the proposal supports one or more of the six policy outcome areas outlined in the Department of Social Services
- Differing barriers and opportunities experienced by subsets of the target community, including Indigenous men and women, and the impact these might have on access to funded activities this could include articulating the specific ways delivery of the activity will address barriers to participation for different groups. For example, how the activity will support gender equitable outcomes in the community.
Eligible Applicants
To be eligible you must:
- be an existing legal entity that has been in operation for at least 12 months prior to application
- be financially viable
- have an Australian Business Number (ABN) (exemptions may apply in special cases)
- where relevant, be registered for the purposes of GST
- have an account with an Australian financial institution
- be an entity with at least 50% Indigenous ownership;
and be one of the following entity types:
- a company incorporated in Australia under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
- an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006
- an incorporated association (incorporated under state/territory legislation, commonly have ‘Association’ or ‘Incorporated’ or ‘Inc’ in their legal name)
- an incorporated cooperatives (incorporated under state/territory legislation, commonly have ’Cooperative’ in their legal name)
- an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
- a partnership
- a joint (consortia) application with a lead organisation that satisfies the entity type
- an individual with an ABN, operating as a sole trader.
In addition you must:
- have rectified any issues of previous non-compliance with existing Commonwealth agreements to the satisfaction of the Commonwealth, or be in the process of doing so.
Timing
Applications close 8 November 2021.
