General Funding Grants
Australia-China Council (‘ACC’ or ‘Council’) grants are intended to provide seed funds for innovative proposals relevant to the mission and goals of the Council. This includes proposals which demonstrate the potential for the development of long-term links between individuals and institutions in Australia and counterparts in China.
The Council wishes to advise that its grants process has changed. It is now a two stage process. The first stage involves potential funding recipients submitting an expression of interest from which the Council will short list proposals to proceed to the second stage. The second stage involves the Council inviting applicants short listed from the first stage to complete and submit a full grant application form.
In the future, it is intended that the Council will now hold only two grant rounds each year. These rounds will be held in April (except in 2008) and October.
Description of Activity |
First Round |
Second Round |
Closing date for Expressions of Interest * |
30 May 2:00pm |
20 October |
Invited to Submit an Application |
3 June |
3 November |
Closing date for Applications * |
13 June ** 2pm |
21 November |
Notification of Decision |
20 June ** |
16 December |
Closing date for Applications * |
4 July *** 2pm |
|
Notification of Decision |
29 July *** |
* Expressions of Interest or Applications are to
arrive at the Secretariat by 2:00 pm AEST on or before the closing date (late entries will not be accepted)
** for projects commencing in the period up to the end
of August 2008
*** for projects commencing after August in 2008-09
(NB if successful, grant monies will not be paid more
than four to eight weeks before project activity commences)
You are reminded that your project commencement date must be no earlier than the applicable Notification of Decision dates as we do not fund past activities. Depending on your project dates, you may need to apply six months in advance.
There is no guarantee about the level of funding available
for each grants round but it should be noted that there may be
less funding available later in any given financial
year.
Applying for a Grant
- Expressions of Interest
- Applications
- ACC Funding Policies
- How to Complete the Expression of Interest or Application Forms
- Notification
- Responsibilities of Successful Applicants
- Funding Agreement
Expressions of Interest
It is important to read the following points before you complete an Expression of Interest:
- first read about the activities the Council does not fund;
- if your project is not one of those activities, then you should read the eligibility requirements for applying for a grant;
- if you are eligible, then you should read the funding conditions contained in the sample Funding Agreement (Download in word or pdf);
- if you are willing to comply with the funding conditions, and you think your project will meet our goals, then you can lodge an Expression of Interest form. (Download in word rtf pdf)
Preference will be given to projects in the fields of:
- Intercultural communication including educational initiatives such as professional development for Chinese language teachers in Australia, cultural awareness, visits by Chinese journalists
- Sustainability and the environment including energy, healthy cities, water, agriculture, carbon trading
- Health and safety including mine, road and workplace safety, education in schools on safety, safety regulations, accident research, lifesaving techniques, disaster/emergency management
- Cultural heritage including the arts, museum curatorship and conservation, architectural/heritage conservation, indigenous culture, new media
Your Expression of Interest must be submitted using the form provided and cannot exceed four A4 pages.
The form must be submitted electronically by email (in Word, pdf or rtf) to auschina.council@dfat.gov.au no later than 2:00pm AEST on the closing date. The signed original must also be posted to the Secretariat at our address. The ACC must have a signed copy of your form no later than 2:00pm AEST on the closing date. If your electronic form is not signed and your signed original may not reach the ACC on time, you should also fax your signed form to the ACC on (02) 6112 3818. Late Expressions of Interest will not be accepted.
Applications
Following the assessment of the preliminary Expressions of Interest by the Australia-China Council, a short list will be determined. Those short listed will be contacted and invited to submit a full grant application using a form that will be sent to them. Those who are not short listed will be notified in writing.
ACC Funding Policies
Eligibility
Individual applicants must be Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents. Proof of citizenship or residency may be required. Joint applications may be accepted from non-Australian individuals or organisations who are working in partnership with Australian individuals, groups or organisations.
Individuals and organisations may apply for grants. The applicant should demonstrate an established record of achievement in the development and management of projects relevant to their proposed area of endeavour, and should provide evidence of this.
Applications from youth groups, large groups, semi-professional or community organisations will only be considered where the activity would result in significant cultural diplomacy benefits.
No person or organisation can hold more than one Australia-China Council grant at any given time. Grants will not be provided to organisations or individuals that have failed to provide a proper acquittal of an earlier grant provided by the ACC, or any other Foundation, Council or Institute of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Competition for grant money is considerable, and the Council may decide not to award a new grant to an individual or organisation which has received a grant in the past.
