Australia: Apply for Investing in Women Funding Program

Deadline: 30-Apr-21

The NSW Government is pleased to continue the Investing in Women Funding Program in 2021.

The Investing in Women Funding Program funds NSW organisations to develop and implement projects that support:

• Improve women’s financial wellbeing and security and support diverse and flexible employment opportunities for women and girls.
• Promote and support a holistic approach to women’s health across the lifespan.
• Support women’s engagement through social networks, access to information and building confidence using diverse representation of women and girls.

Increasing women’s participation leads to benefits for individuals, families and the community.

Advancing the role, status and contribution of women and girls in the communities will grow the talent pool available for the workforce, encourage more diversity and flexibility for women and men in the workplace, and result in increased innovation, productivity and prosperity.

Focus Priority Areas

The NSW Government has identified the following focus areas –

• Economic Opportunity and Advancement- Projects should contribute to improving women’s financial wellbeing and security, and support diverse and flexible employment opportunities for women and girls.
  • For example, projects that:
    • Create employment opportunities across occupations and industries where women remain under-represented.
    • Contribute to women’s economic independence and security
    • Reduce barriers to employment
    • Promote and support women’s leadership
• Health and wellbeing- Projects should contribute to promoting and supporting a holistic approach to women’s health across the lifespan. The context is that women’s physical, social and economic potential is maximised when they are healthy and their health needs are addressed.
  • For example, projects that:
    • Improve access to health information, screening and services
    • Address key health issues for women – NSW Women’s Strategy 2018-2022
    • Promote health and wellbeing of mothers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, young women, women with disability, older women, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LBTIQ) women, women living and/or working in regional NSW
• Participation and Empowerment- Projects should contribute to supporting women’s engagement through social networks, access to information and building confidence using diverse representations of women and girls.
  • For example, projects that:
    • Connect women in their communities
    • Engage women in sports and recreation
    • Provide women with access to appropriate information and supports to develop connections and confidence

Priority Groups

Projects that support high quality activity, engagement and participation with the following priority groups have been prioritised for funding:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women,
• Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) women,
• older women,
• young women,
• women with disabilities,
• women living and/or working in regional NSW, and
• women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

Funding Information

The 2021 Investing in Women grant program will fund projects according to stages of development. There are three categories for this grant round. A total of $400,000 is available in this round.

• Explore and scope (Up to $25,000): Projects that are at an early stage and organisations are looking to explore and develop a project.
• Test and grow (Up to $50,000): Projects that have been scoped and investigated and are ready to be tested or projects that have been tested and are showing positive outcomes and seek testing/piloting on a larger scale.
• Replication and sustainability (Up to $100,000): Projects that have been tested and show strong outcomes, have demonstrated ongoing viability and are looking to be taken to the next level of impact and self-sustainability.

Geographical Focus

• Organisations based outside NSW are not eligible to apply unless they can demonstrate that core business objectives already include project will be run in and benefit the Women in NSW and that the organisation meets all regulatory, business requirements.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be a legally constituted Australian-based entity. This includes:
  • Not-for-profit organisations, including community organisations
  • Local councils and shires, including regional organisations of councils and consortia of councils
  • Industry bodies and the private sector working in partnership with the community or government on initiatives directly supporting women and girls.
• Not-for-profit bodies are considered to be organisations that are registered and approved as not-for-profit bodies by NSW Fair Trading, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) or Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC). They can include:
  • charities, trusts and cooperatives that are registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
  • organisations with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) or Public Benevolent Institution status
  • not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee and registered in NSW (these must have ACNC registration and or DGR status)
  • associations (registered under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 and with NSW Fair Trading)
  • Local Aboriginal Land Councils
  • religious organisations
  • organisations established under an Act of Parliament.

Who is not eligible to apply?

Funding will not be provided to:

• Individuals or groups of individuals
• Unincorporated organisations
• For-profit organisations
• Sub-contractors – either for program management or for project delivery on behalf of non-eligible organisations.
• NSW Government or Australian Government agencies or their entities.

For more information, visit https://www.women.nsw.gov.au/commissioning/investing-in-women-funding-program