Deadline: 23-Sep-2024
The NSW Department of Communities and Justice is inviting applications for the Carers Investment Grant Program.
The grant program aligns available funding to support implementation of the NSW Carers Strategy: Caring in New South Wales 2020-2030 (the Strategy). The NSW Government’s vision for the Strategy is that they are an inclusive and supportive community that understands that caring for and supporting each other are fundamental parts of life. The Strategy aims to improve carers’ access to services and supports; ensure that carers are better respected and empowered; have improved economic opportunities and better health and wellbeing.
Objective and Scope
- The objective of the grant program is to fund initiatives that develop, pilot and implement ongoing training and education programs for service providers to better identify and reach unidentified carers and provide them with information about how to get support.
- In-Scope
- Projects that focus on training and educating service providers and professionals, (such as medical and mental health staff, allied health workers, dentists, teachers and principals, as well as government agency staff in direct contact with carers) about the role of carers and how to identify them, about carer rights, providing referrals to available supports, and the benefits of including carers as partners in care.
- Projects that implement sustainable systems and governance to provide ongoing training and education for key service providers and professionals following cessation of the grant funding period.
- Projects that include partnerships between service providers and organisations to reach the target audience for training of key service staff and ensure a broader roll-out and future of the program in other areas of NSW.
- Projects that include the design and implementation of training courses to actively engage service provider staff rather than just provide carer information.
- Out-of-Scope
- The scope of the grant program does not include initiatives that provide education or activities directly to carers.
- Research projects or projects requiring a research component also sit outside the scope of the grant program and will not be considered.
- Service providers that have direct knowledge and interaction with carers, such as MyAgedCare (home care and aged care facilities) and NDIS providers, are excluded from receiving funding under the grant program.
Funding Information
- The total funding available for this grant program is $3.122 million (excl GST).
- One-off, time limited funding will be available, ranging from $250,000 to $500,000 (excl GST) in total, for two-year projects to be delivered over the period April 2025 – end April 2027.
- Funding will be paid to grant recipients in two equal instalments in March 2025 and March 2026, with the latter payment contingent on satisfactory performance and reporting.
Target Group
- Service providers and professionals – particularly GPs, psychiatrists, hospitals, neurologists, medical and mental health staff, allied health workers, dentists, teachers and principals, and government agency staff that carers come into contact with.
Eligibility Criteria
- The grants program will be open to:
- government human service agencies
- Incorporated not-for-profit community organisations
- NSW local councils operating under the Local Government Act 1993
- Peak organisations representing carers
- Representative organisations for GPs, other medical practitioners, allied health workers and pharmacists
- other representative organisations for relevant service providers.
- For the purposes of this grant program, ‘incorporated not-for-profit community organisations’ include:
- incorporated organisations that are registered and approved as not-for-profit bodies by NSW Fair Trading
- not-for profit companies limited by guarantee, registered in NSW (must have ACNC registration and/or DGR status)
- Indigenous Corporations (must be registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations)
- NSW Local Aboriginal Land Councils
- religious organisations operating in NSW
- NSW non-government organisations established under their own Act of Parliament.
- Health and education institutions (including universities) with a research focus do not meet the eligibility criteria for this grant program.
- The following are mandatory eligibility criteria.
- all applicants must have appropriate insurance minimum of $10 million.
- all applicants must address the NSW National Redress Scheme sanctions
- all applicants must adhere to NSW Government public health orders and advice in regard to COVID-19. Up-to-date information is available on the NSW Government COVID-19 website
- applications will not be accepted from organisations having outstanding acquittals with DCJ.
Ineligible
- The following will not be considered eligible for funding:
- project costs that are already the subject of another government grant, subsidy or financial assistance
- project costs incurred prior to an application being submitted (no retrospective funding will be awarded)
- permanent salaries/wages (except: costs for temporary staff for your project or event can be included; an existing staff member to work additional hours/days to work on the project)
- an existing staff member assigned to the project and working the same hours as before however, their prior duties have been significantly reduced to match the time now devoted to the project. In this case, DCJ may require written evidence that these duties have changed (in the form of copies of old and new position descriptions)
- any activity of a commercial nature that is for-profit
For more information, visit NSW Department of Communities and Justice.