Applicants may submit a maximum of three applications within a three-year period (excluding applications re-submitted with additional information at the Council’s request).
As a government organisation, the Australia-China Council is committed to the principles of equal opportunity and encourages individuals and organisations from target groups to apply for grants under this scheme.
Activities Not Funded
The Australia-China Council has a policy of supporting innovative proposals in a broad range of areas that further our goals. Grants are not normally available for the following purposes:
- Capital expenditure in real property, equipment or computer software.
- Conference/meeting travel. An exception to the general rule may be made for participants in conferences when the subject of the conference is of direct relevance to the Australia-China relationship and the applicant is a leader in the field. Applicants must also demonstrate that a substantial program will be arranged before and/or after the conference.
- Funding support to grant-giving organisations for activities mainly involving their own personnel and/or other costs.
- Activities that are properly the responsibility of other
funding bodies or other government agencies, for
example:
- development assistance projects;
- activities under bilateral science and technology agreements;
- trade promotion activities normally handled by Austrade; and
- academic research which is more appropriately funded by universities, the Australian Research Council or other institutions, except where the Council considers there is a direct and broadly based benefit for Australia-China relations.
- Activities that are properly the responsibility of the host institution e.g., post graduate students applying for travel assistance to do field work as part of their thesis will not normally be considered.
- Activities that are commercially viable in their own right and/or which give a commercial advantage to one organisation.
- Any project in which the Australia-China component is incidental to the main aims of the project.
- New applicants will receive preference over applicants who have received a grant or travel grant in the past three years.
- Activities undertaken by schools where travel by a significant number of students is the principal element of the proposal.
- Employment of research assistants, administrative staff etc., or the payment of administrative charges levied by the applicant's organisation.
- Funding of completed projects, or recurrent funding of projects.
- Salaries and honorariums.
Guidelines for Grants and Assessment Criteria
All applications are assessed against the Council's guidelines for grants and assessment criteria (see below). Applications for grants must therefore comply with these guidelines before being submitted for consideration:
- Applicants should have an established record of achievement in their proposed field of endeavour.
- The project should be an initiative relevant to the Council's goals. Such initiatives may promote new areas of contact between Australia and China or may serve to build on or develop existing contacts.
- The project should have a clearly defined benefit in terms of the Council's goals.
- Provision should be made in the application for publicity or promotion of the project (full acknowledgement of the Council’s support is required in all promotional materials and publications associated with ACC-funded projects) and recipients of funding for performances and exhibitions in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, are required to list their events on OzArts Online.
- Where projects are to be undertaken in conjunction with, or part funded by a Chinese/Australian organisation, applicants must demonstrate that sufficient support is available from the counterpart to ensure the success of the project. An example of such support might be accommodation and other services provided free of charge by host institutions. Copies of documentation to this effect should be provided. Where the support takes the form of guarantees by governmental or other agencies, documentary evidence of this should also be provided.
- Council support should constitute seed funding intended to encourage financial support from other sources, including corporate sponsorship. Preference will be given to projects which are able to demonstrate that they have obtained part of their funding from other sources and can provide evidence of such support.
- The project should establish prospects for future independent activity as a result of initial Council funding.
All eligible applications will be assessed by the Council against the following assessment criteria:
- The extent to which the project’s objectives are clearly defined and consistent with the Council’s goals. (word) (rtf) (pdf)
- The project’s potential to be wide-ranging and offer prospects of long-term links and continuing exchanges.
- The applicant/s ability to deliver the project successfully and the quality of the application.
Information about Grants
The Council assesses grant applications on the likely benefits a given project will bring, rather than the amount actually requested, and it therefore exercises considerable flexibility in the amounts disbursed as grants and the conditions attached to those grants.
While grant amounts will be considered on a proposal basis, major grant funding of AUD 30,000 or more for any single activity will only be provided in exceptional circumstances and where the Council decides the project will become a priority activity of the ACC in that financial year.
Where a project is of high quality, but financially beyond the Council's resources, the Council may decide to award the applicant a grant conditional on funds being raised from other sources.
In any financial year the Council will look to fund a diverse range of activities that further the Council’s goals and are preferably under the Council’s funding priority areas, both in Australia and throughout China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, including projects which have a reach outside the major cities.
All ACC funding is given on the condition that the applicant will provide a report on the project and an adequate financial acquittal within 30 days of the completion of the activities for which the funding is provided. Failure to do so will prevent the applicant from being given further funding and may lead to grant recovery action.
