Deadline: 16-Dec-22
The Building Digital Skills grants are offered by Good Things Foundation to community organisations in Australia through the Be Connected program.
The aim of the Building Digital Skills grants program is to enable organisations to support older Australians 50+ through free face-to-face contact (if feasible), either one-on-one or in small groups, to develop their digital skills and confidence, utilising the learning courses.
Be Connected is an Australian government initiative that aims to provide a family and community centred approach to supporting, coaching and teaching Older Australians aged over 50 years to improve their skills and confidence in using digital technology.
Greater use of digital technology will have positive social, economic and health benefits for older Australians, enabling them to stay connected with their families and communities and access the growing number of government and business online services.
Funding Information
- Available in $2,500; $5,000; $10,000; and $20,000 contract sizes.
- Duration: The term of the grant is 12 months.
Use of funds
- The funding can be spent on activities that can be justified as supporting older Australians to gain basic digital skills and confidence such as:
- New devices including computers, laptops, tablets
- Upgrading software for devices
- Internet fees
- Digital mentor expenses, including training to be a digital mentor
- Printing of learning materials for older Australian learners
- Police checks for all staff and mentors involved in delivering the Be Connected project
- Marketing/promotional costs.
What are they looking for?
- Applications will be assessed on their merits with priority given to organisations that demonstrate:
- A viable project plan – a clear outline of how you will deliver free face-to-face (if feasible) support sessions, including activities, outputs, responsibility and time frames
- Value for money – activities and budget are appropriately aligned
- Need for the project
- Capacity to register the required number of learners
- Experience of key staff members
- How the project will be evaluated.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organisations who would like to apply for a Building Digital Skills grant must:
- Be a registered Network Partner within the Be Connected Network
- Provide an ABN number (if applying for a $5,000 grant or greater)
- Have public liability insurance
- Have acquitted previous grant/s awarded by Good Things Foundation
- If you are not sure if you have an overdue grant acquittal, please contact Good Things Foundation to check.
What do I have to do for the grant?
- Each organisation receiving a Building Digital Skills grant will be required to:
- Support older Australians aged 50+ gain basic digital literacy skills and confidence through free face-to-face contact (if feasible), either one-on-one or in small groups (you can learn more about how to deliver a digital literacy project in their Delivering Digital Skills webinar)
- Utilise the learning courses available on the Be Connected Learning site to teach older Australians digital skills
- Ensure learners attending a digital literacy skills session complete a sign-in form
- Register the learners and their Be Connected activities on Good Things Foundation’s data and performance management system – CaptureIT
- Attend their learner management webinar within one month of being notified of funding (not applicable for Network Partners who have already attended a learner management webinar)
- Ensure all staff and mentors involved in delivering the Be Connected project have police checks
- Complete a short monthly or quarterly survey
- Support learners to complete Good Things Foundation’s outcomes measurement tools – Digital Skills Checker – Getting Started and Digital Skills Checker – Your Progress. At least 50% of your learners must complete both the Getting Started Checker and the Your Progress Checker
- Be prepared to share learner journeys and good news stories so that Good Things Foundation can create case studies
- On completion of delivery, submit a financial acquittal to show actual expenditure.
For more information, visit Building Digital Skills Grant.
