Grants to Voluntary Environmental, Sustainability and Heritage Organisations How to Complete the Application Form Information about the GVESHO Program is available at: • website www.environment.gov.au/about/programs/gvesho/ For further information about this program contact: GVESHO Program Team Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population & Communities • email gvesho@environment.gov.au • telephone 1800 003 562 If you require the assistance of an interpreter, please call TIS National on 131 450, and ask to speak with the GVESHO program Team on 1800 003 562. © Commonwealth of Australia 2013 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Public Affairs, GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 or email public.affairs@environment.gov.au While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication. 1 Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities GVESHO 2013-14 How to Complete the Application Form PART 1 – BEFORE YOU START ....................................................................... 3 PART 2 – COMPLETING THE APPLICATION FORM .............................................. 3 Pre-Application .................................................................................................................... 3 Section 1 Application Details ............................................................................................... 4 Section 2 General eligibility requirements ........................................................................... 4 Section 3 Current Activities and the Program Priorities ....................................................... 5 Section 4 Geographic Funding Priorities ............................................................................. 5 Section 5 Total Administration Budget of Organisation ....................................................... 5 Section 6 GVESHO Funding ............................................................................................... 5 Section 7 Declaration and Submission ................................................................................ 6 PART 3 – SAVING YOUR APPLICATION ............................................................. 6 PART 4 – SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION ...................................................... 7 AP P E NDIX A: G R ANT AP P L IC AT ION P R OC E S S F L OW C HAR T ............................................. 9 Grants for Voluntary, Environmental, Sustainability and Heritage Organisation Program 2 Part 1 – Before you Start Before opening the application form, make sure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader (Version 10.1.1 or better) on your computer enabled as the default program. It is recommended that you use a word processing program such as Microsoft Word when completing text fields as this will allow you to check your spelling and character count. To transfer the text from the word processing program to the application form, select and copy the required text and paste this into the associated field. Electronic applications are preferred. To download a copy of the form go to www.environment.gov.au/about/programs/gvesho. If you would like to request a hard copy application, you can do so by calling 1800 003 562. Do not use dot points or bullets in the text fields of the application form. Please note that staff will only be available to provide assistance or answer technical submission enquiries until 5.00pm AEST on Thursday 20th June 2013. It is highly recommended that you submit your application before this time. Part 2 – Completing the Application Form There are 7 sections in the Grants to Voluntary Environment, Sustainability and Heritage Organisations (GVESHO) application form in addition to a ‘before you start your application’ section. The following detailed information will help you to complete your application. Pre-Application Before you start your application, a series of questions must be completed to determine if your organisation meets the basic requirements of the GVESHO program. Applicants must provide: i. evidence supporting the applicant’s not-for profit status which must be saved as an attachment and labelled as Financial Statements; ii. the latest copy of the organisation’s annual, audited financial statement. This must include reference to any current GVESHO or former GVEHO funding on a separate line in the statement if a grant under the GVESHO program was received in the previous financial year. 3 Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities Section 1 Application Details a. Applicant details – insert the legal entity name of the organisation under the name of the organisation, any business or trading name and ABN, a copy of any certificate of incorporation, where the organisation is incorporated under Commonwealth, state or territory law as well as postal, street, email and Internet addresses; b. Authorised person details – insert the details of the authorised person, including telephone and mobile number, and email address (where available). This should be the person within the applicant organisation who is authorised to sign the funding agreement with the Australian Government. In the case of a trust, nominate the name of the trustee. c. Contact person – insert the details of the applicant’s contact person, including telephone and mobile number, and email address (where available). This person should be an office holder or employee who is authorised to speak on behalf of the organisation and contactable by phone during normal business hours. This person will be contacted about whether the application is successful or not. d. Details of office bearers – insert the name and title of each office holder, for example, President/Chair, Vice President/Deputy Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. It is not necessary to include details of other committee members. In the case of a trust, the names of all trustees must be provided. Section 2 General eligibility requirements Applicants must provide: a. membership information including, where specified, a membership or volunteer list including the names and addresses of any associated organisations which are incorporated bodies (as an attachment). This includes any affiliated organisations who comprise the applicant organisation such as state, regional or local branches; b. documentary evidence of the organisation’s primary objective, confirming that it is consistent with and seeks to achieve the Program Priorities. This documentation could include, but is not limited to, the organisation’s constitution, trust deed or other supporting evidence that the organisation’s previous, current and planned activities have been and are consistent with and seek to achieve the Program Priorities. Grants for Voluntary, Environmental, Sustainability and Heritage Organisation Program 4 Section 3 Current Activities and the Program Priorities Applicants must select activities currently undertaken by the applicant that directly relate to the Program Priorities. Applicants are able to select more than one activity. If an applicant undertakes activities relating to the Program Priories that are not already identified, there is provision to include this information in the supporting evidence field. An applicant is also required to provide supporting evidence for ‘other’ activities. Applicants must provide short summaries: a. outlining the activities