This section provides information on how to complete the application form. Organisations interested in applying for Volunteer Grants 2009 are encouraged to use the online application form, which has been developed to simplify and streamline the application process.
Part 1 - The organisation’s legal entity and status
Part 1 seeks information about the organisation applying for funding.
Question 1 - The organisation applying for funding
Select one option.
If you are an eligible legal entity applying for funding on behalf of your organisation’s volunteers select ‘our organisation is a legal entity and is applying for funding in its own right’.
If you are applying on behalf of another organisation that is not a legal entity select ‘our organisation is sponsoring an organisation that is not a legal entity’.
Question 2 - Did your organisation receive funding under the Volunteer Grants Program 2008?
Select one category. If you are not sure your organisation received funding from the Volunteer Grants Program 2008, select ‘Unsure’. The Volunteer Grants team will check whether your organisation received funding. Preference will be given to organisations that did not receive Volunteer Grants Program 2008 funding.
Question 3 - What is the legal name of the organisation that will enter into a funding agreement with the Department?
Provide the legal name of the organisation.
Question 4 - What is the trading name of the organisation identified at Q3?
If your organisation has a short, trading or common name, provide it here. Organisations that are branches/outlets of larger organisations may include the local name here.
Question 5 - Is your organisation not-for-profit?
To be eligible for funding, organisations must be not-for-profit. For-profit organisations are not eligible to apply for funding.
Question 6 - What type of entity is the organisation?
Refer to detailed Eligibility of Organisations information in Section 1 of these Guidelines. Only legal entities can enter into a funding agreement with the Department. Types of eligible legal entities include:
- Incorporated Associations
- Incorporated Cooperatives
- Aboriginal Corporations
- Australian Private Companies
- Australian Public Companies
- Organisations established through a specific piece of Commonwealth or State/Territory legislation
- Trustees on behalf of a Trust.
Local Government entities may sponsor a non-profit organisation(s) with volunteers in the following circumstances:
- where an organisation is not a legal entity in its own right; and
- the Local Government entity is the only or most reasonable option to sponsor the organisation in the community.
State Government educational institutions may sponsor the local parent & friends/citizens association in the following circumstances:
- where a parent association/committee is not a legal entity in its own right; or
- on behalf of a school council/board whose legal status is linked to the school’s governing body, such as a State Government school.
Organisations that are unsure about their legal status are advised to seek this information from the treasurer, financial controller, accountant or legal area.
Note: To be eligible for funding, organisations must also be non-profit Australian organisations whose volunteers’ work is aimed at supporting Australian families and/or communities.
Question 7 - Nominate the contact person for this application
This is the only person who will be contacted in regard to the application. All correspondence will be directed to the contact person. The contact person should have authority to speak on behalf of the organisation.
For privacy reasons, the Department will only speak or write to the nominated contact person in regard to the application or outcome.
Please advise the Volunteer Grants team if the contact person and/or contact details change.
Question 8 - What is the organisation’s physical business address?
Provide the physical or street address here. The postal address should be provided at Question 9.
Question 9 - What is the postal address of the organisation?
Provide the postal address of your organisation here. If the postal address is the same as the physical address, select ‘same as Q8 above’.
Question 10 - Does the organisation have an Australian Business Number (ABN)?
If your organisation has an ABN, provide the number here.
An ABN is not required to receive funding, however you must provide the number if your organisation has an ABN.
Question 11 - Is the organisation GST registered?
Select the option which applies to your organisation.
Organisations do not require GST registration to receive funding.
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Part 2 - Details of the sponsored organisation
Part 2 seeks information about the organisation being sponsored by an eligible legal entity. The sponsored organisation is the organisation whose volunteers will use and benefit from the equipment and/or fuel requested in the application. The legal entity in Part 1 will be responsible for the funding and will enter into a funding agreement with the Department, should the application be successful.
Question 12 - Contact details of the sponsored organisation working directly with the volunteers.
Provide details of the sponsored organisation whose volunteers will receive and benefit from funding. Please provide the physical or street address.
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Part 3 - The organisation working directly with the volunteers
All questions in Part 3 must be answered or the application cannot be properly assessed. Part 3 seeks information about the organisation working directly with the volunteers at the ‘grass roots’ level.
