Disability Employment Advocacy and Information Program Grant Opportunity
The Disability Employment Advocacy and Information Program (the Advocacy Program) grant opportunity will provide people with high support needs, their families and carers, with access to advocacy support and information to build their confidence and understanding about their rights and options at work. The program was announced as part of the Government’s 2023–24 Budget.
$9.8 million is available from 2023–24 to 2026–27 for the Advocacy Program.
The Advocacy Program will be open to a single provider or consortium who can provide the following, disability employment specific services Australia wide:
case based advocacy support, where people with high support needs and their families would have the opportunity to access short term, one-on-one assistance to solve a particular employment issue
group based workshops, events or information sessions for people with high support needs – both online and in person
group based workshops, events or information sessions for families and carers of people with high support needs, both online and in person.
If capacity allows, the provider could also deliver facilitated peer networks and individual mentoring/leadership development for people with high support needs and families and carers.
All services must be delivered with a supported-decision making approach, where the will, preferences and rights of people with disability and their families and carers is respected and supported.
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Have your say on ways to help strengthen the community sector
The Australian Government is committed to developing a stronger, more diverse and independent community sector.
Public consultation is now open on an issues paper. Your feedback will inform a package of recommendations the department is developing on innovative approaches to grant funding for the community sector.
The issues paper has 5 focus areas for discussion:
Giving the sector the voice and respect it deserves through a meaningful working partnership.
Providing grants that reflect the real cost of delivering quality services.
Providing longer grant agreement terms.
Ensuring grant funding flows to a greater diversity of Community Service Organisations.
Partnering with trusted community organisations with strong local links.
To share your views and help support long-term change for the sector that provides support to individuals, families and communities when they need it most, visit the DSS Engage website.
Submissions close on 7 November 2023.
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Disability Representative Organisations grant opportunity
The Disability Representative Organisations (DRO) grant opportunity will provide funding of up to $10.208 million (GST exclusive) over 2 years from 2024-25 to 2025-26 ($5.104 million per year) to organisations to provide systemic advocacy for Australians with disability.
The DRO program provides the opportunity for people with disability, and their representative organisations, to have their views communicated to the Australian Government. Organisations funded under the DRO grant opportunity will participate in a range of engagement activities with the Australian Government, to ensure that disability issues and a diversity of voices are represented in decision-making, legislation, policy development and implementation of programs and policies that may affect people with disability.
Information Session
An information session will be held for potential applicants. This session will provide an opportunity for organisations who are intending to apply to ask questions about the grant opportunity. Following the information session, questions and responses will be made available through the Questions and Answers document available on the GrantConnect website. Details on the information session will be made available when the grant round opens.
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New ‘Financial Reporting Requirements’ information pages for Grant Recipients
The Community Grants Hub has recently updated the information available for grant recipients on the Financial Reporting Requirements page.
You can now access clearer advice on your financial reporting requirements, including information on how to meet your financial reporting obligations, complete and submit the online acquittal form and where to go for more information.
The pages can be viewed by right-clicking 'Information', 'Information for recipients', then 'Financial reporting requirements'.
If you have any questions about your financial acquittal requirements, please get in touch with your Funding Arrangement Manager.
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Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program – Inclusion Round
The Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program (Safe Places) provides capital grants to fund the building, renovation or purchase of new emergency accommodation for women and children experiencing violence.
As part of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032, the Government committed $100 million over 5 years (2022-23 to 2026-27) to continue the Safe Places program through the Safe Places Inclusion Round (Inclusion Round). Of this, up to $90.9 million is available for grants over 4 years (2023-24 to 2026-27).
The Inclusion Round will focus on improving access to appropriate emergency accommodation for First Nations women and children, women and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and women and children with disability. This includes those who experience the intersection of racism, ableism and sexism.
The Inclusion Round is being delivered via a competitive grant round, which will open for applications on GrantConnect.
Virtual information sessions will be held shortly after the opening of the Inclusion Round to assist organisations to apply for a grant.
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Information, Linkages and Capacity Building – Social and Community Participation Grant Opportunity
The Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) program provides information and capacity building supports for all people with disability, regardless of whether they are National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants. The ILC program also helps people with disability benefit from a more inclusive, accessible and connected Australia.
Funding of up to $50 million will be available over 2 years to deliver one-off, time-limited activities under the Social and Community Participation program to connect people with disability to supports and activities in their local community.
