Regional All Abilities Participation Grants Program (Australia)

Deadline: 10-Feb-2025

The Sport and Recreation Victoria is seeking applications for the Regional All Abilities Participation Grants Program to support grassroots sport and active recreation clubs and community-based not-for-profit organisations, to enable ongoing, sustainable, and meaningful participation for people with disability in regional Victoria.

Objectives

• Address barriers and increase participation opportunities for people with disability in regional and rural Victoria.
• Expand community sport and active recreation club capabilities through enhanced volunteer and paid workforce, support and resources to engage people with disability to meet their needs.
• Improve engagement of people with disability in workforce opportunities.
• Increase capacity of community sport and active recreation clubs in regional and rural Victoria to deliver initiatives.
• Strengthen awareness, understanding, acceptance, community pride and connection.
• Align with the priorities of Active Victoria 2022-2026.

Priorities

• Projects led by or involving people with disability in the decision-making process.
• Projects that address intersectionality and increase participation in communities or population groups with existing low levels of participation in sport and physical activity, including women and girls, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ and older adults.
• Organisations located in areas identified with high levels of socio-economic disadvantage (supported by 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census data).

Categories

• Category 1: Equipment and Travel
  • Purchase equipment, assistive technology, adaptive clothing or environmental aids.
  • Reduce travel costs for active participants with disability, including players, umpires or officials and travel support personnel.
• Category 2: Inclusion Workforce
  • Employ a specialised workforce to support the needs of people with disability.
  • Recruit, mentor, employ and retain a person with disability to a paid or voluntary position.
• Category 3: Programs and Disability-led Initiatives
  • Deliver an on-going sport or active recreation program for people with disability.
  • Deliver projects led by or involving people with disability in the decision-making process.

Funding Information

• Grant funding will be made available through three categories:
  • Category 1: Equipment and Travel Up to $25,000 for organisations
  • Category 2: Inclusion Workforce Up to $25,000 for organisations
  • Category 3: Programs and Disability-led Initiatives Up to $25,000 for organisations

Expected Outcomes

• More Victorians are participating in sport and active recreation opportunities at club level.
• Victorian community sport and active recreation clubs have increased capacity to deliver initiatives.
• More people with disability are participating in sport and active recreation (on and off the field) across regional and rural Victoria.

Eligible Projects

• Sport and Recreation Victoria (SRV) encourage applications that support all types of disability and covers all types of sport or active recreation. This includes disability as any physical, sensory, neurological, intellectual, cognitive, or psychiatric condition that can impact on a person’s lifestyle or everyday function.

Eligible Costs

• Category 1: Equipment and Travel
  • Equipment – modified, adaptive, customised or sensory
  • Assistive technology
  • Safety or injury prevention
  • Environmental aids
  • Uniforms – adaptive or sensory clothing
  • Adaptive outerwear
  • Specialised footwear
  • Travel organised by the organisation Accessible transportation
  • Travel support personnel
  • Other eligible costs
• Category 2: Inclusion Workforce
  • Specialist staff
  • Collaboration between organisations to build connections and pathways
  • Recruitment and retention of people with disability
  • Workspace (non-capital works)
• Category 3: Programs and Disability-led Initiatives
  • On-going adaptive, alternative or modified programs

Ineligible Projects

• Projects that:
  • Do not take place in regional or rural Victoria.
  • Have started prior to April 2025.
  • Deliver activities or services to children under the age of 18 years on a recurring basis, where the applicant organisation does not have the appropriate level of child abuse insurance.
  • Have received funding for identical (or alike) projects or costs through the: o Together More Active Program 2023-2027
  • Change their Game, Community Activation Grants in 2023-24 or 2024-25 o Aboriginal Sport Participation Grant Program in 2024-25 o Sporting Club Grants Program in 2023-24 or 2024-25.
  • Seek funding exclusively for equipment through Category 3. Equipment may form part of the application, but the funding sought must adhere to the program objectives and priorities.

Ineligible Costs

• Costs that are:
  • Not reasonably attributable to project delivery and do not reflect value for money.
  • Business as usual costs – rent, utilities, operational wages, legal fees, property taxes, business travel, insurance or administrative expenses.
  • Infrastructure or capital works – upgrading and/or maintaining assets, building, property or vehicles. This includes fixed playing surfaces and structures.
  • Used to meet regulatory requirements – working with children checks, police check and permits.

Ineligible Expenses

• Specific expenses for:
  • Singular day events, come and try days or camps.
  • Gala events, functions, trophies, prize money or gift packages.
  • Hospitality, catering and alcohol.
  • Accommodation.
  • Transportation purchases or modifications, including cars and buses.
  • Every-day or domestic aids used for non-participation sport or active recreation.
  • Prosthetics.
  • Animals: including costs related to purchasing, transporting, training, care, or upkeep. For example: food, animal training equipment, grooming, accreditations and certifications, vaccines, and veterinary services.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible organisations must apply for funding to support people with disability in regional and rural Victoria to experience sport or active recreation in an on-going, sustainable and meaningful way.
• To be eligible, organisations must:
  • Currently deliver activities that encourage participation in sport, active recreation or physical activity.
  • Be a not-for-profit and non-government organisation and be one of the following entity types: an incorporated association, a company limited by guarantee, or an indigenous incorporation.
  • Applicants must provide an Australian Business Number (ABN), accompanied by either an Australian Company Number (ACN), Incorporated Association Number (IAN) or Indigenous Corporation Number (ICN). Organisations without an active ABN must provide a completed ‘Statement by supplier not quoting an ABN’ form available from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) website.
  • Deliver the project in one of Victoria’s 48 regional and rural council areas. This covers the regions of: Barwon South West, Gippsland, Grampians, Hume and Loddon Mallee.

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following business or organisation entity types are not eligible to apply for funding:
  • An unincorporated association.
  • A company not incorporated in Australia.
  • An individual or sole trader.
  • An individual trustee and unincorporated trusts.
  • Schools, playgroups, kindergartens, child-care centres or pre-schools.
  • A Commonwealth, state or local government agency or body.

Application Requirements

• The following conditions apply:
  • Applications must be submitted in different categories.
  • Two applications in the same category will not be accepted.
  • A separate submission must be completed for each application.
  • If an organisation submits more applications than the permitted limit, the first application/s submitted by date and time will be considered. All further applications are ineligible.

For more Information, visit Sport and Recreation Victoria.