If the organisation submitting this application is sponsoring an organisation that is not a legal entity, the responses should be about the sponsored organisation whose volunteers will benefit from the requested items/fuel.
Question 13 - Enter the postcode of where your (or the sponsored) organisation’s volunteer work is most active.
Provide the postcode where the volunteers are generally most active and do the most work. This postcode may be different to the organisation’s postcode.
Question 14 - Does your (or the sponsored) organisation identity itself as Indigenous?
This refers to whether the organisation identifies itself as an Indigenous organisation, not whether the volunteers are Indigenous.
Question 15 - Are any of your volunteers: (select as many categories as applicable)
Select the category which applies to the volunteers, if applicable. More than one category may be selected. If none apply, leave blank.
Question 16 - Is the primary role of your (or the sponsored) organisation to assist any of the following groups or individuals?
Select the category which applies to your (or the sponsored) organisation. More than one category can be selected if applicable. If none of the categories apply, leave blank.
Question 17 - What is the approximate yearly budget of your (or the sponsored) organisation?
For Volunteer Grants 2009 purposes, the budget only includes the costs and expenses associated with running the organisation, e.g. salaries, utilities, rent, office expenses, insurance. The budget should be for the organisation ‘on the ground’ with the volunteers who will use and benefit from the equipment item(s) or be reimbursed for fuel.
For example, the charity’s head office (budget costs of $200,000 incorporating salaries, rent, telephone, insurance, office supplies etc) is located in the city. Funding for a new computer is sought to assist the charity’s volunteers who work in the clothing shop (budget of $15,000 for rent, telephone, office supplies etc) in a nearby suburb. In this example, the budget of the clothing shop would be entered at Question 17.
Question 18 - Please select the option that best describes the type of work of your (or the sponsored) organisation?
Select one option.
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Part 4 - Nominated bank account
Question 19 - Provide details of the account nominated by the legal entity for direct-credit of funds if this application is successful.
Provide the correct BSB (bank/state/branch) Number, Account Number and Account Name.
It is important that these details are correct, including case sensitivity, as the nominated account will be used to directly credit the Volunteer Grants 2009 funding, if the application is successful.
Note: FaHCSIA cannot make payments to third parties or individuals.
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Part 5 - What are the requested items?
Part 5 seeks information about the small equipment item(s) and/or contribution towards reimbursement of volunteers’ fuel costs requested as part of the application.
Refer to the detailed eligibility information provided in Section 1 of the Application Guidelines. Small equipment items must be portable, tangible and for the primary benefit of the volunteers. The contribution towards reimbursement of fuel/petrol costs is available for volunteers who incur these costs directly in undertaking their volunteering activities. All requested items must meet the eligibility criteria to be funded.
Question 20 - What funding item(s) is your (or the sponsored) organisation requesting in this application?
Items
Enter the requested item(s) and/or fuel/petrol in the Item column. Funding for fuel/petrol cost reimbursement for volunteers is limited to $2,500. Show the retail cost of all items and fuel/petrol (i.e. GST inclusive amount), including fuel/petrol. The total cost of all items must be between $1,000 and $5,000.
Select item(s) from the list of most commonly requested items at Attachment A, or from the drop down list in the online/electronic form. If you wish to apply for other items, enter ‘Other’ and provide details of the item.
- It is not necessary to include brand or model details, or to specify the number of items
- Low-cost, closely related items can be requested as a set or package e.g. kitchen utensils/equipment. Select the set or package from the list of most commonly requested items. Do not provide detailed information about the individual items included in the set.
Applying for computer equipment
For the purposes of Volunteer Grants 2009, a computer refers to a Central Processing Unit, monitor, keyboard, laptop computers, notebook computers, mouse, external hard drive and operating software. Operating software includes Windows, virus protection, or any other software required to run the PC in a basic sense. Computers should not be listed as a set or package of equipment items.
All other software, such as Office, MYOB or other specialised software is classed as ‘computer software (non-operating)’ and should be requested as a separate item.
Other related items, including printers and scanners should be individually listed and costed.
Question 21 - Will the requested items/fuel help attract new volunteers to your (or the sponsored) organisation?
