Schools Upgrade Fund- Australia

Deadline: 24-Feb-23

The Department of Education is seeking applications for the Schools Upgrade Fund (SUF) to provide more equitable access to resources to support schools to help keep students and school staff safe, and get students’ education back on track after disruptions caused by COVID-19.

The objective of the Fund is to provide grants for priority, small-scale capital projects that support student learning in schools.

The Fund will provide $50 million to upgrade schools – Government, Catholic and Independent. Funding will help schools to provide their students with improved learning facilities in a COVID-19 safe environment. This includes:

• Targeted Round – funding totalling $18 million for individual schools with an identified need for school upgrades as per 2022 election commitments.
• Open Round – funding totalling $32 million to schools to help improve ventilation and air quality and make small scale improvements.

Funding Information

• Targeted Round
  • All schools (both government and non-government) can apply online for grants of up to $25,000.
  • An application can seek funding for multiple eligible projects if the total funding sought does not exceed $25,000. Where a school is composed of multiple campuses, the school may apply to deliver projects across multiple campuses, as long as the total funding sought does not exceed $25,000.
• Open Round
  • A total of $32 million will be allocated to schools with successful applications that areapproved by the Minister for Education.
  • Schools can apply once only for funding of up to $25,000.
  • An application can seek funding for multiple eligible projects as long as the total funding amount does not exceed the maximum of $25,000.
  • Where a school is composed of multiple campuses, the school may submit an application to deliver projects across multiple campuses, as long as the total funding amount does not exceed the maximum of $25,000.
  • The funding amount can be for the total cost of the project, or part of the cost where the school contributes an amount.
  • All funding amounts are exclusive of Goods and Services Tax (GST).
  • Funding is only available for the 2023 school year.

Eligible Funding Activities

• Targeted Round
  • Eligible projects are those that were announced as an election commitment by the Government.
  • Funding may only be used for the project as announced by the Government. The department should be notified of any proposed changes in scope and will seek the required approval from the Minster for Education.
• Open Round
  • Schools may only submit one application. The online application form will prevent any attempts to submit more than one application per school (using AGEID).
  • All projects must be undertaken in 2023, with funding spent or committed to be spent by 31 December 2023.
  • Eligible projects are intended to be for small-scale improvements to schools to facilitate COVID-19 safe learning environments. Eligible projects must be one of those listed in the  table below:
• Category/Eligible Projects
  • Improving air quality to support healthier learning environments:
    • Purchasing and installing air purifiers
    • Purchasing and installing airconditioning
    • Upgrading ventilation in school facilities
  • Improving student outcomes through outdoor learning
    • Building new outdoor learning spaces
    • Upgrading or improving existing outdoor learning spaces
    • Installing and/or upgrading shade structures
  • Supporting equitable access to flexible learning for students
    • Purchasing and/or upgrading ICT equipment (including laptops and tablets)
    • Provision of flexible learning arrangements for students
  • Providing a safe learning environment
    • Fixing doors or windows where this aids in airflow
    • Repairs or maintenance to school facilities
    • Refurbishing classrooms

Eligibility Criteria

• Targeted Round
  • To be eligible, the school and associated project must have been announced as an election commitment.
• Open Round
  • The Open Round is open to all schools – Government, Catholic and Independent – that attracted Commonwealth recurrent funding through an approved authority for 2022 under the Act.
  • To be eligible for funding, schools must anticipate continuing to operate in 2023 (for example, a school would be ineligible if it is closing at the end of 2022 or will have no enrolled students in 2023).
  • The school must have at least one enrolled student at the time of application submission.
  • The approved authority for the school must endorse the application.
  • The process to confirm this endorsement is a matter for the school and the approved authority. There is no requirement for the department to be party to this negotiation.
  • The application form seeks confirmation from the school that they have received this endorsement.
  • Schools that received funding through the Targeted Round are eligible to apply for the Open Round of the Fund.
  • While all schools are eligible to apply, the assessment process will prioritise the applications of the most disadvantaged schools with the highest need projects in each jurisdiction and sector.

For more information, visit Australia Government.