Eligible activities may include:
support for community organisations to become more inclusive of people with disability, their families and carers and
projects that improve or reshape community services and activities to meet the needs of people with disability.
This grant opportunity will assist providers and community groups to deliver tailored information, resources and supports, addressing the needs of all people with disability, their family and carers across Australia.
It is anticipated that successful funding recipients will be able to deliver grant activities via both face-to-face and online forums.
This grant opportunity will be released in the coming weeks and will be open for a period of up to 6 weeks.
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Information, Linkages and Capacity Building - Individual Capacity Building Grant Opportunity
The Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) program provides information and capacity building supports for all people with disability, regardless of whether they are National Disability Insurance Scheme participants. The ILC program also helps people with disability benefit from a more inclusive, accessible and connected Australia.
Funding of up to $90 million will be available over 3 years to deliver one-off, time-limited activities under the Individual Capacity Building program to support systemic, nationwide access to peer support, mentoring, self-advocacy and other skills building for people with disability, their family and carers.
Eligible activities may include:
peer-led support groups for people with disability
activities assisting people with disability to build their autonomy or ability to self-advocate and
skill building activities relevant to the disability environment.
This grant opportunity will assist providers and community groups to deliver tailored information, resources and supports, addressing the needs of all people with disability, their family and carers.
It is anticipated that successful funding recipients will be able to deliver grant activities via both face-to-face and online forums.
This grant opportunity will be released in the coming weeks and will be open for a period of up to 3 months.
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2023–24 Volunteer Grants
Volunteer Grants support the work of local community organisations by enabling the inclusion of vulnerable people and promoting awareness to increase participation in volunteering.
The 2023–24 Volunteer Grants Opportunity is open for Expressions of Interest (EOI) through Members of Parliament (MPs). Organisations interested in a grant must contact their local MP to submit an EOI and confirm when their EOI closes.
Organisations that are nominated by their MP will be invited to apply for a grant in November 2023.
Grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 will be available to assist eligible not-for-profit community organisations support the efforts of their volunteers. Examples of what grant funding can assist with include small portable equipment purchases, contributions towards the cost of training volunteers, reimbursement of fuel costs for volunteers and undertaking background screening checks for volunteers.
The Grant Opportunity Guidelines are on GrantConnect, with other supporting documentation to be published when the grant opportunity is open for application.
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Continuing Professional Development for Legal Practitioners on Coercive Control
As part of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 the Australian Government announced funding to support a nationally coordinated approach to education and training on family, domestic and sexual violence for community frontline workers, health professionals, and the justice sector. This funding included $0.9 million over 4 years to develop and deliver continuing professional development (CPD) training for legal practitioners on coercive control.
The Attorney-General’s Department is consulting with stakeholders to inform the design of a grant opportunity for a suitably qualified organisation or consortium to develop and deliver a family safety professional competency package to educate and train legal practitioners on coercive control. A discussion paper and further information is available on the Attorney-General’s Department website.
The department welcomes ideas and feedback from interested stakeholders, and would like to invite you to share your input. Contributions can be provided online via the above link.
The consultation process will run until 21 July 2023. Following the consultation process a grant round is anticipated to open to eligible service providers at the end of 2023 and for agreements to be in place with service providers in early 2024.
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Disability Worker COVID-19 Leave Grant
Funding will be available to support eligible members of the disability workforce who are unable to deliver supports to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants due to a COVID-19 infection.
Employers that pay sick leave to disability workers who deliver close personal support to NDIS participants, contract COVID-19 and have insufficient or no sick leave, will be eligible for a reimbursement payment.
Available funding will be at a flat rate of $450 per worker where the worker has lost at least 8 hours but less than 20 hours of work, and $750 per worker where the worker has lost more than 20 hours of work.
The payment will provide support towards the costs associated with leave from 1 April 2023 to 31 December 2023. Eligible providers can claim a payment once every 3 months for each eligible worker they have paid, where the worker has insufficient sick leave.
Registered and unregistered NDIS providers, including sole traders which provide specified classes of supports to participants will be eligible.
This grant will help to lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission in high-risk disability settings.
The Grant Opportunity Guidelines are on GrantConnect, with other supporting documentation to be published when the grant opportunity is open for application.
