Community Health – Defibrillator Maintenance (Strathbogie Shire Council)

Community Health – Defibrillator Maintenance (Strathbogie Shire Council) is sponsored by Strathbogie Shire Council. This grant, as exemplified by a previous approval for the Strathbogie Tablelands Action Group, supports community health initiatives, specifically defibrillator maintenance. Community groups can apply for funding to ensure their defibrillators are in good working order.

# Strathbogie Shire Council Community Grant Guidelines # Community Grant Guidelines Strathbogie Shire Council’s Community Grants contribute funds to projects that align with the 2021-2025 Council Plan bringing people together to connect, collaborate, celebrate, upskill, share resources, and put ideas into action. Strathbogie Shire Council values the role community plays in building a resilient, inclusive, vibrant Shire.

Outcomes of funded projects may include, for example, social connection, inclusion, health, wellbeing, safety, community arts, positive cultural or environmental outcomes, economic development, and increased visitor economy. The 2021-2025 Council Plan can be found at: https://www. strathbogie.

vic. gov.au/images/Plans_policies_Strategies_reports/Strathbogie_S hire_Council_20212025_Council_Plan. pdf For the purposes of these guidelines, the term ‘project’ refers to any activity, initiative, or program proposed for funding under the Community Grants program.

## Community Grant Program Community Strengthening Category These grants support local community groups and creatives to implement accessible community projects that they design and deliver. It focuses on people and social connection; building community capacity around the principles of respect and equality; and locally led responses to opportunities and needs.

These grants support larger projects that will be completed within the financial year. Like the Community Strengthening grant, these grants contribute funds towards accessible community-led projects but give you more flexibility to respond to currently presenting opportunities and/or needs. These grants support smaller, spontaneous projects that can be completed within three months.

Community Conversations – January 26th The Community Conversations- January 26 grants support one facilitated community discussion per township on how the local community wants to navigate January 26th into the future. The funds can only be used for facilitator fees, community engagement activities, and/or venue hire to support a facilitated community discussion event. Funding is determined annually through Council’s budget process.

Applicants can apply up to the maximum funding amount as listed below: Funding Category Maximum funding available Community Strengthening Grant $10,000 Quick Response Grant $1,000 Community Conversations – January 26th Grant $5,000 Successful Community Strengthening Grant applicants must provide a matching contribution to the value of 30% (cash or in-kind) of the total grant funds allocated. 2 1.

Read these guidelines and check your eligibility 2. Discuss your application with Council’s Community Development Team prior to submission by calling 5795 0000. Note: Council Officers can assist with the application process but are unable to review draft applications.

Applications must be submitted online at Grants and Funding | Strathbogie Shire Applications for the Community Strengthening Grants open on 26 June and close 7 August 2023 . Applications for the Community Conversations – January 26 Grants open on 26 June and close 24 July 2023 . Applications for the Quick Response Grants open on 1 July 2023 and close 31 May 2024 or when the funds are exhausted.

Successful Community Strengthening applications will be determined at the September 2023 Council Meeting Community Conversations – January 26 grant allocations will be confirmed in August 2023. Quick Response grant allocations will be confirmed within four weeks of receipt of your application.

3 ✓ Incorporated groups based in Strathbogie Shire, or unincorporated not-for-profit groups based in Strathbogie Shire auspiced by an appropriate incorporated association with: • a minimum $20,000,000 Public Liability Insurance #  Educational institutions #  Religious organisations or institutions #  Political organisations #  Commercial, profit-making organisations #  State or federal government agencies #  An elected member or employee of Strathbogie Shire Council.

Elected members or employees of Strathbogie Shire Council cannot be involved in the development of an application and are not eligible to sign or be listed on any grant #  Groups who have an overdue acquittal or owe money from a previous funding application #  Groups who have already received or been approved for funding from the same funding category this financial year #  An auspice organisation that has provided auspice to another Community Grant application in the same grant category this financial year To auspice is to lend support to another person or group.

In the context of grant applications, the auspice organisation is one that receives the grant money on your behalf and is ultimately responsible to ensure the project is completed. You may need to seek an auspice organisation if your group is not incorporated, does not have a bank account or if your group will not be ongoing; you should partner with an organisation with a similar vision or values to yours.

If you require an auspice arrangement you will need to provide a letter of support by your auspice organisation or have the auspice organisation submit the application. More information about using an auspice arrangement can be found at What is auspicing? | Not-for-profit Law (nfplaw.

org. au) 4 ## What will and won’t be funded?

