TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. ABOUT THE PROGRAM
2. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
3. OUTCOMES
4. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
5. WHO IS NOT ELIGIBILE TO APPLY
6. CONDITIONS OF FUNDING
7. GOODS AND SERVICES TAX (GST)
8. FUNDING PARAMETERS
9. ASSESSMENT
10. WHAT MAY BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING
11. WHAT WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING
12. PROVISION OF QUOTES
13. ACQUITTAL OF SESRIP FUNDING
1. ABOUT THE PROGRAM
These guidelines provide details for organisations wishing to apply for financial assistance of up to $3000 from the Small and Emerging Sports and Recreation Investment Program (SESRIP) for projects to be completed during the relevant calendar year. This is an ACT Government grant program administered by Active Canberra.
The funding provided by Active Canberra is limited and as such, all applications will be assessed on relative merit. It is not possible to approve all requests for assistance, therefore grant funding should not be deemed automatic or anticipated.
Applications for funding from the SESRIP will be invited from 25 July 2016, closing on 18 August 2016.
Applications to the SESRIP are submitted through the online grants portal accessible from the Active Canberra website – www.sport.act.gov.au
2. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
The primary objective of the SESRIP is to provide financial assistance to new and emerging sports (and associated clubs) to establish a stronger presence and profile in the ACT community. This program recognises that “traditional sport” may not meet the needs of all members in our community, with many people seeking a different experience for their physical activity.
3. OUTCOMES
The intended outcomes of the SESRIP are:
1. to increase community access and participation in sport and physical recreation;
2. to increase participation in active lifestyles, particularly for children and young people;
3. to support new activities to enhance their participation and profile within the Canberra community.
4. to provide training and education opportunities for employees, volunteers and members that will assist in the development of sport and physical recreation organisations;
5. to assist in the development of marketing initiatives for sport and recreation organisations with the view to improving the management and administration of organisations including website development ; and
6. to assist organisations to purchase start up equipment costs including consumable equipment that will increase sport and physical recreation opportunities.
The Minister for Sport and Recreation is responsible for the final endorsement of all recommendations for the SESRIP.
4. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
Any organisation applying for funding under the SESRIP must:
1. be a not for profit organisation incorporated in the ACT under the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 or a company registered under the Corporations Act 2001 (Commonwealth) with its principal place of business in the ACT;
2. deliver programs within the ACT;
3. have current Public Liability Insurance coverage to a minimum level of $10,000,000;
4. have an Australian Business Number (ABN);
5. be registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) if applicable (if turnover is greater than $150,000 per annum);
6. have compliance requirements under the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 up to date; and
7. have satisfactorily acquitted all previous grants provided by Active Canberra (except for current year's funding), including financial acquittals for any other ACT Government agency grant.
5. WHO IS NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY
The following organisations or groups are not eligible to receive funding from the SESRIP:
1. Schools or Tertiary education institutions or affiliates that do not provide membership/participation access to the broader community.
2. Parents and citizens associations; and
6. CONDITIONS OF FUNDING
1. The declaration on the application form certifies that all information provided in the application is true and correct. Action may be taken for repayment of any grant made where information contained in the application is subsequently found to be false or the grant is not used for its approved purpose.
2. All organisations are accountable for funds received from Active Canberra and must adhere to all conditions and guidelines of the SESRIP.
3. All organisations must provide suitable acknowledgment for the financial support provided by Active Canberra under this program as outlined in the Acknowledgement Guidelines. This document can be accessed on the Active Canberra website at http://www.sport.act.gov.au/grants/grants-acknowledgement. Failure to do so may result in reduced funding in subsequent years.
4. All organisations that receive public funding from Active Canberra must comply with the ACT Government Policy on Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO).
5. All organisations must be able to demonstrate that all principles and guidelines of the National Junior Sport Policy are guiding its directions in junior sport development.
6. All organisations must be able to demonstrate that every effort is being made to ensure that the principles of access and equity are guiding the development of the organisation and any programs that it conducts.
7. Successful applicants will need to seek written approval from Active Canberra to make any variation to the project, as detailed in the application form. Requests to amend the scope of the project need to be addressed to the Director, Active Canberra, clearly outlining why the change of purpose is required. Organisations should not assume that a change of purpose request will be approved.