Council grants must normally be taken up in the financial year for which they are granted. If a grant cannot be taken up within the specified period, it will be withdrawn in order to give other applicants an opportunity to carry out a project. Any likely delay should therefore be reported in good time to the Council, to allow it to consider the circumstances and take any appropriate action.
How to Complete the Expression of Interest or Application Form
In order to give your Expression of Interest or Application the best chance possible, please be aware of the following:
- Do not supply covering letters as they are not forwarded to the Council.
- The applicant should be the owner of the bank account into which the grant (if successful) will be paid. This person or entity will be required to enter into a funding (grant) agreement with the Commonwealth of Australia (represented by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade), and legally responsible for the proper acquittal of any funds awarded. Persons signing application and funding acceptance forms must be duly authorised to do so.
- The start date for the project should take into account project preparation time.
- Normally the Council does not pay a grant to a successful recipient until four to eight weeks prior to the project’s start date. However, you may be required to pay project expenses before this. In either case, advice of the date you estimate you will need ACC funds will help the Council plan its grant payments. For example, you would use the date airline tickets must be paid for, not the departure date or the booking date.
- The amount applied for should be exclusive of GST. If you are registered for GST, the ACC will add that amount to your grant.
- Remember that the ACC may have little or no knowledge of what you do. As decisions are based on information provided, ensure that your forms are clear, comprehensive and concise.
- We must receive a signed form by the closing date/time. An electronic copy (in Word, pdf or rtf) is essential and must be followed by the original signed document in the post (address details are on the forms). If you think the Secretariat will not receive your signed form by the deadline, you may also submit a facsimile copy of your form to show that it is signed.
In addition to the points above, the following tips for completing your Application Form are also important:
- Ensure your Budget (incoming funds) matches your Expenditure Statement (project costs) in the Application Form.
- Provide the most detailed and accurate Expenditure Statement possible. Ensure the items you wish the ACC to fund or partially fund are clearly indicated with an asterisk (*). Unless the Council specifies otherwise, these will be the only activities for which you can use the grant. Unspent grant funds must be returned to the Council.
- Council funding of international air fares is at the applicable economy excursion rate. The Council will not reimburse applicants for additional expenses incurred because of late bookings or other problems requiring tickets to be paid at a higher rate.
- Applicants should note that misleading the Australian Government on financial matters may have serious consequences. Under section 136.1 of the Criminal Code (Cwlth), it is an offence to provide false or misleading information to an Australian Government body in an application for a benefit, punishable by up to 12 months imprisonment.
- Referees should be independent of the project and be able to comment on your ability to undertake the project, in addition to commenting on the project itself.
- The ACC will not accept un-signed referees’ reports.
- Follow up with your referees to ensure that their signed written references are received by the Secretariat before the closing date. It is advisable that you include references when submitting the application if possible. Late references will not be accepted.
- Please note that CVs are strictly limited to one page.
- Typed applications are preferred wherever possible. If you must hand-write the application, write neatly with a dark pen (i.e. black or blue).
- All main documentation should be in black and white. Colour photographs, books, DVDs and other supporting material may not be seen by Council members.
- If any supporting material is to be returned to you, please include a stamped self-addressed envelope.
- Do not staple or bind the application.
- All documentation must be in English or accompanied by a translation.
If you have any queries or problems, please contact the Secretariat
Notification
All applicants for Council funding will be advised in writing of the outcome of their application on or around the notification dates specified above. Successful applicants will receive the Council's Funding Agreement and Funding Acceptance forms and will be advised of any additional special conditions which the ACC may specify for the grant.
Responsibilities of Successful Applicants
Funding recipients are responsible for all administrative costs and arrangements associated with their activities, including visa and travel arrangements, visa charges, airport taxes, ground transport, travel and health insurance and accommodation.
Funding recipients are also responsible for making their own arrangements regarding any taxation liabilities, which may arise from the award of funding. Payment will only be made after receipt of the signed Funding Acceptance form, and a Tax Invoice (with GST included in the case of GST-registered funding recipients).
Funding recipients who do not have an ABN are required to provide the Secretariat with a completed ATO Statement by a Supplier form.
The ACC reserves the right to withdraw funding if a grant recipient fails to comply with the Council’s Funding Agreement. Applicants should therefore read the conditions contained in the Funding Agreement carefully before submitting an Expression of Interest and/or Application.
