Australia: Ghost Nets Innovative Solutions Grants Program Now Open

Deadline: 5-Dec-22

The Ghost Nets Innovative Solutions grant program is providing up to $3 million to fund interested and capable organisations and community groups to undertake projects to better detect, collect or dispose of ghost nets and other harmful forms of marine debris in the northern Australian waters and coastal areas, and to raise public awareness of the issue.

Objectives

The program objectives are to:
- Provide a direct environmental benefit by increasing the capacity of communities to deal with ghost nets and marine debris in remote parts of northern Australia, through:
  - Fostering ongoing new collaborative partnerships; and
  - Seeding innovative new ideas
- Increase public awareness of the ghost nets and marine debris issue through:
  - Supporting education and awareness-raising activities
- Bolster new employment and economic opportunities in regional and remote communities through ghost nets and marine debris projects that will:
  - Initiate the establishment of long-term employment generating activities in the community
  - Provide wider economic opportunities to the local community, for example local suppliers and services that contribute to the project’s activities.

Funding Information

Grant amounts of between $30,000 and $400,000 (exc. GST) will be available for projects of up to 2 years duration.

Eligibility Criteria

Applications are being sought from a broad range of eligible organisations, such as Indigenous groups, research organisations, technology providers, community and environmental NGOs, businesses, local government, industry groups and more.
This includes the requirement that you must:
- have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
- be registered for the purposes of GST, if required by the Australian Taxation Office
- have a business bank account with an Australian financial institution
- not have any outstanding reports, acquittals (without due cause) or serious breaches in relation to any Commonwealth funding, and be one of the following entity types established under legislation in Australia:
  - a company
  - a company incorporated by guarantee
  - an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
  - an incorporated association
  - a joint (consortia) application with a lead organisation
  - a registered charity or not-for-profit organisation
  - an Australian local government body
  - an Indigenous government agency or body that is established under Commonwealth, state or territory legislation
  - a university established under Commonwealth, state or territory legislation
  - a research organisation or body that is established under state or territory legislation
  - an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006