Grants up to $360,000 to support social and economic participation of vulnerable people in Australian communities through local community-driven solutions that build self-reliance and empowerment.
Current status of program
CLOSED
To register your interest in future rounds or discuss alternative grant opportunities please contact us here.
On this page you will find
What is the Strong and Resilient Communities Activity – Inclusive Communities Grants?
The SARC – Inclusive Communities Grants was announced as part of the Family and Communities Program. It aims to support vulnerable and disadvantaged people on pathways to self-reliance and empowerment through local community-driven solutions that support them to participate socially and/or economically. It will focus on supporting people of working age (15 to 64 years) in geographic areas of high socio-economic disadvantage across all states and territories.
SARC – Inclusive Communities level of support
Grants
- Funds of up to $180,000 per year are available for each grant, with a maximum grant amount of $360,000
- Funding up to 100% of eligible project costs
SARC – Inclusive Communities important dates
- This program is currently closed
- Register your interest with GrantHelper
SARC – Inclusive Communities objectives and outcomes
The objectives are to:
- support young people 12 to 18 years who are disengaged, or at risk of disengaging, from education to reconnect with their community, school, training and/or employment
- support people with disabilities and/or mental health issues to participate in the community, and work towards becoming or remaining independent and engaged in the economy and/or society
- support women who experience, or are at risk of experiencing isolation or discrimination to participate in the community and/or economy and increase their self-agency
- support people who are unemployed to increase participation in their community and/or increase their capacity to engage in employment, training, or existing employment services.
It is anticipated that funded projects under the program will achieve one or more of the following outcomes:
- Increased social, civic and economic participation.
- Reduced levels of social isolation/increased sense of belonging in communities.
- People are self-reliant, empowered and experience improved sense of wellbeing.
- People are engaged in education, training and work-ready services and activities.
- People have improved work skills and increased opportunities for paid work.
- People engage with and sustain engagement with community services and activities.
- People have improved connections and linkages to services that further support their increased social, civic and economic participation.
Projects eligible for SARC – Inclusive Communities support
To be eligible your project must:
- be targeted towards one or more of the cohorts outlined in the Objectives section
- be either a new project or a significant reframe as outlined in the Outcomes section
The following provides examples of eligible project activities. Projects funded under this grant opportunity must directly relate to the grant Objectives and Outcomes.
Young people 12 to 18
- Cultural workshops
- Social engagement activities
- Vocational training and skills development activities
- Education support and engagement activities
- Physical and mental health activities
Women
- Connect women with existing support services
- Group workshops
- Self-empowerment activities
- Opportunities for social and economic participation
People with disabilities/mental health issues
- Activities that support independence and self-reliance
- Work-readiness or educational tailored workshops
- Support social and community engagement
- Promote well-being and psychosocial support
- Community events
People who are unemployed
- Work-readiness or educational workshops
- Social connection and networking opportunities
- Break down barriers for people to access employment support
- One-on-one mentoring
The SARC – Inclusive Communities Grants are for one off, time-limited short-term projects and as such the following types of projects are ineligible:
- Projects that have an ongoing service delivery model, such as intensive case management or counselling.
- Projects that duplicate another service (as outlined in section 2 of the guidelines – About the grant program) without demonstrating how it is either different or complementary.
- Projects that contain an extended period of community or participant consultation or co-design (more than 3 months).
- Project that are either research or have research elements (beyond an evaluation component).
See the guidelines for full details of projects eligible for SARC – Inclusive Communities Grants.
Expenditure eligible for SARC – Inclusive Communities support
Eligible expenditure items are:
- staff salaries and on-costs, which can be directly attributed to the provision of the grant program in the identified service areas as per the grant agreement
- employee training for paid and unpaid staff including Committee and Board members, that is relevant, appropriate and in line with the grant program
- operating and administration expenses directly related to the project as per the grant agreement, such as rent and outgoings, computer/IT/website/software, consumables, insurance, utilities, including telephone, postage, stationery and/or printing, accounting and auditing, domestic travel/accommodation costs, up to 2 years of vehicle leasing (Vehicles must be leased from a recognised commercial leasing company)
- assets as defined in the Terms and Conditions that can be reasonably attributed to meeting agreement deliverables
- evaluation of the project – up to 7.5% of the total grant may be used for evaluation and exploring possible options for future sustainability and ongoing viability of the funded project beyond the SARC – Inclusive Communities Grants.
