Your application must satisfy all the eligibility criteria to be considered by the Council.
Who is eligible to apply for a grant?
Eligibility requirements are listed in Appendix B of the Grant Guidelines.
To be eligible you must:
- complete the Grant Eligibility Checklist at Appendix B and be one of the following entity types:
- an Australian entity with an Australian Business Number (ABN), Australian Company Number (ACN), or Indigenous Corporation Number (ICN) with a project delivery or support partner from at least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay)
- an Australian consortiumi with a lead organisation with a project delivery or support partner from at least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay)
- an Australian registered charity or not-for-profit organisation with a project delivery or support partner from at least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay)
- an Australian local government body with a project delivery or support partner from at least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay)
- an Australian State/Territory government body with a project delivery or support partner from at least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay)
- a corporate Commonwealth entity with a project delivery or support partner from at least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay)
- an Australian statutory authority with a project delivery or support partner from at least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay)
- an Australian or permanent resident of Australia with a project delivery or support partner from at least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay)
- a citizen or organisation from at least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay) with an Australian project delivery or support partner who will administer the grant in the currency of Australian dollars (AUD) regardless of where the project takes place
- a well-established organisation in a Latin American country with a business purpose to advocate for Australian business, education and/or cultural interests with an Australian project delivery or support partner who will administer the grant in the currency of Australian dollars (AUD), regardless of where the project takes place.
Applicants – what must be included:
- submit all the attachments listed in Section 7.1 on page 15 of the Grant Guidelines (reproduced here for ease of reference):
- a project plan (mandatory), including the scope of the proposed grant project and a timeline of activities [this is information you will need to provide in the Application Form]
- a project budget (mandatory) which accounts for both cash and in-kind contributions, and which identifies sources of funding (grantee contribution, Commonwealth funding, etc.) [this is the information you will need to provide in the Application Form]
- a one-page capability statement relating to you/your organisation [mandatory as an attachment]
- a risk management plan and any supporting documentation, describing how you or the organisation will monitor, manage and report identified risks, including risks that may arise during your proposed grant project [optional as an attachment]
- two short, signed, independent references in English that speak to your/ your organisation's capabilities and the proposal [mandatory as attachments]
- a one-page CV per project partner, if relevant, and evidence of commitment to the project (for example, a letter of support) (mandatory if applicable) as attachment/s
- if you are applying on behalf of a university, a letter of support from the Research Office (see sub-heading 'University Applications' on page 15 of the Guidelines) [mandatory as an attachment]
- a one-page letter from the project partner, either from Australia or an eligible Latin American country/ countries listed in Section 2.1 of the Grant Guidelines, confirming their full involvement in the project [mandatory as an attachment].
Information on Project Partners
It is a requirement that:
- an Australian applicant (whether an individual or organisation) has a project delivery or support partner from at least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay)
- a Latin American applicant (whether an individual or an organisation) fromat least one of the priority countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay) has a project delivery or support partner in Australia, who will administer the grant in the currency of Australian dollars (AUD) regardless of where the project takes place. Project partners may include a range of entities, including related organisations, that are integral to project delivery and success. Each partner's role, contribution and commitment must be clearly outlined in the accompanying support letter. Financial contributions and multiple project partners are strongly encouraged.
Applications from consortia are acceptable, provided you have a lead applicant who is the main driver of the project and is eligible as per the list above.
Individuals who intend the grant to be administered by a university should apply on behalf of the university, i.e. your university is the applicant.
In addition, to be eligible you must:
- have completed all previous COALAR grant acquittals
- propose a project that is aligned with one of COALAR's Goals and one Priority theme (if you select the Education and Research Priority Area you must also select another Priority theme)
- propose a project that will commence no earlier than 1 March 2027 and no later than 30 June 2027
- propose a project of no more than one year's duration from the time of contract signing, with project acquittal due within 60 days of the end of the project
- propose a grant amount between $15,000 to $50,000
- submit a complete application in English, with supporting documentation in English as requested in Section 7.1
- be willing to provide child protection guidelines for your project if it involves people under the age of 18 years.
Who is not eligible to apply for a grant?
You are not eligible to apply, and your application will therefore not be considered, if you are:
- an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme's list of 'Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Schemeii
- not an entity type listed in Appendix B
- an organisation (employer of 100 or more employees) that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012i [Please see the list of non-compliant organisations on the Workplace Gender Equality Agency website]
- a representative of a government or government ministry in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Panamá, Perú or Uruguay
- an unincorporated association
- a previous applicant who has failed to provide a full and proper acquittal of an earlier COALAR grant.
What can the grant money be used for?
Grant funds can only be spent on eligible grant activities, which are outlined in the Grant Guidelines at section 5.3.
