Up to $200,000 is available to reduce barriers or encourage sports participation for those from multicultural backgrounds.
Multicultural Sports Fund Program
The Victorian Government’s Multicultural Sports Fund Grants Program is a strategic partnership program aimed at increasing access and participation in sport for culturally diverse communities.
Background
Sport is an integral part of the culture in Victoria. It plays a central role in ensuring that all Victorians, particularly young people, can develop skills, teamwork and leadership abilities, and gain access to volunteering and employment opportunities. Additionally, sport’s unique features ensure that communities who participate in sport and recreation develop strong social bonds and create healthier, safer places to live.
The Victorian Government is committed to supporting opportunities that strengthen outcomes for Victoria’s multicultural communities through the promotion of social inclusion and economic participation. This commitment is particularly important for community members who have come from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds, and may face additional challenges settling in Australia. Developing initiatives that promote community engagement through sport will strengthen the social inclusion and economic participation of Victoria’s multicultural communities, with a priority focus on asylum seekers and people from a refugee background.
Objectives
The Program aims to achieve the following objectives in support of culturally diverse communities:
- Increase social inclusion by building strong and lasting connections between culturally diverse communities and the wider Victorian community
- Enable culturally diverse communities, including young people and women, to better access and participate in local sporting initiatives
- Support the Victorian sports sector to better understand, reach and positively engage with culturally diverse communities
- Increase opportunities for people from culturally diverse communities to become sporting leaders through education and development
- Improve mental and physical health outcomes for culturally diverse communities
Through the program, funded organisations will collaborate with, and support diverse communities to:
- Identify and develop practical strategies to overcome barriers to access and participation in sporting activities, particularly among women and young people
- Co-design sports initiatives that are relevant to community issues and priorities, and capitalise on existing strengths
- Ensure all Victorians, regardless of background, have the opportunity and are supported to participate and contribute to their local communities through sport
- Promote engagement in all aspects of sport and recreational activities including as players, supporters, volunteers, coaches and administrators
Funding
The Victorian Government is committing a funding pool of $1 million per annum over four years to the Program. Funding requests of up to $200,000 per year for up to four years will be considered with a two year review of the project to evaluate the objectives and outcomes of the program.
Eligible Projects
Priority will be given to applications that:
- Demonstrate genuine community involvement, consultation and partnership with a focus on co-design principles
- Have a project strategy that will continue to engage culturally diverse communities beyond the period of project funding
- Demonstrate significant financial and/or in-kind contributions from applicants and/or their partner(s)
- Reach significantly disadvantaged groups
- Promote a healthy and active lifestyle
- Do not replicate or replace existing programs operating with other sources of government funding
- Where applicable, extend or complement other activities that are implemented across the sector
The types of activities that may be considered under the program include, but are not limited to:
- Leadership and participation initiatives: initiatives that bring diverse communities and the broader community together through sport to raise awareness about issues of social cohesion and inclusion, and build the capacity of community groups to develop and deliver projects in the future.
- Development and training: the delivery of development courses, training or structured learning opportunities to increase the capacity of leaders and members of diverse cultural communities through sport
- Educational programs: activities that facilitate intercultural dialogue through sport to encourage trust and understanding between participants; developing resources and educational programs
- Events/seminars/workshops: events that encourage dialogue and develop awareness, understanding and belonging through participation in sport. Note: multicultural festivals and events are funded separately through the Multicultural Festivals and Events Program 2017-18
Eligible Applicants
The program is open to organisations that meet the following requirements:
- Must be either
- a state sporting association registered by Sport and Recreation Victoria; or
- a national sporting organisation registered by the Australian Sports Commission proposing to work in partnership with its affiliated Victorian state sporting association
- Have a demonstrated interest in partnering with government and other eligible organisations to promote access to sport for individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds
- Have the ability to devote resources, including employee time, communications collateral and sponsor support, to promote the partnership’s key messages
- Reflect values that encourage and promote the social inclusion of culturally diverse communities
- Be willing to participate in agreed minimum level promotional activity
If your organisation does not meet the above requirements you must nominate an eligible organisation to auspice the application. Auspice organisations must meet the above criteria, and written agreement of the auspice arrangement should be attached as part of the application process.
If applying through an auspice organisation, the applicant must also supply the auspice organisation’s ABN. The auspice will be responsible for management of the funding agreement with the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Timing
Applications close 13 March 2017.
More Information
- Source
- Program Guidelines