7. GOODS AND SERVICES TAX (GST)
GST is payable to organisations that receive financial assistance under this program if they are GST registered with the Australian Tax Office and can provide an Australian Business Number (ABN), i.e. if turnover is greater than $150,000 per annum.
For successful applicant organisations, Active Canberra will gross up the grant/s by 10% if registered for GST and after receipt of a Tax Invoice. Organisations that are not registered for the GST will not have their grants grossed up.
8. FUNDING PARAMETERS
All organisations must be aware of the following funding parameters:
organisations can apply for a maximum of $3,000 in funding to any single application under the SESRIP;
no matching funding is required however an applicant’s financial commitment to the activity/project will be considered in assessment.
9. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
When Active Canberra receives your application, it will be checked to ensure eligibility for funding (refer to Item 4 for eligibility requirements). All eligible applications are then provided to an assessment officer and a panel to be rated. The assessment panel is chaired by a senior staff member of Active Canberra.
Each application will be assessed against the guidelines and selection criteria on the application form. In addition, the assessment panel will consider the application as a whole and make an assessment as to the merit of the application in meeting the aims and objectives of the assessment round and its overall ability to address priority for the ACT community.
Applications that meet all the general eligibility requirements will be assessed against the following criteria in meeting the primary objective and outcomes of the SESRIP:
1. demonstrated need;
2. demonstrated benefits;
3. value for money; and
4. application quality and organisation history.
Even though an application may meet the above criteria, approval will depend on the number of applications received, the relative merit of the application, government priorities and available funds.
Recommendation for funding will then be made to the Minister for Sport and Recreation for final approval. Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application as soon as possible after Ministerial approval has been given. Active Canberra is unable to provide feedback on the outcome of your application prior to the conclusion of the assessment process.
10. WHAT MAY BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING
- start up equipment costs including consumable equipment items that will assist in increasing opportunities for participation in sport and physical recreation activity;
- initiatives that can assist organisations to increase opportunities for participation in sport and physical recreation activities such as come and try events and other marketing initiatives.
- eligible costs associated with organisation development and planning initiatives such as website or social media development; and
- education and training costs to assist in the development of people within your organisation (employees, volunteers and members).
11. WHAT WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING
- requests for retrospective funding;
- capital developments and improvements (refer to Capital Assistance Program);
- general administrative and management costs associated in operating the organisation;
- costs associated with initiatives that Active Canberra considers to be the ‘core business’ of the organisation;
- costs associated with salaries for staff currently employed by the applicant organisation;
- costs associated with voluntary labour and in-kind support;
- costs associated with the development of elite athletes, programs and initiatives;
- costs associated with hosting of events that Active Canberra considers to target elite competition;
- costs associated with travel to competition and events;
- requests for items damaged by vandalism, theft, fire, or any natural disaster where those should have been covered by the appropriate insurance;
- prize money, trophies, catering and hospitality expenses.
12. PROVISION OF QUOTES
All organisations must submit a minimum of one quote for each item of the application that has a clear and identifiable cost. This would include the purchase of equipment items and provision of services. Failure to submit this information may jeopardise any offer of funding.
13. ACQUITTAL OF SESRIP FUNDING
Within three months after the termination date of the grant period, organisations must provide Active Canberra with the following:
- a signed “Acquittal Form”, certifying that the organisation has utilised the financial assistance in accordance with the Conditions and Guidelines of the SESRIP; and
- a copy of the relevant audited financial statement or invoices, receipts, bank statements or other financial documentation that clearly identifies the income and expenditure of the grant, or
- documentation that clearly identifies the income and expenditure of the grant, signed by the official auditor of the organisation.
- No further financial assistance will be provided until all outstanding grants provided by Active Canberra (except for current year’s funding) have been successfully acquitted, including financial acquittals for any other ACT Government agency grant and organisations are compliant under the Associations Incorporation Act 1991.
For further information on the Small and Emerging Sports and Recreation Investment Program, contact the Senior Project Officer on (02) 6207 6195.