Grants for Women Program
Guidelines

2014 - 2015

Page 1: Directory – Approved Consultants Panel June 2014

Contents

Guidelines

About the Program

  • What is covered by the grant
  • What items will not be funded
  • Selection criteria
  • Priority Areas
  • 1.Women’s Economic Independence
  • 2. Women’s Leadership
  • Who can apply
  • Who cannot apply
  • How to apply
  • Submitting an application
  • Hard copy applications
  • Faxed applications
  • Email applications

Grants for Women Program Guidelines 2014-15 Page 1

Guidelines

Please refer to the Department of Local Government and Communities’ website at access the application form.

Contact should be made with thegrants officer at the Department of Local Government and Communities on (08) 6551 8700to discuss your project before completing the application form.

Applications must be received by the Department of Local Government and Communities by email, post or fax by the closing date, to be considered for assessment.

Please allow up to 12 weeks from the closing date to process your application.

Closing Date: 4.00pm, Thursday 12 March 2015

About the Program

The Grants for Women Program provides funding support for Western Australianbased projects that focus on addressing the unique issues faced by women.

What is covered by the grant

Funding of up to $5,000 is available for projects that address one or both of the following priorities:

  • women’s economic independence
  • women’s leadership.

Eligible project costs can include:

  • advertising and promotion
  • printing and publishing
  • external facilitator or consultant’s fees
  • consumable materials
  • child care provided by qualified providers in an accredited setting
  • a contribution towards catering.

What items will not be funded

  • interstate and overseas travel
  • conference attendance
  • staff wages
  • infrastructure and capital equipment (e.g. computer equipment, office equipment, costumes, sewing machines)
  • projects involving fund-raising, unless the funds go back into the project
  • projects that duplicate an existing or similar project/service within the community
  • funding towards the cost of prizes or gifts.

Selection criteria

Each application will be assessed against the following selection criteria:

  • community need - the project addresses one or both of the grant priorities and meets women’s identified needs
  • community benefit - the project will provide positive and long lasting benefits for women in the priority areas
  • evidence of established partnerships with other organisations that encourage collaboration and leverage support for the project. Priority will be given to projects that demonstrate active partnerships for the project.
  • sound planning
  • value for money, and
  • organisational capacity - the organisation has the capacity to undertake and manage the project.

Priority Areas

In tandem with the selection criteria, each application will also be assessed as to how it addresses and meets one or both of the priority areas of Women’s Economic Independence and/or Women’s Leadership.

1.Women’s Economic Independence

A range of social and cultural factors contribute to many women having a more precarious financial situation than their male counterparts. Time taken out from work to care for children, broader caring responsibilities for ageing parents and relatives, the widening gender pay gap and its associate effects on superannuation contributions can mean that women’s cumulative earning power is severely compromised throughout their working lives. Through the Grants for Women Program, the Department of Local Government and Communities fosters and encourages the community to explore grant projects that address:

  • improving employment outcomes for women through initiatives that encourage the education, training and career development of girls and women, particularly in non-traditional disciplines such as science, technology and engineering
  • the involvement of migrant, traditionally marginalised and Indigenous women in the workforce
  • providing information and advice on issues of economic independence to women and referring them to supports available to help make informed decisions
  • approaches to building workplace thinking that are gender aware and which value diversity
  • improving women’s financial planning and literacy skills to reduce later life hardships and
  • promoting innovation and entrepreneurship as alternative pathways to support women’s economic independence.

2. Women’s Leadership

Women continue to experience significant barriers to leadership in the workplace and in broader community life. Barriers include inflexible workplaces, assumptions about women’s capabilities and career ambitions, and the undervaluing of non-traditional forms of work experience. Through the Women’s Grants Program, the Department of Local Government and Communities encourages the community to explore grant projects that:

  • strengthen the positive profile of women and celebrating their contribution to the Western Australian community
  • implement initiatives and proposals that increase the recognition of women as leaders and that develop leadership capacity for women
  • identify and increase community awareness of barriers to women’s leadership and stimulating removal of those barriers
  • support and encourage women to pursue leadership positions
  • promote the importance of increasing the number of women sitting on and chairing, Western Australian public and private sector boards
  • encourage workplaces to improve gender diversity at all levels of the organisation and
  • explore models of workplace support for women with caring responsibilities.

