MULTICULTURAL SA
STRONGER FAMILIES,
STRONGER COMMUNITIES
GRANT
2015-2017
Message from the Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Throughout its history, South Australia has provided a home and the promise of a
better life for people from many cultures, and our society is greatly enriched by the
diversity that shapes it.
In an increasingly complex and globalised world, we all understand the need for
acceptance and tolerance of diversity. But what can we learn through a deeper
understanding of our differences? How might this deeper understanding contribute to
the economic and social thriving of our state?
In the 2015-16 budget, the South Australian Government announced that it is tripling
investment in the multicultural area, contributing an extra $8 million over the next
four years. This significant investment demonstrates a commitment to strengthening
the capacity of our culturally diverse communities and to building relationships and
knowledge that could enormously benefit the wellbeing of South Australians and the
future prosperity of our state.
As Minister for Multicultural Affairs, I celebrate this opportunity. The expansion of our
Multicultural Grants Program will support a broader range of activities and
opportunities that will not only strengthen the economic, social and cultural
participation of our culturally diverse communities but will also develop productive
and creative connection and interchange across communities.
I encourage all South Australians to take new opportunities to explore and engage
with the rich variety of cultural experiences our culturally diverse communities make
available to us throughout the year. Most importantly, I encourage you to extend your
curiosity and openness to engaging with the cultural diversity that is everywhere in
our daily lives – in our schools, our workplaces and our neighbourhoods.
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About the Multicultural Grants Program
In its 2015-16 budget, the South Australian Government tripled its investment in the
multicultural area, with an extra $8 million dollars committed over the next four years.
Due to this significant increase in funding, the Multicultural Grant Program,
administered by Multicultural SA within the Department for Communities and Social
Inclusion (DCSI), has been reconfigured into three funding streams that will support
a broader range of activities and opportunities for community organisations
representing people from culturally diverse backgrounds.
The three grant streams are:
Multicultural Infrastructure Grants – for the construction of minor infrastructure
projects, or the upgrade, extension of enhancement of existing infrastructure.
Celebrating Diversity Program – supporting a range of activities for culturally
diverse communities, including cultural festivals and events.
Stronger Families, Stronger Communities Grants – to address priority needs and
issues within culturally diverse communities.
About the Stronger Families, Stronger Communities Grants
The Stronger Families, Stronger Communities Grants will make one-off funding
available to eligible community organisations to develop projects that address priority
needs and issues and improve outcomes for culturally diverse communities. Grants
are available for projects or initiatives that are aimed at building capacity, knowledge
and skills within the community, but that do not create an ongoing need for funding.
The Stronger Families, Stronger Communities Grants are aimed at achieving the
following outcomes:
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strengthen community leadership capacity in developing responses to community
issues
strengthen families by raising awareness of and improving responsiveness to a
range of family issues in culturally diverse communities
address barriers to employment and training for people from new and emerging
communities, particularly those who have limited access to government funded
programs and are ineligible for Commonwealth services
build social cohesion and community harmony in South Australia
support members of culturally diverse communities (particularly those from new
and emerging communities and older people from established communities) to
actively participate in and have an increased sense of belonging to South
Australian society
Grants of up to $200,000 are available for projects that commence on 1 January
2016 and conclude by 30 June 2017.
Only one application per organisation will be considered for the 20152017Stronger Families, Stronger Communities Grant.
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What are the priorities for 2015-17?
The priorities for Stronger Families, Stronger Communities Grants are based on
those identified as key issues by the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs
Commission (SAMEAC) and Multicultural SA.
Strengthening families
Strengthening families aims to raise awareness, improve community understanding
or develop skills within communities to address domestic, family and intimate partner
violence or elder abuse in culturally diverse communities. This priority also supports
projects that address family breakdown and intergenerational conflict in new and
emerging communities.
Examples of projects include:
 community development initiatives that build community skill and leadership in
responding to these issues
 partnership approaches between culturally diverse communities and other
culturally diverse or mainstream organisations that support improved service
responses
 resources and tools that help service providers to deliver tailored, culturally and
linguistically appropriate responses
 research projects
Employment and training
Employment and training aims to address barriers to employment and training for
people from new and emerging communities, particularly those who have limited
access to government funded programs and are ineligible for Commonwealth
services.
Examples of projects include:
 vocational English classes focused on Australian workplace culture and work
health and safety
 employment skills training and workshops, incorporating structured mentoring
 research projects
Social cohesion and community harmony
Social cohesion and community harmony aims to build social cohesion and harmony
in the broader community.
Examples of projects include:
 initiatives that promote the importance of mutual respect, understanding and fair
treatment of all, regardless of cultural, racial or religious differences
 engagement activities with a broad range of faith and community members,
including new and emerging communities
 the establishment of interfaith networks or assistance to build the skill base and
sustainability of existing interfaith networks
 research projects
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Participation in social, economic and community life
Participation in social, economic and community life aims to support people to
actively participate in, or have an increased sense of belonging to, South Australian
society.