You cannot use the grant for:
- purchase of land
- wages not related to the direct delivery of the funded project
- major capital expenditure, including the purchase of vehicles
- the covering of retrospective costs
- costs incurred in the preparation of a grant application or related documentation
- subsidy of general ongoing administration of an organisation such as electricity, phone and rent not directly related to the project as per the grant agreement
- major construction/capital works
- overseas travel
- payments or incentives to encourage individuals to participate in the project
- activities for which other Commonwealth, state, territory or local government bodies have primary responsibility.
Funding will not be provided if you receive funding from another government source for the same purpose.
Funding is unlikely to be provided if another organisation is being funded to provide substantially similar services to the same cohort in the same location.
See the guidelines for full details of expenditure eligible for SARC – Inclusive Communities Grants.
Other SARC – Inclusive Communities important details that you will need to know
Organisations eligible for SARC – Inclusive Communities support
To be eligible you must be one of the following entity types:
- Company
- Cooperative
- Incorporated Association
- Indigenous Corporation
- Local Government Entity
- Statutory Entity
Please note: For social enterprises to be eligible for this grant opportunity, they must be certified through Social Traders.
To be eligible to apply applicants must comply with the Australian Government’s Child Safety obligations. Details on the specific child safe eligibility criteria can be found on the Child Safety for DSS grants and in the Frequently Asked Questions for DSS grantees.
You are not eligible to apply if you are:
- an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s website on the list of ‘Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme’
- an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the Workplace Gender Equality Agency website on the non-compliant organisations list
- Corporate Commonwealth Entity
- Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entity
- Non-Corporate Commonwealth Statutory Authority
- Corporate State or Territory Entity
- Non-corporate State or Territory Entity
- Non-corporate State or Territory Statutory Authority
- International Entity
- Unincorporated Association
- Sole Trader
- Partnership
Please note: Auspicing arrangements are ineligible under this grant opportunity.
If you are successful, relevant personnel working on the project must maintain the following:
- Working with Vulnerable People registration
- Working with Children check.
If your organisation is a Social Enterprise you must maintain the following:
- Social Traders certification.
SARC – Inclusive Communities assessment criteria
Criterion 1: Need for the project in the community and relevance to government priorities (20%)
- The problem or need your project will address, including evidence
- The demographics of the community your project will target
- Any collaborations, co-design activities or consultations undertaken with the target cohort/s in the design of the project; including their role in the process and support of the project.
Criterion 2: Describe the project (30%)
- Provide a detailed description of your project, including how it will be delivered and any information about delivery partners.
- Outline how you will recruit participants and staff for the project.
- How your project aligns with Australian Government strategies or plans that addresses disadvantage of your project’s target cohort
Criterion 3: Describe the intended outcomes of the project (30%)
- Explain the intended short and medium term outcomes of your project and how these are linked to the outcomes of SARC – IC Grants
- Outline how the intended outcomes of your project may be sustained for the cohort/s in the long term.
- Explain how you will measure the intended outcomes of your project, including any tools or strategies you will utilise and at what point in the project they will be used.
Criterion 4: Capability to deliver the project and governance arrangements to support delivery (20%)
- Provide an overview of your organisation, including governance structures, geographical coverage and dispute resolution policies.
- Describe the relevant experience, qualifications, and registrations required by staff who will deliver services under SARC – IC Grants, including how staff will continue to be appropriately skilled and supported.
- Demonstrate how your organisation will leverage existing relationships and work with other services to deliver the project.
- Describe your process for ensuring all reporting requirements in section 12.1 – Keeping us informed will be met.
See the guidelines for full details of the assessment criteria.
How do I get the SARC – Inclusive Communities Grants?
Applicants must:
- Read and understand the guidelines.
- Ensure eligibility for the funding. Applicants that do not meet all the eligibility criteria will not be considered.
- Deliver the project as outlined in the application.
- Provide complete information requirements.
Information to prepare for the SARC – Inclusive Communities application
All of the following documents must be attached to your application for it to be considered compliant and for it to proceed to assessment:
- evidence of your entity type
- evidence and details of consortia arrangement (if applicable)
- evidence of certification with Social Traders as outlined in section 4.1 – Who is eligible to apply for a grant? (if applicable)
You must attach supporting documentation according to the instructions provided within the application form. You should only attach requested documents.
Please note: There is a 2 MB limit for each attachment.
Some organisations may want to join together as a consortium to deliver a SARC – IC Grants project.
In these circumstances, you must appoint a ‘lead organisation’. Only the lead organisation can submit the application form and enter into a grant agreement with the Commonwealth.
Applying for the SARC – Inclusive Communities
Eligible applicants must submit a complete online application form on GrantConnect.
Register your interest with GrantHelper to explore your alignment with this program and how we can assist you to increase your chances of success.
SARC – Inclusive Communities resources
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