2017 Guidelines

Here’s how you could access $5k for your innovative engagement to disengaged groups

You could use this funding to enhance an existing engagement, work with a facilitator to deliver a discrete piece of work or create a project to deliver on your strategic objectives.

The Better Together Challenge is an initiative of the South Australian Government to:

  • support innovative engagement in government agencies, and
  • recognise best practice community collaboration

The 2017 Challenge provides a minimum of 3 engagement projects with a maximum of $5,000 per project to fund or contribute towards best practice engagement.

What are the priorities/rounds

Applications for funding can be made in one or more for the following rounds:

  • Engaging hard to reach groups
  • Innovation
  • Collaboration

What can the challenge funds be used for?

  • Implementation of new or innovative engagement tools/techniques
  • Resources, facilities, hospitality or travel expenses for engagement participants
  • Technology, equipment or marketing to facilitate the engagement
  • Whilst funding cannot be used to cover salaries of existing state government employees, consideration will be given for contractors and or volunteer gifts or expenses reimbursement

What can’t the challenge funds be used for?

  • Funding for projects that support political or solely religious activities (with the exception of interfaith initiatives)
  • Retrospective funding for engagements which have already started or have been completed
  • Funding to supplement the recurrent or ongoing costs of an agency
  • Funding for direct service delivery to individuals that creates an ongoing need for the service
  • Payment of ongoing Management and Administration costs
  • Payment of wages of staff of the organisation

Who is eligible to apply?

South Australian Government agencies

How to apply

The application process is easy and should take you approximately one hour to complete. Simply use the Word document template and tell us about your proposed innovative engagement project. You’ll probably already have some of the wording written in your project plans.

Carefully read the funding guidelines to determine whether your project meets the criteria for funding. If you are unsure, please contact one of the Better Together team (details on last page).

Submit your application by Wednesday 28 June 2017, 5.00pmto .

Please note

It is not possible to fund all applications, therefore funding should not be anticipated or deemed automatic.

Key dates

May/June / September/October / December
Submissions received until 28 June. / If engagement finished – explore mini-showcase at Open State. / Engagement initiatives to have concluded. Case studies finalised.

There may be some flexibility around timeframe for delivery. Contact the Better Together team to discuss (details at the end of this document).

The application and assessment criteria

All applications must be received on the application template and needs to include:

  • A summary of the project/program
  • Explanation of the expected outcomes
  • The engagement team – including project sponsor, manager, officers, consultants
  • Any partners agencies/organisation or other key stakeholders
  • Project schedule, key milestones only

All applicants are assessed based on merit and the following assessment criteria:

Criteria / Description
Addressing a funding round / The extent to which the application addresses the nominated funding application round.
Need for the engagement / The application is based on sound evidence and need.
Alignment with 1 or more of the Better Together Principles of Engagement / Explain how the engagement aligns with one (or more) of the six Better Together Principles of Engagement.
Engagement techniques proposed / That the style of engagement and techniques are appropriate and are anticipated to facilitate a successful engagement
Value for money/ cost effectiveness / That the project (or the component for which the funding is being sought) has been costed realistically and provides value for money.

Following the assessment, applications will be ranked from highest score to lowest, with funding allocated in accordance with ranking until funding is exhausted.

To reduce the funding of duplicate projects, should several ‘like’ services be eligible for funding the top ranked ‘like’ service will be selected and the remaining ‘like’ services will not be funded.

In instances where a project is funded but the requested amount is not provided (reduced grant offered), negotiation may be required to ensure the project is still viable with the reduced funding. Alternatively, some aspects of the project may be funded rather than the entire project. Negotiations may be required to ensure outcomes can still be achieved.

Accountability requirements

Projects who are assigned funding will be required to:

  • Sign a letter confirming compliance with the grant criteria requirements, including appropriate reporting
  • Provide the Better Together team with a progress report, in writing, by 15 September and 15 December 2017
  • Commit to providing a written Case Study at the end of the engagement (at project conclusion, latest by 15 December 2017) – template provided
  • Present at a mini-showcase event, or similar

Notification of applications

All agencies that submit an application will be notified, in writing, of the outcome of their application.

Payment of challenge funds

It is anticipated that the successful projects will be funded in advance. Funding may be negotiated to be provided over the 2016/17 and 2017/18 financial year periods.

Need more information?

For more information, please contact the Better Together team:

  • Brett Manuel 0403 645 647 or Kate Walker 0435 656 219

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