What is the Online Safety Grants Program?
The eSafety Commissioner: Online Safety Grants Program is a grant opportunity to support non-government organisations (NGOs) that deliver online safety education to children, young people and their communities, or training to those who work with them.
Background
The eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) was established in July 2015 as the Government’s official agency committed to keeping Australian citizens safer online. eSafety is an independent statutory office supported by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). eSafety has various functions and powers, under Australian Government legislation, to foster online safety.
The Online Safety Grants Program (OSGP), administered by eSafety will provide $9 million in grant funding over three years (2020-21 to 2022-23). This funding is only available for non-government organisations (NGOs).
The Online Safety Grants Program is seeking applications from NGOs that can demonstrate an ability to use evidence-based research and best practice in online safety education to develop services, resources and products that provide new solutions for improving online safety.
These can be:
- for use in schools and other places of learning
- designed for parents and carers, communities or support workers
- focused on at-risk communities, and/or
- aimed at scaling up new services, resources or products.
Coronavirus – COVID-19 Update
At the time of the release of these guidelines (April 2020), eSafety acknowledges the significant impact that the COVID-19 virus is having on all sectors of the Australian community. NGOs should carefully consider in their applications any limitations that the COVID-19 virus may have on physically accessing schools and communities to deliver projects and outcomes within this grant opportunity. eSafety recommends NGOs keep up to date on COVID-19 developments via the Australian Government Department of Health website.
Objectives
The objectives of the Online Safety Grants Program are to:
- support innovative development, collaboration and implementation of online safety education programs
- ensure children, young people and their communities can access inclusive, citizen-focused online safety education resources
- promote and increase the positive and safe use of digital technologies in at-risk communities, via improvements in service delivery
- contribute to driving diversity and inclusion online
- maximise opportunities for all Australians to understand the online safety support, complaints and referral pathways they can access
- create a culture where safe online behaviours among children and young people becomes the ‘norm’
- deliver projects that use co-design and evidence-based frameworks as standard practice for delivering online safety education, and
- embed Safety by Design principles, in the development of solutions and programs, where appropriate.
Funding
Grants will be funded under a single round each financial year, from 2020-2021 to 2022-2023.
The minimum grant amount will be $80,000 per financial year, and the maximum grant amount will be up to $1 million per financial year.
Eligible Projects
Eligible grant activity must directly relate to the proposed project. The Online Safety Grants Program is seeking new ideas, innovative thinking and ways of working with children and young people. The program is also seeking to address areas of demonstrated need in the delivery of online safety education. The eSafety Online Safety Education Framework provides the basis for best practice online safety education. eSafety has identified five focus areas for the Online Safety Grants Program, backed by an evidence that there are needs and gaps in the provision of online safety education in these areas.
Eligible grant activity must be categorised in at least one of the following focus areas. Applicants can apply within a maximum of three categories:
- preparing the schools
- preparing the citizens
- preparing the communities
- delivering safer online services, and
- supporting innovation.
Eligible Applicants
To be eligible you must:
- Have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or an ACN
- Be registered for the purposes of GST
- Have an account with an Australian financial institution
- Be one of the following entity types:
- a registered non-government organisation (NGO) as defined in the Glossary, or
- a registered non-government organisation (NGO) leading a partnership/joint grant application.
- Be a legal entity, or must consist of organisations that are legal entities
- Agree to comply with the Intellectual Property Licence (IPL) requirements set out in the Commonwealth Simple Grant Agreement provided with these guidelines
If you are successful, relevant personnel delivering the project must maintain the following registration/checks:
- Working with Vulnerable People registration (or State based equivalent), and/or
- Working with Children check (or State based equivalent).
You must also:
- provide or commit to develop child safety guidelines or policy for your project if it involves working with people under the age of 18 years.
- consider the personnel involved in your project have relevant qualifications and that their principles and values support your organisation being credible in the Australian community.
- consider any limitations that the COVID-19 virus may have on your ability (if required) physically accessing schools and communities to deliver projects and outcomes within this grant opportunity.
Timing
Applications close 21 May 2020.