# ✓ Projects that bring people together and enable participation and skill sharing e.g. events, workshops, equipment # ✓ Projects that upskill volunteers e.g. governance training, project management # ✓ Projects that will have positive social and/or environmental, and/or cultural outcomes e.g. promote diversity, inclusion, community connection, physical activity, wellbeing, safety, community arts, environmental conservation, waste reduction, action on climate change, cultural awareness # ✓ Projects that express or celebrate local identity and the unique values of individual places and townships # ✓ Projects that celebrate and/or showcase Strathbogie Shire, and provide a range of community benefits including supporting economic development and the visitor economy # ✓ There will be only one Community Conversations – January 26th grant allocation per township and funds can only be used for community engagement activities e.g. surveys ,facilitator fees, and venue hire.

#  Applications received after the funding round closing date #  Projects that have already received Council funding or been approved for another grant from Council this financial year #  Projects delivered outside of the Strathbogie Shire municipality #  Retrospective funding for projects that have already occurred or have commenced #  Projects that do not align with our Community Values #  Projects for political purposes and/or promotion #  Projects that celebrate January 26th #  Projects that are the responsibility of other agencies (e.g. charities, government agencies) #  Projects that are defined as facility maintenance on community and Council owned buildings; small appliances are acceptable for Community Strengthening & Quick Response Grants #  Applications that can’t confirm they will be able to obtain the required permits and permissions #  Costs of attending conferences or sporting events; travel or accommodation #  Fundraising costs or prizes #  Operational costs e.g. rent, utilities, insurance #  Staff wages (this does not include payment of contractors or services to deliver the project) or payment to a service provider under the same ABN as the applicant #  Projects that will result in a Council asset that has not received prior approval from Council 5 I am part of a community group and not on the ‘who cannot apply list’ You must be auspiced by an incorporated group to apply (see page 3) We are not incorporated We are incorporated & have an ABN We received a grant last financial year or a grant from another funding stream / category this financial year We have not applied before We have finished our previous grants & provided an Acquittal Report We have Public Liability Insurance Our project is in Strathbogie Shire Our project will benefit the Strathbogie Shire community We have no outstanding debt with Council YES you can apply for a Community Grant.

You must speak with the Community Development Officer before submitting your application This project has not received or been approved for Council funding this financial year We have not received or been approved for funding from this grant category this financial year Our project is not on the ‘what won’t be funded’ list 6 ## How will my application be assessed? The assessment process involves several steps.

Step 1: eligibility check Council Officers conduct eligibility checks on all applications, refer to the ‘Who can apply’ and ‘What will and won’t be funded’ sections. If your application is ineligible, you will be notified within five business days from receipt of your application.

Step 2: pre assessment panel screening Applications that meet the eligibility criteria undergo pre assessment panel screening where they must meet the following criteria before they can move to Step 3: • are complete and have provided required documentation • have provided a balanced budget including accurate in-kind contributions, evidence of other funding sources, and quotes valid for 3 months • Community Strengthening Grant applications have demonstrated a matching contribution from the applicant to the value of 30% of the total grant funds requested • include the value of the in-kind contribution from Council into the total amount of funding requested not exceeding the funding maximum, refer to ‘Funds available’ page 1.

• have evidence of community support • have listed partner organisations • have listed other funding sources • have listed required permissions including landowner consent, and permits if applicable • have completed a Risk Assessment if applicable. All projects will require a Risk assessment excluding projects where the total grant funds will be used for the purchase of goods only.

If your application does not meet these criteria, you will be notified within five business days from the date of the assessment screening. You will be provided the opportunity to update your application and resubmit within five business days of receiving notice. Step 3: assessment panel review The Community Grants Program is a competitive process, funds are awarded based on merit.

When your application meets the pre assessment panel screening criteria, your application moves to the final assessment stage where it will be reviewed by a panel made up of three or more Council Officers using the following criteria: 7 The questions in the criteria are example questions only. For questions appropriate for your grant category refer to the online Application Form.

Each application will receive a total score from the questions answered in each section of the criteria. Applications require a minimum of 50% in each criteria category to be considered for funding. All applications will receive a funding recommendation from the panel.

Applications will be either recommended for funding with a proposed funding amount, or not recommended for funding. All Community Strengthening Grant applications will be presented to a Council Meeting for decision. All Community Conversations – January 26th Grant and Quick Response Grant applications will be awarded under CEO delegation and presented to Council for noting.

40% Why is the proposed project needed and how have you identified that need? Why is this project important? Does it have community support?

40% What are you delivering and what do you hope to achieve? How will the community benefit?

