ACT Government launches Women’s Safety Grant Program in Australia

Deadline: 14-Jan-25

The Australian Capital Territory Government is pleased to announce the opening of the ACT Women’s Safety Grant Program.

The Grant program provides funding support to organisations, and community groups for innovative projects to improve the health, wellbeing, and safety of ACT women and gender diverse people who align themselves with this group.

Priorities Areas

• The ACT Women’s Safety Grants have 4 priority areas for projects and initiatives, which align with the priorities identified in the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022- 2032:
  • Prevention 
    • Challenge the condoning of violence against women and embed prevention activities across sectors and settings.
    • Advance gender equality and promote women’s independence and decision-making in public life and relationships.
    • Strengthen positive, equal, and respectful relationships between all people in public and private spheres.
    • Listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices.
    • Support men and boys in developing healthy masculinities and positive, supportive relationships with their male peers.
    • Harness technology in the prevention of violence against women and children.
    • Invest in making workplaces safe and preventing sexual harassment.
    • Elevate the voices of children and young people as victim-survivors in their own right
  • Early intervention 
    • Reduce the long-term impacts of exposure to violence and prevent further exposure.
    • Address adolescent violence in family settings.
    • Improve timely responses to newly identified cases of violence, attitudes and behaviours that may lead to violence perpetration.
    • Enhance accountability of people who choose to use violence and address misidentification of perpetrators.
    • Build sector and community capacity to identify and support women and children at increased risk of experiencing gender-based violence and to intervene early to stop violence from escalating.
  • Response 
    • Ensure frontline services provided by states and territories are coordinated, integrated, and appropriately resourced with a skilled and qualified workforce to support all victim survivors.
    • Incorporate an understanding and appropriate response to the specific challenges diverse communities face in relation to family, domestic and sexual violence
    • Ensure women and children escaping violence have safe and secure housing, from crisis accommodation to longer-term, sustainable social housing.
    • Improve justice responses to all forms of gender-based violence.
  • Recovery and healing
    • Ensure victim-survivors are well supported in all aspects of their daily lives through trauma informed, culturally safe, and accessible services that support long-term recovery.
    • Design recovery services and supports that are tailored to the specific needs of diverse populations and individuals, and women and children of all ages and in all locations.
    • Ensure everyone impacted by sexual violence receives specialist recovery and healing services.
    • Recognise children and young people as victim-survivors of violence in their own right and establish appropriate supports and services that will meet their safety and recovery needs.

Funding Information

• The total funding available under this program is $100,000. The maximum grant that can be applied for is $20,000.

Eligible Projects

• Eligible projects must:
  • Achieve outcomes in line with the priorities of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032
  • Not be retrospectively funded, duplicate or ongoing/recurrent funding
  • Have not received funding from another source to deliver the same or similar project, funding from these grants can be used to supplement existing funding
  • Occur primarily in the ACT and for the benefit of women and gender diverse people who align themselves with this group in the ACT.

Eligibility Criteria

• Individuals, profit making groups, government entities and registered political parties are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants must have no overdue acquittal obligations for any previous Community Services Directorate grant. All overdue acquittals must be completed prior to submitting an application.
• Organisations can apply if they:
  • Operate in the ACT
  • Are a non-government, legally incorporated entity or supported by an incorporated auspicing organisation
  • Are a registered not-for-profit or a charitable organisation
  • Have no overdue acquittal obligations for any previous Community Services Directorate grant. All overdue acquittals must be completed prior to submitting an application
  • Have the qualifications, skills, experience, and reputational standing to manage the proposed initiative
  • Have appropriate insurance cover held by the organisation implementing a funded project. This may include Public Liability of no less than $10 million, Personal Accident, Volunteer Cover and or Directors Professional Indemnity. Evidence of insurance may be required as a condition of the grant

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following will not be funded:

• Projects that do not contribute to or meet the aims and priorities of the program
• Projects that are not delivered primarily within the ACT or benefits the ACT community
• Projects requiring ongoing funding to sustain the project or activity
• Projects or activities already funded by the ACT Government or Australia Government, or where alternative sources of funding are available
• Projects that are a duplication of, or in parallel with an existing service, program, project, or event
• General administration and operational costs such as salaries, memberships, subscription fees, communication and IT, stationery, rent, leasing, or utilities, machinery, vehicles, or large capital equipment of any kind

For more information, visit ACT Government.