10 tips for completing your NAIDOC local grant funding application

Funding is available under the IAS Culture and Capability Programme to help communities to celebrate NAIDOC Week 2017.

The NAIDOC local grant funding round is now open and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (the Department) invites eligible applicants to apply.

The NAIDOC grant funding round aims to support activities being held during NAIDOC Week 2017 (2-9 July) that celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, achievements and continuing contributions to our country and society.

Consider these 10 tips to help you in putting together your application.

1. Do your reading and talk to your local Regional Office

Before you start your application, you should read the Application Kit and the Indigenous Advancement Strategy Grant Guidelines. These documents will provide you with all of the information and guidance you need to apply for NADIOC local grant funding.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss the Proposal with their local PM&C office before applying. You can contact your closest Regional Office by calling 1800 079 098.

2. Get your application in on time

The current funding round opened on Monday, 27 March and closes on Thursday, 27 April at 4.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).

Keep in mind that Easter shutdowns and school holidays fall within this timeframe so it’s best to prepare early and have your application ready to submit before the closing date and time. If your application is received past the closing date, the Department may not accept it. In considering whether it will accept a late application, the Department will take into account the degree of lateness, whether the cause of the lateness was beyond the applicant's control and other facts it considers relevant. The Department may also ask the applicant to provide evidence to support its claims.

3. How much you can apply for

While there are no maximum or minimum amounts that you can apply for under this grant round, the vast majority of grants in previous years have been for amounts between $200 and $5,000, with a small number of larger grants awarded for significant proposals.

4. Who can apply?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous legal entities may access NAIDOC funding. Applicants must meet all eligibility criteria outlined in the IAS Grant Guidelines and the Application Form. Applications for funding will only be accepted from legal entities.

In general, commonwealth and state and territory agencies and bodies (including government business enterprises) are not eligible to apply for NAIDOC grant funding. However, schools and correctional facilities are eligible. Commonwealth and state and territory agencies and bodies may apply on behalf of a school or correctional facility.

5. What can be funded?

Project activities are expected to occur during NAIDOC Week (2-9 July 2017). However, if this is not possible, activities must be completed by 31 December 2017. Some examples of the types of activities you might be able to apply for include:

• Arts based activities, including painting, dancing, crafts, storytelling
• Family fun days
• Cultural activities
• Elders’ activities
• Bush tucker and other community cooking activities
• NAIDOC themed sporting activities or competitions
• Activities that actively promote reconciliation
• Flag raising ceremonies with accompanying activities
• Activities that promote health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

6. Can I apply for funding for multiple activities?

Yes, however all activities should be included on the one application. Each applicant must submit one Application Form for all NAIDOC activities they seek funding for.  Each activity should be budgeted separately. For example, a Family Fun Day would be counted as one activity. However, a Family Fun Day, an Elder’s Luncheon, a Street March and a Children’s Disco would be counted as four activities.

7. Think about your selection criteria

To be compliant (and therefore eligible), you must address all criteria in your application. We will assess your application against each criterion. All criteria are of equal weighting.

We will also refer applications to our regional office, for advice on proposed activities in their region.

The amount of detail and supporting evidence you provide in your application should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant amount requested. 

8. You should align your proposal with the 2017 NAIDOC theme

Applicants are strongly encouraged to align their project with the NAIDOC theme. The National NAIDOC Theme for 2017 is ‘Our Languages Matter’.

The theme aims to emphasise and celebrate the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the transmission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song. More information on the theme is available on the NAIDOC website.

9. How we assess your application

We first assess your application against the eligibility criteria. If your application meets the eligibility criteria then it will proceed to the assessment stage where we consider the information provided in the Application Form, including your responses to the selection criteria.

In order to support a spread of projects across Australia, your application will be assessed against other applications from your PM&C region.

10. Where you can find further information

Find more information including the Application Kit, Application Form on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

If you’ve got any further questions, you can contact the Department by email at Naidocgrants@pmc.gov.au or phone your local Regional Office on 1800 079 098.

And don’t forget the closing date - 27 April, 2017 at 4.00pm AEST.