You will be asked to identify the potential positive outcomes of your project which may include: ▪ inclusion & gender equity ▪ positive cultural outcomes ▪ positive environmental & climate change outcomes ▪ upskilling of local volunteers ▪ celebrate Strathbogie Shire ▪ increased visitor economy Applications that can demonstrate a positive impact on inclusion & gender equity, and positive environment & climate change outcomes will achieve a higher weighting.

20% Who is delivering the project? Do they have the ability to deliver the project? Can they demonstrate good project management – scope, schedule, budget, & risk management?

Can they demonstrate organisational capacity?

8 Pre assessment Panel Screening Application is ineligible applicant notified within 5 working days of application receipt Application does not meet pre assessment panel screening criteria Application meets pre assessment panel screening criteria Applicant notified within 5 business days - provided opportunity to update application & resubmit within 5 business days of receiving notice to proceed to Step 3 Only applications with scores greater than 50% will be considered for funding.

All applications will be assessed on merit and given a recommendation to fund or not to fund Community Strengthening grant applications will be presented to Council Quick Response and Community Conversations grant applications will be presented to the CEO for decision 9 The final decision on whether to fund or not to fund your project is informed by a rigorous assessment process.

You must also be aware that you may not be allocated the full amount you requested. This decision could be based on the results of the assessment or to assist Council manage demand to ensure fair and equitable access to the Community Grants program. You will be advised in writing of Council’s decision which will be final.

There is no review or appeal process. When a grant is awarded, you will be offered a Funding Agreement with Council specific to your project. In accepting a Strathbogie Shire grant, you are committing to: • Signing a Funding Agreement prepared by Council, specific to your project.

• Using the funding provided for the approved activities/items only. • Not undertaking any changes to budget items in the application without prior written approval from Council • Returning any unspent funds at the completion of the project or the end of the Funding Agreement unless prior approval in writing from Council has been obtained.

• Providing an Acquittal Report in line with the conditions outlined in the Funding Agreement • Notifying Council of any changes to key project contacts and providing relevant contact details within five business days of the changes • Obtaining the necessary permits, approvals and landowner consent, and meeting any costs associated with those permits and approvals • Acknowledging Council’s funding support in line with Strathbogie Shire Council’s ‘Acknowledgement and Publicity Guidelines’ 20210603-Guidelines-Acknowledgement-and-Publicity.

pdf (strathbogie. vic. gov.au) • Being responsible for the management and delivery of the project • Adopting a ‘buy local’ and environmentally sustainable forward approach to procurement • Understanding Council is not responsible for meeting any shortfalls should the project run over budget • Understanding Council reserves the right to withdraw support if you do not comply with Council policies or any written agreement entered into.

This includes the return of funds or variations to the Agreement. Payment will be made to the group’s or the auspice organisation’s nominated bank account after the signed Funding Agreement and an invoice is received by Council. A successful grant application does not imply ongoing funding.

Council provides funding for the term specified in the Funding Agreement. You or your group are responsible for the future sustainability of your project beyond the funding period. Council grants are not subject to GST and the grant amount does not include GST unless otherwise stated.

However, exceptions may apply if all the following conditions are met: • the relevant grant applicant is registered for GST and 10 • the applicant makes a taxable supply in return to the council and • the applicant provides a valid tax invoice to the council. The above provisions are subject to change as per tax regulations.

Applicants that are registered for GST and able to claim GST paid for expenditure associated with the grant funds, will have claimable GST factored into grant allocation decisions. This covers cash contributions and contributions by volunteers and suppliers in terms of time, goods, or professional services donated to the project and should be clearly identified in your project budget.

The value of in-kind support should be reflected in both your income and expenditure. You can calculate the value of in-kind time for services as: • General committee/community member contribution (e.g. planning, coordination, etc) at $40 per hour • Specialist or expert contribution (e.g. tradesperson, professional services) at $80 per hour Council can also provide in-kind contributions to your project e.g. equipment, venue hire.

All requests for Council in-kind contributions must be approved and included in your budget. The value of Council’s in-kind contribution must be calculated into the total amount you are requesting from Council not exceeding the grant maximum.

For example, if you are requesting the maximum of $10,000 for a Community Strengthening Grant and request a $2,000 in-kind contribution, Council’s contribution would be in-kind to the value of $2,000 and grant funds (cash) to the value of $8,000. Any requests for variations to the Funding Agreement including budget items must be submitted to Council in writing.

You will be notified of the outcome of budget item variation requests within: • four weeks if the requested amount is under $1,000 • six to eight weeks if the requested amount is over $1,000 You will be notified of the outcome of all other variation requests within two weeks of receipt of the request. 11