that the organisation is currently engaged in and those that will commence over the funding period, how these will be undertaken, what outcomes are expected and how these outcomes are consistent with achieving the Program Priorities; and b. describing the outcomes that the organisation has achieved/delivered over the past three years and how these outcomes are consistent with achieving the program Priorities. Section 4 Geographic Funding Priorities Applicants must identify which geographic category and funding priority the organisation falls within, and provide supporting written evidence supporting this claim. Only one geographic category can be selected. Section 5 Total Administration Budget of Organisation Applicants must provide a breakdown of the total anticipated administrative expenditure of the organisation for the period 2013-14, including all administrative expenses not just those sought to be funded under the GVESHO program. Section 6 GVESHO Funding a. Funding request - applicants must identify: i. the amount of funding sought for 2013-14. If multi-year funding is sought, the amount of funding sought in each financial year 2013-14, 2014-15 and/or 2015-16 and why; and ii. the administrative costs for which the funds are required including the purchase or hire of any supplementary office and non-office capital items. A copy of quotes for capital items must be attached to the application. 5 Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities b. Grant history – applicants must provide details of all funding and grants received or granted from all other sources, including GVESHO and other department programs, received in the last 5 years (from 2008-2009). Applicants will need to include the name of the grant program, the department or authority issuing the grant, its purpose, the funding period, the amount, and whether the funding has been acquitted. c. Other grants – applicants must provide details of all other funding and grant applications that have been and/or will be applied for the period during which the GVESHO funding is sought. This includes the name of the grant program, the department or authority issuing the grant, its purpose, the funding period and amount and when the application was made. d. Other Income – applicants must provide details of the organisation’s other sources of income including membership fees, trusts, donations etc. Section 7 Declaration and Submission a. Attachments - You may be required to attach documentation to this form to support your application. The form will not submit until all indentified documents have been attached. Each document should not exceed 2MB in size. b. Declaration - The on-line application form must be certified, or in the case of a hard copy application, signed, by the office holder or an employee with the authority to represent the organisation. Part 3 – Saving your Application You can save your application at any time. The Save button (located at the very end of the form after Section 7: Declaration and Submission) allows you to save a draft copy of the form to your computer so that you can access the application without being connected to the internet. To save your application, click on the Save button, or select Save As in the file menu of your internet program, and choose a file location on your hard drive. You may then complete your application offline, and connect to the internet when you are ready to submit the application. It is recommended that you keep a saved electronic copy of your completed application after it has been submitted for your own records. Only information included in, or attached to, an application will be considered in assessing an application against the eligibility criteria. Applicants are required to address the following requirements when completing the application form. Grants for Voluntary, Environmental, Sustainability and Heritage Organisation Program 6 Part 4 – Submitting your Application Please note that staff will only be available to provide assistance or answer technical submission enquiries until 5.00pm AEST on Thursday 20th June 2013. Electronic Applications Your on-line application must be submitted by: • 5.00pm (AEST) on Thursday 20th June 2013. You must declare that you agree with all of the statements listed by ticking the box provided. To submit your GVESHO application form: 1. Click the Submit button. Any fields that are incomplete will be highlighted at the bottom of the page and the application will not be submitted until all corrections have been made. 2. Action any fields that require correction. Highlight the issue identified and click on the Go to selected issue button. 3. When all issues have been addressed the application can be submitted. If you are unable to use the on-line application form attachment tool, you may post hard copies of attachments to the address below. Please mark all hard copy attachments with the application identification number automatically generated when you submit your application on-line. Note that the submission of these attachments must follow the same process and deadlines for hard copy application form submissions. Once you submit your application an email will be sent to the address you entered into Section 1 confirming your GVESHO application has been received. This email will also advise you of your GVESHO application identification number which you should retain for future reference. Hard Copy Applications Completion of the declaration section and signature of authorised representative authorises the application for submission. All hard copy applications must be post marked by Thursday 20th June 2013. If you are using a courier, your application must be delivered by no later than 5.00pm AEST on Thursday 20th June 2013 and must include a courier slip dated by Thursday 20th June 2013. 7 Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities If you are submitting a hard copy application please: Post your completed application to: or if you are using a courier, address to: GVESHO program (Grant Services) Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities GPO Box 787 CANBERRA ACT 2601 GVESHO program (Grant Services) Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities Lovett Tower, 13 Keltie Street WODEN ACT 2606 Please keep a photocopy of your application for your records. You will receive a confirmation email that we have received your hard copy application along with your application identification number shortly after the round closes. Grants for Voluntary, Environmental, Sustainability and Heritage Organisation Program 8 APPENDIX A: GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS FLOWCHART APPLICATION Applicant submits an application. Department acknowledges receipt ASSESSMENT Application is assessed against eligibility and merit criteria ADVICE TO APPROVER Advice is provided to the Approver on the merits of each application against the program guideline APPROVAL The Approver makes a decision on the application and the applicant is advised of the outcome. Successful applications are published on the Department website and/or announced in the media. ACQUITTAL Applicants complete financial acquittal. Department accepts financial acquittal 9 Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities www.environment.gov.au/gvesho GVESHO Program Team: 1 • email: gvesho@environment.gov.au • telephone: 1800 003 562 Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities