FundAbility Guidelines 2018

FundAbility Purpose

The FundAbility Program provides an opportunity for you to make your community a more inclusive place for adults who have a disability. You can apply for a one-off grant, available to families, communities, organisations, services and businesses, to develop the capacity of mainstream services across NSW to support the inclusion of adults (18-64 year olds) with disability.

FundAbility Objectives

FundAbility offers opportunities for families, communities, organisations, services and businesses to:

 Alter their current practices to be more inclusive of adults with disability.

 Educate their community group/population about including adults with disability.

 Attain the resources required to make their event/activity/setting more inclusive of adults with disability.

 Establish a new inclusive practice/s, idea or venture suitable for adults with disability.

FundAbility Outcomes

As a direct result of FundAbility:

  • Adults aged 18-64 years with disability are included by mainstream services and activities within their local community.
  • Local mainstream communities and services are more aware of including adults aged 18-64 with disability.
  • Local mainstream communities and services have the skills, resources, and knowledge required to include adults aged 18-64 years with disability in their activities.

What is inclusion?

Inclusion is the full acceptance of all people, regardless of age, disability, background or other factors. Inclusion means being part of what everyone else is doing, and being welcomed and embraced as a member who belongs in that activity. Inclusion should occur in shopping centres, beaches, workplaces, public facilities, at events and in recreational and cultural activities. All adults, including those with disability, have the right to be included in their community and to join in activities of their choice. All adults can be included in most activities – you just might need to be a little creative to make sure an adult with a disability can be involved.

What does inclusion look like?

Inclusion involves making changes to the existing service, event, class, setting or venue to ensure adults with disability are included as equals. Inclusion is not creating a separate class, an alternate team, a different room. For example:

Inclusion Is….. / Inclusion Is Not….
Ensuring all aqua aerobics instructors at the local pool complete Access and Inclusion training, so they are able to support all locals to attend the class. / Running a separate aqua aerobics class just for adults with disabilities or refusing the enrolment of people with disability
The local cooking school having a range of modified cutlery, knives and chopping boards readily available so community members could join in. / Offering a “special needs” cooking class, or suggesting that the person with disability observe other class mates complete that step
The community choir having large print versions of their sheet music available / Making the person with disability simply ‘follow along’ or just ‘pick it up’
The local shopping mall placing captions and audio descriptions on their latest online promotional video / Assuming that people with disability won’t go to the website or won’t view the video
The local place of worship having a kit of noise cancelling head phones and sensory items that all congregation members can access as required / Requesting people with disability attend an alternate service, or modify their behaviour

How much can I apply for?

Eligible applicants may apply for grants up to $37,500. The greater the requested amount, the greater the application, evaluation and in kind contribution requirements.

For-profit entities are also required to co-fund a component of the project in addition to the in kind contribution required of all applicants in the higher valued grants.

In-kind contribution is defined as the provision of goods or a service at no cost e.g. A football club applies for a FundAbility grant and contributes 100 footballs in-kind (at no cost); a local community group applies for a FundAbility grant and contributes the weekly community hall hire in-kind (at no cost).

Co-funding contribution is defined as the provision of funding from the applicant e.g. A local music school applies for a FundAbility grant of $1,500 and contributes $500 of their own money towards the project, a local bowling club applies for a FundAbility grant of $20,000 and contributes $10,000 of their own funds towards the project.

The breakdown of grants is as follows:

Grant Value / Who can apply / Description / Monitoring / Reporting Requirements
$0 - $5,999 / All /
  • Minimal application and evaluation process.
  • For-profit applicants must co-fund a component of the project.
  • All projects must:
  • Demonstrate local impact; and
  • Meet at least one FundAbility outcome; and
  • Demonstrate an awareness of sustainability.
/
  • Project Outcome Report
  • Financial Acquittal Report

$6,000 - $9,999 / All /
  • Moderate application, assessment and evaluation process.
  • All applicants must demonstrate an in-kind contribution.
  • For-profit applicants must co-fund a component of the project.
  • All projects must:
  • Demonstrate significant local or regional impact; and
  • Meet multiple FundAbility outcomes; and
  • Be sustainable beyond the term of the grant.
/
  • Supplementary information required on application (Appendix A)
  • Project Progress Report
  • Project Outcome Report
  • Financial Acquittal Report
  • Tools for measuring impact to be developed as part of project

$10,000 - $37,500 /
  • Rigorous application, assessment and evaluation process.
  • All applicants must demonstrate a significant in-kind contribution.
  • For-profit applicants must co-fund a component of the project.
  • All projects must:
  • Demonstrate significant regional or state-wide impact; and
  • Meet multiple FundAbility outcomes; and
  • Be sustainable beyond the term of the grant.
/
  • Supplementary information required on application (Appendix A)
  • Project Progress Report
  • Project Outcome Report
  • Financial Acquittal Report
  • Tools for measuring impact to be developed as part of project

What is in the scope of FundAbility?

We want to see adults (18-64 year olds) with disability out and about in their communities, having fun and doing the same things as other people their age would be doing. This is an opportunity for you to be creative, be fun and be inclusive. Projects should be short-term but, where possible, continue to have impact beyond the term of the project. All projects must be finished within 5 months, unless approved by the FundAbility assessment panel.

To be eligible to apply for grants you must be located in NSW and deliver your project within NSW. Examples of who/what may apply include:

  • Adults with disability

 Families / carers / friends

 Sporting groups, associations, events, and facilities (e.g. soccer fields, tennis courts, rugby club, salsa school)

 Recreational and leisure services, events, facilities and spaces (e.g. local swimming pool, skate park)

 Religious and cultural activities, spaces and facilities (e.g. local church or regional mosque or NAIDOC week celebrations)

 Education and learning environments and services -excluding High Schools (e.g. language, cooking or music classes)

 Social and community events, activities, spaces and groups (e.g. local agricultural show, or local annual community fair, or regional music festival)

 Retailers, entertainment providers, hospitality services (e.g. shopping centres, cinemas, restaurants/cafes).

Projects will be considered favourably that:

 Include adults with disability in the design and implementation of the program

 Are innovative, creative or new ideas

 Include strategies to reach on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities

FundAbility Regions

FundAbility is a NSW state wide project, being offered to all metropolitan, regional and remotes communities across NSW

Fundability Timeline

Activity / Dates
Application open / 19 March, 9am
Applications close / 24 April, 5pm
FundAbility assessment panel convenes / 30 April
Applicants notified of success or non-success / 14 May
Grant recipients return funding and contractual documents / 18 May
Grant recipients receive funds / 21 May
Grant recipients begin FundAbility projects / 28 May
Grant recipients receiving funds of more than $6,000 complete and submit FundAbility Progress Report / 6 August
All grant recipients complete and submit FundAbility Outcome Report and Financial Acquittal Report / 8 October

What is out of the scope of FundAbility?

The Fundability Program will not consider applications for:

 Retrospective costs – projects/activities which have already taken place or began prior to the application being lodged

 Reimbursement of costs already incurred

 Ongoing operational costs such as lease costs, on-going salaries, accounting fees, and other recurrent expenses

 Projects/programs run solely for fundraising purposes

 Educational Institutions (schools)

 Commonwealth Government or NSW Government departments

 Proposals which support or oppose political organisations

 Capital works – e.g. cost of repairs, extensions or renovations to buildings

 Projects which can not be completed within the timeframe

Conditions of Funding

 Applications must be made via the FundAbility Program application.

 Funds must be used for the purpose for which they are granted and any variations in the use of funds must be approved in writing in advance by the FundAbility Program Manager.

 Grant recipients must complete their projects within the 4month timeframe.

 Grant recipients must complete and return to the FundAbility Program Manager a project report (on a form provided) within four weeks of the completion of the funded activity.

 Organisations that receive funds from the FundAbility Program are required to acknowledge the program’s contribution in any publications or publicity material associated with funded activities. A logo will be provided to successful applicants for use on publicity materials.

 Grant recipients who fail to comply with program’s accountability requirements will be required to reimburse the program in full for the grant received. Time frames and conditions for reimbursement of funds will be determined by the FundAbility Program Manager in negotiation with the grant recipient.

Assessment Process

All applications will be assessed by a panel, consisting of the FundAbility Program Manager and up to four others from the disability sector and/or community. Applicants will be advised in writing of the outcome within four to six weeks of the date of closure. There is no appeal process for unsuccessful applications.

FundAbility Project Reporting

All projects will be required to provide a report on their project, which includes a financial acquittal of the project. This means that projects must provide details about the grant amount received, the amount and details of project expenditure (including appropriate receipts), and any remaining funds. A project report template accompanies the notification of successful outcome.

Contact us / Submission

If you would like to submit an application please forward your application to the Fundability Program Manager by email or post using the below details:

Email:

Fundability

PO Box 4055

Parramatta NSW 2124

Got any questions? Call or email:

Call: 1800 818 286

Email:

If you would like to find out more about Northcott, please visit our website: If you would like to find out more about the NSW Department of Family and Community Services, please visit the website: www.facs.nsw.gov.au