Deadline: 27-Nov-23
The Mercy Foundation Grants to End Homelessness are available for seeding initiatives, services, projects, advocacy and research that will contribute to the goal of ending homelessness by supporting permanent housing, housing first and permanent supportive housing solutions.
The Mercy Foundation acknowledges that the majority of people experiencing homelessness in Australia do not have high or complex needs. They simply need access to affordable housing and some supports may be required. People experiencing chronic homelessness are likely to have additional support needs.
The Mercy Foundation prioritises projects that require seed funding and have potential to help build capacity and to create structural and systemic change and have capacity to continue after the funding period.
The Mercy Foundation supports housing first, rapid rehousing and permanent housing solutions combined with appropriate support to help end homelessness and sustain housing.
Chronic homelessness is defined as an episode of homelessness lasting 6 months or longer or multiple episodes of homelessness over a 12-month period or more. People who experience chronic homelessness are likely to have ‘complex needs’, which usually means that they have one or more of the following:
- developmental disability
- traumatic brain injury
- serious physical health problems
- history of abuse or trauma
- mental illness
- mental disorder
- psychiatric disability
- addictions.
Funding Information
- Grants range from $5,000 to $60,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications are accepted from not-for-profit community-based groups or organisations (not individuals) within Australia. The Mercy Foundation will only accept one application per organisation in any given year.
- Organisations applying for funds must have a visible and accountable management structure that includes community representatives.
- Organisations applying for funds must be not-for-profit and therefore exempt from income tax but are not required to have Deductible Gift Recipient status.
- Applications are accepted for projects run wholly within Australia by organisations based in Australia.
- Criteria for suitability of projects to apply for grants are derived from the aims and objectives of the Mercy Foundation and the criteria for the grants programs.
- Applicants must demonstrate a capacity to implement the project.
- Applicants must display competency in the field of the projects or have included appropriate capacity building in the project design.
- Applicants must be a legal entity (incorporated association or company) or be auspiced by an appropriate organisation. Preference will be given to small and medium size organisations.
Ineligibility Criteria
- The Mercy Foundation does not fund:
- Individuals
- The core operating costs of an existing organisation or project on-costs
- Vehicles
- General fundraising appeals
- Food parcels, crisis or emergency responses to homelessness
- Deficit funding
- Projects that will rely on recurrent funding from the Mercy Foundation
- Other grant-making foundations
- Projects that do not meet the identified criteria and priority goals of the Mercy Foundation
- Projects located overseas
For more information, visit Mercy Foundation.