Deadline: 29-Mar-21
The Mercy Foundation is seeking applications for the Social Justice Small Grants Program to assist communities and organizations to build capacity that will help create structural change and bring about greater social justice in Australia.
Priority will be given to small organizations and those groups that receive no other funding. The Social Justice Small Grants Program funds projects within Australia only.
Focus Area
Each year the Mercy Foundation may nominate a particular area of focus for the Social Justice Small Grants program. The focus for 2021 is Mental Health in Australia. This may include projects that:
- address isolation and exclusion that people living with a mental health condition may experience
- address the stigma, discrimination and misperceptions around mental health issues
- support carers of people living with a mental health condition
- support children of people living with a mental health condition
Priority may also be given to projects that target disadvantaged women and/or women with children, regardless of the annual social justice focus.
Funding Information
Funding under this program ranges between $1,000 to $10,000 per organization.
Criteria
The following criteria will be used to assess Social Justice Small Grant applications:
- Innovative projects that require seed funding to increase social equity and inclusion and challenge unjust structures and systems will be prioritized.
- The Mercy Foundation prioritizes projects that target disadvantaged women and/or women with children, regardless of the annual social justice focus issue.
- Applications are accepted for projects that are run wholly within Australia, by community-based groups or organizations based in Australia.
- Organizations applying for funds must be a legal entity (or auspiced by a legal entity), not-for-profit and therefore exempt from income tax, but are not required to have Deductible Gift Recipient status.
- Small to medium organizations with a turnover of less than $500,000 with limited access to other funding sources are prioritized.
- Social Justice Small Grants are not available to fund:
- Core (normal) operating costs of applicant organizations
- Vehicles
- For-profit organizations
- Private individuals
- Projects that require recurrent funding
- General fundraising appeals
- Research
- Deficit funding
- Duplication of existing services
- Organizations that have, or have access to, significant government or other funding
- Government entities
- Projects that do not meet the identified goals and priorities of the Mercy Foundation.
Other Considerations
- The objective of the project must be clear and measurable.
- Organizations must demonstrate capacity to implement and manage the project.
- Organizations need to explain how a project will continue if the key person (who might be a board member, staff member or volunteer organizer) leaves the project while it is still being implemented.
- The application should include how the project will be evaluated and what developments or future actions will come from the project.
- Applications require the completion of the appropriate application form and a brief description of the organization and an annual report or similar document to substantiate the organization’s status.
- Applicants must provide referees who can vouch for the organization’s competencies and the project’s viability.
- Organizations must have a safeguarding policy in place
For more information, visit https://www.mercyfoundation.com.au/social-justice-grants/social-justice-small-grants/