Information on the assessment process is set out in Section 8 on pages 16-18 of the Grant Guidelines and information on the notification process is in Section 9 on page 18.
The COALAR Grants Program is an open, competitive grants process. All applications are reviewed against the eligibility checklist (Appendix B of the Grant Guidelines). Only eligible applications will proceed to assessment.
If eligible, we will then assess your application against the assessment criteria (see Section 6) of the Guidelines).
We consider your application on its merits, based on:
- how well it meets the assessment criteria
- how it compares to other applications
- whether it provides value with relevant money.
When assessing whether the application represents value with money, we will have regard to:
- the relative value of the grant sought
- how the proposed grant project will target groups or individuals, such as leveraging existing processes and technologies, or demonstrating innovative approaches
- whether the application outlines effective risk management processes to minimise potential waste of money
- whether the application includes mechanisms for ongoing monitoring and management of grant activities
- the extent to which the proposed grant project leverages additional funding (this includes cash and in-kind contributions).
Other factors we will have regard to include:
- the overall objectives of the proposed grant project
- the evidence provided to demonstrate how your proposed project contributes to meeting these objectives
- whether the application aligns with identified geographic priorities for the COALAR program.
If the assessment process identifies unintentional errors in your application, we may contact you to correct or clarify the errors, but you cannot make any material alterations or additions to your application after the application deadline.
As part of the assessment process, we also consider any national interest, financial, legal/regulatory, governance or other issues or risks that we identify during any due diligence process we may conduct in respect of the applicant. This includes issues or risks related to an organisation's directors, officers, senior managers, key personnel, its related bodies corporate (as defined in the Corporations Act 2001(Cth)) or the grant application itself, that could bring the Australian Government into disrepute if it were to fund the applicant. Such issues and risks include where we consider that funding the application under this grant opportunity is likely to directly conflict with Australian Government policy.
Where possible, we will provide you with an opportunity to comment on any material risks identified during this due diligence process prior to our determining the extent (if any) to which those issues or risks affect our assessment of the application and, if so, whether they are sufficient to warrant the exclusion of your application from the assessment process.
Even when an application meets the assessment criteria, a grant offer is not guaranteed.
Who will approve grants?
The assessment committee will make recommendations to COALAR's Financial Delegate, who will decide which grants to approve.
Where funds become available during the financial year, DFAT may award funding to applicants that were previously shortlisted as suitable but were not funded.
The delegate's decision is final in all matters, including:
- the approval of the grant
- the grant funding amount to be awarded.
The delegate will not approve funding if the application does not represent value with money.
COALAR reserves the right to offer less funding than that sought by the applicant. There is no appeal mechanism for decisions to approve or not approve a grant.
Notification of application outcomes
COALAR will advise all applicants – both successful and unsuccessful – of the outcome of their application in writing, by email. You are responsible for ensuring your contact details on the application form are up-to-date for the duration of the grant round. We can only notify the contact person listed on the application form.
Feedback on your application
Individual feedback will not be available for this grant round.