In addition, applications are required to align with one of COALAR's strategic goals and one strategic priority theme, as outlined in Section 2.1 of the Grant Guidelines.
You should also refer to the Guidelines for countering foreign interference in the Australian university sector.
You can only use the grant funds to pay for costs detailed in your budget and grant agreement, including:
Travel
- Travel, including economy flights, modest accommodation costs (three or four-star hotel equivalent), meals and travel allowances, other transport.
- Refer to the ATO Tax Determination for more detail on what constitutes reasonable expenses for travel, meal allowances and other transport.
- Note: travel and accommodation expenses must not exceed 50% of the total COALAR grant value (the grant funds provided by COALAR, not including other cash or in-kind contributions).
- Travel and accommodation for attendance at conferences or meetings, participation in fieldwork, or sporting or other events directly related to achieving the grant project outcomes described by you.
- Travel to attend a conference or meeting that will significantly contribute to the outcomes of the proposed grant project. A strong argument for the selection of applicant(s) to attend the conference or meeting needs to be provided.
Other
- Advertising and promotion, graphic design, photography, social media, video and printed material related to the grant project.
- Production costs, including freight, artists' and support staff's wages, and/or fees directly related to the grant project (business-as-usual wages or fees will not be supported).
- Employee labour costs related to delivering the core elements of the grant project (business-as-usual labour costs will not be supported).
- One principal speaker on the subject of the grant project which is of direct relevance to the grant opportunity.
- Venue hire and catering.
- Costs related to studies, research or surveys aligned to grant project outcomes.
- Costs relating to auspices services, project administration or coordination (e.g. temporary engagement of a coordinator) may be considered, capped at 5% of the total COALAR grant value.
- Applicants should ensure that the proposed budget reflects a balanced allocation of grant funding across all elements of the activity. COALAR does not support applications that are solely or predominantly focused on travel.
For activities delivered in Australia, applicants are encouraged to consider the use of an Indigenous supplier, if they intend to subcontract any of the services above. A directory of registered Indigenous businesses is available on the Supply Nation website.
You can only spend grant funds on eligible grant activities and within the start and end dates, as defined in your grant agreement.
You should allow for the exchange fees in your project budget. You are responsible for any financial differences that may occur from the time of the application submission to when the project takes place, due to fluctuations in the exchange rate. Bank remittance fees are to be covered by the grantee.
What can't the grant money be used for?
You cannot use the grant for the following:
- capital expenditure, including purchase of real estate and vehicles
- purchase of equipment (for example, musical instruments, computers, videos, photographic or printing equipment)
- the covering of retrospective costs or recurrent funding of activities
- activities assessed by the COALAR Board as commercially viable in their own right
- activities which will provide commercial advantage to the applicant or third parties (e.g. promotion of the applicant's own business; funding of competitive intelligence, business development or service delivery activities for profit generation)
- crowd funding, seed funding, investment or early-stage business establishment
- costs incurred in the preparation of a grant application, acquittal or related documentation
- subsidy of general ongoing administration of an organisation such as electricity, phone, rent, salaries (including for research assistants or administrative staff), honorariums or administrative charges levied by the applicant's organisation
- activities for which other Commonwealth, State, Territory or Local Government bodies have primary responsibility (eg academic research, assistance to business, development assistance projects)
- academic or pure research funded by entities such as the Australian Research Council, or other grants available for academic research on innovation, research or commercialisation projects funded by entities such as the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, or other grants available for academic research on GrantConnect
- assistance to businesses that is available and funded by Austrade, or other grants available for business on GrantConnect
- development assistance/aid related projects and activities (these are funded by the DFAT's Direct Aid Program and other agencies)
- activities undertaken by primary or high schools, including study tours, where travel by a significant number of students is the principal element of the proposal
- scholarships to individual students
- completed projects.
COALAR does not generally fund travel and accommodation for attendance at conferences or meetings, participation in fieldwork or sporting or other events, unless they are directly related to achieving the project outcomes described by you. Such activities are considered and scrutinised by the COALAR Board and must be of direct relevance to its objectives.
For conference or meeting attendance to be considered, a substantial program should exist at the sidelines or around the conference and there should also be a strong argument for the selection of applicant(s).
i The Australian Government recognises that some organisations may seek to form consortia in order to apply for a grant under the Program. Consortia are eligible to apply and the relevant conditions applicable to consortia are at 7.2 'Grant Applications from Consortia'
ii The National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Grant Connected Policy makes non-government institutions named in applications to the Scheme, or in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, that do not join the Scheme ineligible for future Australian Government grant funding. The National Redress Scheme Grant Connected Policy came into effect on 1 January 2021. The Department of Social Services is the responsible entity for questions and advice regarding this policy.