Under this priority, projects that target one or more of the following groups will be
assessed favorably:
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people from new and emerging communities
older people from established communities
people who are socially isolated
people who are geographically isolated
people living in regional areas
Examples of projects include:
 projects that train older people within culturally diverse communities to use digital
technology
 leadership skills training or mentoring opportunities for women or youth
 projects that improve access to services
 research projects
What can the grant be used for?
Funding can be used to cover salaries and other expenses that directly relate to the
coordination, management and delivery of the project.
What can’t the grant be used for?
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funding for projects that support political or solely religious activities (with the
exception of interfaith initiatives)
retrospective funding for projects that have already started or have been
completed
funding to supplement the recurrent or ongoing costs of an existing organisation
funding for direct service delivery to individuals that creates an ongoing need for
the service
funding for Infrastructure
Who is eligible to apply?
Grants will only be provided to organisations that:
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are non-government, not-for profit, incorporated community-based organisations
provide services or support for culturally diverse communities in South Australia
have a registered Australian Business Number (ABN)
Organisations that are not incorporated or do not have an ABN can apply if they are
able to secure an eligible organisation to act as their sponsor (auspice) for the
project. The sponsor organisation is then responsible for the legal and financial
accountability of the project and will be required to enter into the grant agreement.
Sponsor organisations will receive funding and be responsible for acquitting funding.
For-profit organisations cannot apply for funding.
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What does a strong application look like?
Strong applications demonstrate a well-planned approach. They involve relevant
stakeholders. They are clear about what the project is aiming to achieve and what
benefits it will bring. They also clearly answer all questions in the application and
provide all supporting documentation.
How to apply
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Carefully read the funding guidelines to determine whether your organisation
meets the criteria for funding. If you are unsure, please contact the Multicultural
SA Grants Team on 1300 239 468.
Complete the online Stronger Families, Stronger Communities application in full
at http://www.multicultural.sa.gov.au/grants.
Submit the completed application by the closing time and date – no late
applications will be accepted.
Please note:
It is not possible to fund all applications, therefore funding should not be anticipated
or deemed automatic.
Assessment Criteria
All applications are assessed based on merit and the following assessment criteria:
Criteria
Description
Addressing a
priority area
The extent to which the application addresses the nominated
2015-17 grant outcome priority area.
Need and
delivery of
project
The application is inclusive, based on sound evidence of
need and is clear about how the project will be delivered.
Value for
money/cost
effectiveness
The extent the project has been costed realistically and
provides value for money as demonstrated in the required
project budget and cash flow.
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 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.
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Key Dates
Date
14 September 2015
OPEN - Stronger Families, Stronger Communities Grant
23 September 2015
INFORMATION SESSION
Education Development Centre, from 6:00pm
12 October 2015
CLOSES - Stronger Families, Stronger Communities Grant
October 2015
Assessment committee meets to assess applications
1 November 2015
Outcome of Stronger Families, Stronger Communities
announced at the 2015 Multicultural Festival
1 January 2016
Funded projects commence activity
30 June 2017
All projects are completed
Accountability Requirements
All organisations approved for funding will be required to:
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sign a funding agreement and comply with its requirements, including appropriate
reporting
maintain financial records in accordance with the generally accepted accounting
principles and comply with relevant laws in force in South Australia
comply with reporting requirements for past completed projects to be eligible to
receive funding for a new projects. Failure to comply may result in payments
being withheld by the funding body.
Notification of applicants
All organisations that submit an application will be notified, in writing, of the outcome
of their application.
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Glossary
Culturally Diverse Communities
People from migrant or refugee backgrounds, particularly those from non-English
speaking countries.
Community capacity building
A way of working with and supporting communities that strengthens their ability to
build their structures, systems, people and skills so they are better able to define and
achieve their objectives, engage in consultation and planning, manage community
projects and take part in partnerships and community enterprises.
Domestic, family and intimate partner violence
When someone intentionally uses violence, threats, force or intimidation to control or
manipulate a family member, intimate partner or former partner
Elder abuse
Any act occurring within a relationship where there is an implication of trust, which
results in harm to an older person. Abuse may be physical, sexual, financial,
psychological, social and/ or neglect.
Interfaith
Cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different
religious traditions (i.e. faiths). Dialogue often involves promoting understanding
between different religions or beliefs to increase acceptance of others.
New and emerging communities
People from new and emerging communities are sometimes identified as higherneed or at-risk due to the length of time they have spent in refugee camps and the
additional resources and support they may need to address the settlement
challenges they face. New and emerging communities are those:
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with a small population
where the majority of members are recent arrivals to Australia
where the majority of members entered through Australia’s humanitarian program
lacking established family networks, support systems, community structures and
resources compared with established communities.
Social cohesion
Refers to positive social relationships – the bond or 'glue' that binds people together.
A socially cohesive society works towards the wellbeing of all its members, fights
exclusion and marginalisation, creates a sense of belonging, promotes trust and
offers its members the opportunity of upward mobility.
For more information
Visit www.multicultural.sa.gov.au/grants
Call for assistance on 1300 239 468
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