Examples of previous projects approved for funding under these priorities areas include:

  • a series of workshops in business planning, marketing, networking and developing on-line presences to support women in developing home-based, sustainable micro-businesses
  • a three-day leadership retreat designed to assist women to develop leadership, communication and group skills, and build self-confidence, and to then continue to support each other's development and participation in community leadership roles via a supported social media group and regular gatherings
  • the provision of life coaching sessions to women who are choosing to develop strategies for economic independence
  • a rural women's field day with sessions on the agriculture business and a social media workshop. The project aims to support women in agriculture by developing skills, increasing awareness of available resources and increasing confidence
  • a conference to give women the chance to network and attend workshops on re-entry to the workforce, budgeting, communication skills and financial knowledge
  • courses tailored for women to approach the process of becoming a tutor and embarking on a career in adult community education. Upon completion, participants will have the opportunity to design their own courses/workshops and deliver these for the community
  • an empowerment program for women regarding education and employment, including resume writing, interviewing, education options and childcare options
  • e-commerce workshops, designed to allow women to explore the possibilities, options, risks and challenges of setting themselves up in an e-commerce business, either individually or as a cooperative, and
  • training for Aboriginal mentors, who will go on to lead and deliver sessions to young women focused on healthy lifestyle.

Who can apply

Eligible groups and organisations must be:

  • an incorporated not–for–profit organisation
  • a Local Government Authority
  • an unincorporated not-for-profit organisation or community group, applying through the auspice of a not-for-profit incorporated body or a local government authority.

A group or organisation is not-for-profit if its governing documents prohibit distribution of profits to individual members while the organisation is operating and on its wind-up.

Who cannot apply

You should not apply for this grant if you are:

  • an unincorporated organisation without an auspice arrangement
  • a federal or state government agency
  • an individual
  • a commercial for-profit organisation
  • an organisation located within the Indian Ocean Territories.

Organisations that have not provided an acquittal and/or evaluation from previous Department of Local Government and Communities’ grant or program funding in accordance with the agreed timeframes are ineligible to apply until the required documentation has been submitted.

How to apply

  • Applicants must complete the appropriate sections in the application form
  • Applicants must complete the checklist provided with the application form
  • Applications must be signed by the organisation’s authorised signatory

Step 1Contact the grants Officer, Department of Local Government and Communities, on (08) 6551 8700 or at ,to discuss your project proposal prior to submitting an application.

There is no question too big or too small.

Step 2Download the application form and complete all sections of the document with respect to the proposed project.

An electronic copy of the Grants for Women Program Application Form is available at

Step 3 Before submitting an application for assessment, take a moment to complete the checklist at the rear of the Application Form to ensure that all application criteria have been met and all relevant information and attachments have been included.

Step 4 Applications can be submitted to the Department of Local Government and Communities, by 4.00pm, Thursday 12March 2015, via the following meansonly:

Email:
(Preferred)Please ensure that a scanned copy of the signed
declaration is included with email submissions. If it is not possible to include a scanned copy of the signed declaration, please post the original copy to the Department within five working days.

Post GPO Box R1250, Perth 6844

Fax 6552 1555

Any application which is not lodged before the closing time will be excluded from consideration unless the applicant can provide conclusive evidence of mishandling of its application.

Step 5All applications will be acknowledged via email within 5 business days of receipt. Should you not receive an acknowledgement, please contact the department by telephone or email to confirm that your application has been received.

Submitting an application

Applications can be submitted in hard copy, fax or email.

Hard copy applications

Download and complete the Application Form from the Department of Local Government and Communities’ website and post with the original signed declaration and supporting documents.

Faxed applications

Download and complete the Application Form from the Department of Local Government and Communities’ website and fax with the signed declaration and supporting documents.

Email applications

Download and complete the Application Form from the Department of Local Government and Communities’ website and email to . Attach a scanned PDF of the original signed declaration and any supporting documents (word or PDF).

If you are unable to send a scanned PDF of the original signed declaration please send the signed declaration by post within five working days. As there is a limit on the size of attachments we can accept by email, you may wish to send supporting documents by mail. Please forward these documents within five (5) working days.

For further information

If you require further information about the Grants for Women Program or assistance in completing an application form, please contact:

Grants Officer

Community Funding Unit

Department of Local Government and Communities

GPO Box R1250

PERTH WA 6844

Tel: (08) 6551 8700

Fax: (08) 6552 1555

Freecall: 1800 620 511 (Country Only)

Email:

Web:

Grants for Women Program Guidelines 2014-15 Page 1