Deadline: 28 February 2020
The Small Grants Program assists Catholic organisations and other groups carrying out Catholic mission anywhere in Australia. These grants will help them respond to current and emerging needs in their local communities.
The program runs throughout the financial year, with small grants reviewed and assessed biannually. Applications are assessed by a committee, which exercises its discretion in accordance with an annual budget.
Priority
Priority is given to Catholic organisations implementing charitable, humanitarian or social justice initiatives within or for the Catholic community. If your charity is a Catholic agency, its activities are automatically considered ‘consistent with Catholic teaching’.
However, other agencies that serve the broader community and also exemplify Jesus’s commitment to love and justice for the poor and marginalised may also be awarded a grant, subject to funding availability.
Areas
Funding can be applied to any initiative designed to support one (or more) of these key areas:
- Young people experiencing educational disadvantage;
- Refugees and people seeking asylum;
- Families affected by mental illness;
- Those affected by domestic violence.
The committee is particularly interested in supporting:
- Small community organisations;
- Social enterprise initiatives that attempt to provide a sustainable source of engagement and income for those involved;
- Initiatives where the grant forms part of a project budget of less than $100,000;
- Only small, discrete projects that meet the needs of a community rather than supplementing the funding of large projects will be supported.
Funding Information
- Catholic Church Insurance (CCI) Giving will provide single grants of up to $5,000 for eligible organisations to support events or projects and, occasionally, up to $10,000 to support small capital works initiatives. The Small Grants Program distributes up to $150,000 to eligible charities annually;
- CCI grants are capped at $5,000 (and up to $10,000 for small capital works initiatives) and are for a 12-month period only. While successful organisations can’t reapply in the same financial year, CCI do encourage unsuccessful applicants to reapply at any time.
Note: CCI Giving doesn’t accept applications for:
- Capital expenditure relating to large-scale building initiatives;
- Attending events or conferences and travel.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the Small Grants Program, applicants must:
- Be registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC);
- Hold Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR Item 1) status;
- Be carrying out activities consistent with Catholic teaching in Australia.
Note: While the size of an organisation doesn’t directly affect their eligibility to apply, CCI do aim to support smaller, locally managed not-for-profits with annual revenue of less than $1m.
How to Apply
- To apply for the Small Grants Program, you’ll have to have a quick chat with CCI first at the address given via website. CCI don’t want organisations wasting their time if they’re unlikely to be successful – equally, CCI don’t want any great ideas to slip past!
- After an initial discussion, some organisations will be invited to supply a more detailed funding application including supporting documentation (with an link to CCI online application form provided by email).
Note: You cannot apply for a CCI Giving small grant without talking to them first.
For more information, visit https://ccigiving.org.au/programs/small-grants-program
