Eligibility of organisations
FaHCSIA can only enter into a funding agreement with an organisation that is a legal entity. If an organisation is not a legal entity, an eligible sponsor organisation may apply for funding on your behalf.
Eligible organisations must be Australian non-profit organisations:
- Whose volunteers’ work is aimed at supporting families and/or communities in Australia; and
- Which are legal entities, such as, but not limited to:
- Incorporated Associations – incorporated under State/Territory legislation (commonly have ‘Association’, ‘Incorporated’ or ‘Inc’ in their legal name)
- Incorporated Cooperatives – incorporated under State/Territory legislation (commonly have ‘Cooperative’ in their legal name)
- Companies – non-profit proprietary companies or public companies, incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001
- Aboriginal Corporations
- Organisations established through a specific piece of Australian or state/territory legislation (for example, many public benevolent Institutions, churches)
- Trustees on behalf of a trust.
Organisations that are ineligible to apply will not be funded, these include but are not limited to:
- For-profit organisations, partnerships, research foundations or trusts, professional associations, statutory authorities
- Organisations that are not legal entities
- Local government entities
Exception: Local government entities may sponsor a non-profit organisation with volunteers in the following circumstances:
- where an organisation is not a legal entity in its own right; and
- the Local Government entity is the only or most reasonable option to sponsor the organisation in the community
- Australian and state/territory government departments
Exception: a state government educational institution may sponsor the local parent & friends association in the following circumstances:
- where a parent association/committee is not a legal entity in its own right; or
- on behalf of a school council/board whose legal status is linked to the school’s governing body, such as a state government school.
Applications sponsoring non-legal entities
An informal, unincorporated group or organisation that does not have a separate and specific legal existence generally cannot, in the name of the group and independently of the members of that group, own or hold property, sue or be sued or enter into legally binding agreements, such as funding agreements. Accordingly, FaHCSIA will not enter into a funding agreement with informal, unincorporated organisations.
If your organisation is not a legal entity, an eligible sponsor organisation can apply on your behalf. The sponsoring organisation must be an eligible non-profit organisation that has the necessary legal entity status to enter into a funding agreement with the Department and to administer the funding on your behalf. For example, if you are part of a larger organisation, the parent or head office organisation may be able to apply on your behalf.
Sponsored organisations must also be Australian non-profit organisations whose volunteers’ work is aimed at supporting families and/or communities in Australia. Sponsored organisations must be clearly established community-based entities.
[ top ]
Eligibility of items
Organisations may apply for small equipment items, and/or a contribution towards fuel reimbursement for volunteers.
All items included in a Volunteer Grants 2009 application must be eligible for funding or the application may not be considered. A list of the most commonly requested eligible items is shown at Attachment A.
Small equipment
Small equipment items must be portable, tangible and for the primary benefit of the volunteers. Equipment items should not be for the exclusive benefit of the organisation, clients and participants, or for private purposes.
Eligible small equipment items may include:
- Small equipment items, such as computers, air conditioners and barbeques
- A set or package of small, individually low-cost closely related items, such as a range of gardening equipment
- Set-up items essential to the initial use of the main equipment item (e.g. if purchasing a barbeque, a gas bottle can be included)
- Part funding of an eligible small equipment item that costs up to $10,000
- Installation costs for eligible items
- Delivery/freight for eligible items.
Not-eligible small equipment items may include:
- Already funded from other sources
- Primarily for the benefit of the organisation, clients or participants and not the volunteers (e.g. mobile phones, sporting equipment, travel, toys)
- Already purchased
- Not reasonably costed
- Vehicles and powered boats, including motors (ride-on mowers are acceptable)
- Buildings, permanent fixtures and renovations including: plumbing, kitchens, hot water systems, shipping containers and fencing (Exceptions: air conditioners, stoves, small demountable garden sheds, and water tanks)
- Consumables including food, books, paper, sunscreen, soil and the re-filling of gas bottles
- Service charges, including additional or extended warranties, maintenance, plumbing and other labour costs except on approved purpose-built items such as a trailer for lifting wheelchairs
- Subscription fees (e.g. magazine), internet connection fees, mobile phone charges or registration costs
- Training courses including associated training materials
- Advertising, logos and banners, or sign-writing or branding costs for items not approved under the program
- Administrative costs and staff costs
- ‘Pooling’ of grant funds between organisations to purchase an item
- Items not permitted in your local area under local council rules and regulations. For example, tree planters, weed sprayers and seed collection kits are restricted in some areas.
Contribution to the reimbursement of fuel costs
The contribution towards reimbursement of fuel/petrol costs is available for volunteers who incur these costs directly in undertaking their volunteering activities.
Eligible fuel costs include:
- All motor vehicle fuels, including petrol and gas.
Not eligible fuel costs include:
- Already funded from other sources
- Not reasonably costed
- Travel that is not part of the volunteers’ work
- Fuel to operate the organisation’s equipment, vehicles or machinery
- Taxi fares or public transport costs.
Note: Applications for a contribution towards the reimbursement of fuel costs are limited to $2,500 per organisation.
[ top ]
Further Information about eligibility
If you are still unsure if your organisation or equipment item would be eligible, call the toll-free Hotline on 1800 183 374 or email your query to vg2009@fahcsia.gov.au