If the items and/or fuel will help attract new volunteers, select ‘yes’ and give the estimated number of new volunteers. Otherwise, select ‘no’.
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Part 6 - Staff and volunteers of the organisation working directly with the volunteers
Part 6 seeks information about the number of paid staff and volunteers in the organisation. These answers relate to the organisation ‘on the ground’ whose volunteers will use and benefit from the small equipment/fuel cost reimbursement.
Question 22 - How many paid staff work for your (or the sponsored) organisation?
Provide the number of paid staff in the organisation, equivalent to full-time paid staff. For example, two half-time staff members would be equivalent to one paid staff. Round to the nearest whole number.
Question 23 - How many volunteers are there in your (or the sponsored) organisation?
Provide the number of volunteers.
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Part 7 - How many people will the requested items benefit?
Part 7 seeks information on how many volunteers will use and/or be assisted by the requested item(s) and/or fuel cost reimbursement.
Question 24 - How many volunteers from your (or the sponsored) organisation will use the requested items?
Provide the number of volunteers who will be using the requested small equipment items (not fuel).
Question 25 - How many volunteers in your (or the sponsored) organisation will receive a contribution towards fuel costs?
Provide the number of volunteers who will be reimbursed for their fuel costs, incurred when carrying out their volunteering activities.
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Part 8 - Information about your (or the sponsored) organisation working with the volunteers
Part 8 contains text questions that seek more information about the organisation working with the volunteers.
Question 26 - How will the items requested help volunteers in your organisation and encourage more people to become volunteers, including the contribution to reimburse volunteers’ fuel costs?
Briefly explain how the item(s) and/or fuel will help the volunteers in their volunteering work. If applicable, explain how the items will encourage new volunteers.
Question 27 - Describe the work of the organisation, explaining how it strengthens your local community and helps build social inclusion and community participation.
Briefly describe the main work and focus of the organisation, including information about how it contributes to social inclusion and community participation, and/or assists disadvantaged people or communities.
Question 28 - Please provide a short description of your (or the sponsored) organisation applying for funding.
Provide a short description of the organisation. This information may be used to provide an organisation description on the FaHCSIA website, if the application is successful.
If this application is sponsoring a non-legal entity, provide a short description of the
sponsored organisation.
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Part 9 - Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions of applying under the Volunteer Grants 2009 are outlined in Part 9. You must agree to these terms and conditions at Part 10.
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Part 10 - Declaration
Question 29 - Please read and complete the following declaration.
The declaration confirms the points contained in Part 9 and Part 10 (Question 29), including that all information is true and accurate, and the requested items will not be available for private use.
For online/electronic submission, the declaration is made by electronically accepting the conditions, completing your name, position and date at Question 29, and submitting the application form. Paper-based application forms must be signed by a person in the organisation who has the authority to sign, and submitted by post.
If you do not accept the terms and conditions or agree with the declaration, the application may not be eligible.
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Part 11 - Application submission
Confirm email address and bank account details as shown. This information is repeated to reduce the chance of errors.
Electronic and Email Submission
Keep a copy of the application by clicking the ‘Save’ button. The ‘smart’ form will check that all mandatory fields and information has been completed. If anything is missing, errors will be displayed. All information is required to match exactly, including case sensitivity. Go back and include any missing information and resolve the errors, then click the ‘Save’ button again.
- For direct electronic submission to the FaHCSIA application website, click the ‘Submit Application’ button. A Successful Submission Receipt will appear after the form has been submitted and processed by the FaHCSIA system. This may take several minutes. A confirmation receipt will also be emailed to the email address provided.
Contact the Hotline if you do not receive confirmation, as the submission may not have been successful.
- For email submission, click the ‘Email Application’ button. A new email will then open automatically with the application attached. You do not need to add or attach anything else to the email. Click Send. A confirmation receipt will be sent to the nominated email address after the application has been entered into the system. This can take several weeks, depending on the volume of applications received.
Note:
- Do not post a copy of your electronic application
- Only the ‘Submit Application’ or ‘Email Application’ button will be displayed.
Postal Submission
Paper-based applications only should be posted to:
Volunteer Grants 2009
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
Locked Bag 5001
TUGGERANONG BC ACT 2901
Please make sure that the application is signed by a person with the authority to sign.