Up to $15,000 is available from Smartraveller Grants Program to support projects that encourage smarter, safer overseas travel by Australians.
Smartraveller Grants Program
The Smartraveller Grants Program (SGP) provides competitive funding from DFAT for projects that encourage safer overseas travel by Australians. Funding is available for innovative, effective projects and partners who can help implement the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Consular Strategy 2017-19.
Background
Australians make over 10 million overseas trips each year. Most Australian travellers are well prepared and enjoy the trouble-free travel. Some run into difficulty, but can sort things out themselves with the help of family, friends, travel insurers, travel agents or employers. Approximately 15,000 seek assistance from the Australian government on issues ranging from hospitalisation and whereabouts enquiries to arrest, imprisonment or the death of a family member.
Smartraveller is a key program enabling the Australian Government to fulfil a significant priority: to help Australians travel overseas safely and securely. Managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Smartraveller assists Australians to make informed decisions about their safety and security when travelling overseas by promoting safe travel messages and accurate and timely country travel advisories.
Objectives
The Smartraveller Grants Program seeks to improve the provision of information and services for Australians travelling overseas, especially vulnerable and at‐risk travellers and encourage positive changes in attitudes and behaviour. This reflects the goals of the Smartraveller public information campaign and key objectives of the Consular Strategy 2017-19.
The overarching objectives of the Smartraveller Grants Program are to:
- Support the DFAT Smartraveller campaign and smarter, safer overseas travel by Australians;
- Attract innovative, effective projects and partners to help implement the DFAT Consular Strategy 2017‐19; and
- Use Australian Government funds efficiently and effectively to achieve above goals.
Funding
The Smartravellers Grants Program round for 2017‐18 will fund three to four projects for a maximum amount of $15,000 each. The funding amounts will be finalised by December 2017.
Eligible Projects
The Smartravellers Grants Program will provide funding for activities which meet some or all of the following objectives:
- Promote a culture of responsible travelling
- Reinforce the importance of adequate planning and preparation for overseas travel including appropriate travel and medical insurance.
- Increase the proportion of Australians travelling overseas who are self-reliant in adversity when travelling overseas and see DFAT consular services as an option to be sought after other avenues have been exhausted.
- Raise public awareness of travel issues and risks
- Help Australians understand the risks of overseas travel and promote ways to enhance safety, including through new technology.
- Further increase awareness and use of the Smartraveller brand and services.
- Provide information and/or services to vulnerable or at‐risk Australians overseas travellers
- Assist those identified as vulnerable or high‐risk travellers, including but not limited to under-25s, elderly travellers and people with mental health issues.
Eligible Applicants
Individuals, groups and organisations may apply for Smartravellers Grants Program funding. Applicant/s must be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident, or an Australian entity with an ABN or ACN.
Joint applications may be accepted from a non‐Australian citizen or organisation working in partnership with an Australian citizen or permanent resident, to promote smarter, safer overseas travel by Australians.
Groups must nominate either an individual or a legally constituted organisation as the legal entity, known as the grant recipient, which will be responsible for administering the grant, should one be offered.
To be eligible, organisations must be registered under law or created by law (for example, government statutory authority). Examples of legally constituted organisations are incorporated associations, incorporated indigenous associations and companies limited by guarantee.
Timing
Applications close 27 November 2017.
