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Contact Gabby Lam, Grants Manager on 03 9412 0412 or email grants@communityfoundation.org.au
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The Just Futures National Open Grant Round is a partnership between Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF) and Australian Communities Foundation.
To date, PRF has granted to over 50 organisations helping to prevent or reduce contact with the justice system.
Some of PRF’s current priorities include increasing diversionary measures to provide alternatives to sentencing and custody, and supporting post-release needs through holistic throughcare models.
This funding is for small-scale and/or early-stage programs supporting people and communities as follows:
Who: Young people; or parents who are or have been in custody and their children; or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
What: Preventing or reducing further contact with the justice system; or preventing intergenerational incarceration.
How: Community-led prevention; or alternatives to custody; or post-release support (e.g., opportunities and supports in connecting with Country/Culture, education, employment, housing).
From 27 April 2023, Australian organisations can submit an expression of interest (EOI) for a Medium Grant (up to $500,000) or Large Grant (up to $1,000,000) for a period of up to five years.
For examples of organisations Paul Ramsay Foundation has granted to, see case studies here.
ABOUT THE PAUL RAMSAY FOUNDATION
Paul Ramsay Foundation aims to break cycles of disadvantage in Australia by enabling equitable opportunity for people and communities to thrive. PRF’s approach is to invest in and partner with organisations across Australia with a direct connection to the people and places they work alongside.
SUPPORT WITH YOUR APPLICATION
Thirriwirri is available to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations in the EOI and full application stages, including discussing eligibility requirements and guidelines, assisting with application writing and submission. Organisations seeking assistance from Thirriwirri should email: info@thirriwirri.org
Guidelines
Eligibility
Your organisation MUST meet ALL the below requirements to be eligible for funding.
- be an entity with a social impact mission OR relevant charitable purposes
- be based in, and work with a community or communities located in, Australia
- if your program participants are a majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, be an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander-led organisation OR program
- NOT be an organisation OR program that is solely focused on policy, law reform or advocacy
- NOT currently receiving funding from PRF
- NOT be a for-profit business or for-profit social enterprise
Your program MUST meet ALL the below requirements to be eligible for funding.
- operate program(s) for participants who are majority: young people, OR parents who are or have been in custody and their children, OR Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities
- operate program(s) for any of the above cohorts with target benefit of: preventing or reducing further contact with the justice system, OR preventing intergenerational incarceration
- deliver the above target benefits through: community-led prevention, OR alternatives to custody, OR post-release support program(s)
- be a small-scale and/or early-stage program (<20 FTE or <$1m in annual funding)
- NOT be university-run or research program
Priorities
Organisations that meet one or more of the priorities will be assessed favourably. You are not expected to meet all of the below priorities. The below priorities will be applied with equal weighting.
- Supports growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities, and organisations in the sector
- Delivers program(s) to prevent or reduce further contact with the justice system, which may include elements such as: Alcohol and other drug counselling; Connecting with Country/Culture; Education opportunities; Employment and/or job training opportunities; Housing.
- Primarily delivers program(s) in disadvantaged locations (<1000 SEIFA’s Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage)
- Operate program(s) that have been informed by evaluations, expert guidance or research
- Delivers program(s) led or informed by people with lived experience of incarceration
- Has identified opportunities for organisational OR program capacity uplift
- Has capacity and desire to share insights with peers and PRF on a yearly basis
Use of funds
If successful in your application, you will receive the grant in approximately August.
Funding can be used for:
- Staff salaries and support
- Operational expenses (e.g., program delivery costs and overheads, communications)
- Essential and relevant capital expenditure (e.g., infrastructure, transport costs)
- Measurement and evaluation of eligible program(s) (including data capture)
Funding cannot be used for:
- Private benefit
- Programs that support or oppose political parties or candidates
- Research projects and activities
- Retrospective activities
How to apply
To apply online you will need to register to the Australian Communities Foundation Grants Portal. If you already have an account through Australian Communities Foundation, please use your existing username and password. Make sure to note your username and password to enable you to save and continue the form at a later date and access the portal for subsequent steps.
Expressions of interest (EOIs) are open from 27 April 2023. Submit an EOI using the links below. Preview application questions here.
Medium Grant: Apply here. If the application does not display automatically, you may need to click the Apply button in the top left of the dashboard and enter access code: JFM2023.
Large Grant: Apply here. If the application does not display automatically, you may need to click the Apply button in the top left of the dashboard and enter access code: JFL2023.
Key dates
Expressions of interest (EOIs) open: 9am on Thursday 27 April 2023
Interactive Information Session: 10am AEST on Thursday 11 May 2023. Learn more about the open grant round and ask questions in this session with ACF, PRF and Thirriwirri. Register here
EOIs close: 5pm AEST on Friday 26 May 2023
Notification of EOI outcome: Late June 2023. Applicants that best meet the criteria and priorities will be invited to formally apply for funding.
Full applications: Successful EOIs submit full applications between 21 June and 19 July 2023.
Notification of application outcome: Mid August 2023
Grants awarded: September 2023
All applications must be submitted in full including any supporting documentation by 5pm AEST on the closing date. Any incomplete applications or applications received after 5pm AEST will be treated as ineligible.
Frequently asked questions
How many large/small grants will be awarded?
As this is the inaugural round, we do not know how many small or large grants will be awarded. This will be done on a case-by-case basis and will be determined by the quality and range of applications received. Approximately 25 applicants from the EOI process will be invited to apply across the two streams and this will be narrowed down to around 6 medium and 6 large grants.
Can I apply for both rounds?
No, applicants can only apply for one of the two grants available.
How many applications can I submit?
Only one application per organisation is permitted.
Is the maximum funding amount the total over 5 years?
Yes. For example, in the large grants, you can apply for a total of $1,000,000 over a period of 5 years. However, the grant does not have to span 5 years as the project may run for less than this. The focus is on the impact of the initiative and what are the needs.
Can I apply if I am a current PRF partner?
No. This round is only open to organisations that are not currently receiving funding from PRF.
Can I be auspiced by a current PRF partner?
Yes. If the organisation that is applying is not currently receiving funding from PRF, they can be auspiced by a current PRF partner.
Can I apply if I am not an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander-led organisation?
Yes. However, if majority of program participants are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, the program must be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander-led.
My program is part of a larger organisation, can I still apply?
Yes. The program can be part of a larger organisation however must be small-scale or early-stage.
Can I apply for core operating costs?
You may apply for core operating costs if your organisation fits with the guidelines. If you are applying on behalf of a program within a larger organisation, operational costs of the program only will be considered.
We are a government agency, are we eligible to apply?
Unfortunately, we are not accepting applications from government agencies.
We acted as an auspice to a PRF grant, are we eligible?
Yes, you are eligible. You did not receive funding specific to your organisation.
We received funding as a part of an alliance PRF has funded, are we eligible?
Yes, you are eligible. You did not receive funding specific to your organisation.
We applied for a PRF grant round but have yet to hear if we were successful, are we eligible?
Yes, you are eligible as you are not at present a PRF partner.
Can we use the funding to pay off existing loans or take out new loans for capital expenditure?
Yes, provided it aligns with your charitable purposes and aligns with the use of funds articulated in the guidelines.