Funding is available to not-for-profit organisations addressing social need in new and innovative ways.
About
Westpac Foundation is a charitable trust investing in not-for-profits run by community leaders who have the vision, courage and determination to give disadvantaged Australians in our community opportunity. Through grants, they seek to develop communities where the long-term unemployed, Indigenous Australians, refugees, the homeless, and individuals with a disability, feel engaged and included.
With a heritage stretching back 130 years, we invest our time and money in innovative approaches to addressing social need.
Westpac Foundation support not-for-profit organisations taking a fresh approach to addressing social problems, borrowing the best from business to create more opportunity for Australia’s most disadvantaged.
To ensure the organisations we support are around for the long term, driving lasting social change and serving as a role model to others, we build deep, long term relationships with our grantees. Westpac Foundation lend the skills and expertise of Westpac employees, helping our grantees to deliver greater social outcomes for the Australians they support.
Westpac Foundation invest in innovative ideas at every stage of development and scope, from the start-up phase to national expansion, providing opportunity right across the community.
Funding Social Enterprise and Innovation
The Social Enterprise and Innovation funding category supports new ideas that drive lasting social impact, can be sustained, and may be replicated across regions.
The ideas must be enterprising and innovative; they improve the lives of disadvantaged Australians and have the potential to generate income. If an organisation can sustain itself, partly or fully through trading activities, Westpac Foundation believe its strength, longevity and impact will be so much greater. Such a project is commonly called a “social enterprise”.
These grants are categorised by the following stages of development and applications will open and close at various times throughout 2013:
Explore & Develop Phase – Organisations looking to explore and develop an innovative social enterprise approach can apply for a Social Enterprise Scholarship. These scholarships give organisations the opportunity to participate in programs that assist with developing the business and strategic plans for the social enterprise concept, and identifying potential social impact. A limited number of Social Enterprise Scholarships will be available in 2013. Applications will open in March 2013. Further details regarding eligibility will be available in February 2013.
Start-up Phase – Seed funding is available for new or relatively new organisations that are ready to launch and require start-up funds. To be eligible for seed funding, an organisation will have explored and developed their social enterprise concept to a stage whereby; it can define the potential future social impact; the business and strategic plans have been developed and approved by the organisation’s Board; and a pilot/feasibility has been undertaken. Apply for Seed Funding – Applications for seed funding grants will open in December 2013, to be awarded mid 2014.
Strengthen Phase – In keeping with our funding approach of building deep, long term relationships with our grantees to deliver greater outcomes for Australia’s most disadvantaged, in 2013 they will be focusing on strengthening and growing the not-for-profit organisations and programs they have invested in through recent grant rounds and supported through Westpac’s organisational mentoring program. Westpac Foundation will be proactively identifying previous grant recipients and Westpac Organisational Mentor Partners to apply for this grant in the second half of 2013.
Growth Phase – Past Westpac Foundation grant recipients or Westpac Organisational Mentor Partners wishing to restructure their current funding model and significantly increase the social impact of their programs and financial sustainability over the long-term can apply for this significant grant. To be eligible, an organisation must be at a stage whereby it is demonstrating social outcomes and some social impacts, and achieving expected financial forecasts with a view to being financially self sustaining in the near future. Westpac Foundation will be proactively identifying previous grant recipients and Westpac Organisational Mentor Partners to apply for this grant in the second half of 2013.
Funding Community
Community Program – Westpac Foundation Community Program supports grass roots, community led initiatives in partnership with the Branch and Commercial Bank employees of our major supporter, Westpac Banking Corporation. This grant program is an opportunity for Westpac employees to get behind their favourite charities and encourage them to apply for support.
These smaller grants make a difference at a local level by connecting Westpac employees with their local communities. The support goes beyond financial assistance, to the offer of volunteers and business expertise. Community organisations can apply for a Community Grant in March 2013. Further details regarding eligibility will be available in February 2013.
Community Grant – Pacific – Not-for-profit organisations listed in the AusAID Overseas Aid Gift Deduction Scheme are eligible to apply for this grant. Organisations included in this scheme can apply for funding for projects that support a social need in the community that aims to improve the local economy in the Pacific region. This grant is only available to not-for-profit organisations listed in the AusAID Overseas Aid Gift Deduction Scheme. Applications open March 2013. Grants will be awarded in August 2013.
Eligible Applicants
All applicants must have deductible gift recipient status – type 1 from the Australian Tax Office.
A deductible gift recipient (DGR) is an entity or fund that can receive tax deductible gifts. There are two types of DGR endorsement:
- An entity that has DGR endorsement in its own right
- An entity that is only a DGR in relation to a fund, authority or institution it operates. In this instance, only gifts to the fund, authority or institution are tax deductible
Expert Assistance
Writing a good quality grant application is a critical element in the application process. An application needs to be well thought through, written concisely, have clear objectives and purpose, and show clear links to the objectives of the grant guidelines.
The grant application must answer all questions, provide all required information and respond to the merit criteria. It should also reflect your organisation’s business strategy.
Writing a good application takes time and effort, and requires particular writing skills.
Bulletpoint are expert grant consultants and can assist with all aspects of grant preparation.
Call us on (03) 9005 6789 or email to discuss further.
We have significant experience in applying for grants. Typical areas where we can be of assistance include:
- Demonstrating the identified need;
- Highlighting the relevance to current government policies and priorities;
- Complete the Project Plan and Budget Projections;
- Identify Outcomes that are measurable;
- Detail the applicant organisation’s experience or expertise in undertaking the project/s;
- Calculating the value for money; and
- Demonstrating capacity to deliver quality outcomes
