Funding Information Paper 2019-2021 —

Tranche 2

Stream 2 - Pathways to Economic Inclusion

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1 About the Thriving Cohesive Communities Grant Round — Tranche 2

The Thriving Cohesive Communities (TCC) grant round provides funding towards projects that strengthen family and community connection and support young people to take up meaningful roles in their community. Funded projects will form part of the Queensland Government’s social cohesion program to build cohesive and resilient Queensland communities and to foster a strong sense of belonging for all Queenslanders.

Tranche 2 grants are offered under three (3) funding streams:

Stream 1: Community-led social cohesion planning and action.

Stream 2: Pathways to economic inclusion (this Stream).

Stream 3: Engaging young people to become global citizens.

These grants support the implementation of Thriving Cohesive Communities: An Action Plan for Queensland 2019-2021 (Stage 2). The intent of the Stage 2 Action Plan is to promote communities where young Queenslanders of all backgrounds and abilities are respected, treated fairly and have the opportunity to meaningfully participate.

The grants support the Queensland Government’s Our Future State: Advancing Queensland Priorities and the Minister for Communities and Minister for Disability Services and Seniors Thriving Communities Thriving Queensland Commitment Statement.

The grants are available state-wide.

2 Funding period

Non-recurrent grant funding will be available for projects of up to 16 months in duration

(March 2020 – June 2021).

2.1 Available funding

Total funding of $585,000 (exc. GST) is available for the period 2019-2021.

Funding up to $120,000 (exc. GST) per project is available for applications under the

Pathways to Economic Inclusion stream.

3 TCC funding priorities – Stream 2

This Funding Information Paper supports applicants for Thriving Cohesive Communities funding under Stream 2: Pathways to Economic Inclusion.

Thriving Cohesive Communities are places where all Queenslanders are culturally, socially

and economically included. Providing pathways for people at risk of isolation or

marginalisation will help create stronger, more cohesive communities where everyone has

access to the same opportunities.

Projects funded under this stream will support the implementation of Action 2 of the Thriving

Cohesive Communities: Action Plan for Queensland 2019-21 (Stage 2), being to:

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Resource established social enterprises to engage vulnerable young people and family

members in the economy.

“A Social Enterprise is ‘a business operating for a social purpose’ and will commonly have

the following attributes:

Social Objectives are core to the purposes and focus of the enterprise;

Limited distribution of profits and/or distribution of profits with the purpose of

maximising social impact – the majority of profits are reinvested in the enterprise

and/or an associated social entity and are used to maximise social impact;

Mixture of capital inputs – the enterprise is often supported through the blending of

earned income, grant income and philanthropic income;

Blended Value Creation: Generation of social/ecological/ cultural returns (or a

combination of these) in addition to a financial return.”

Queensland Social Enterprise Council

The objectives of Pathways to Economic Inclusion are to provide funding for activities to:

1. grow the capacity of established social enterprises to provide skills training, work

experience and employment;

2. promote strengths-based engagement of young people and those excluded from the

workforce;

3. build participants’ understanding of Australian workplace culture and expectations.

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4 Who is eligible to apply?

Social Enterprises eligible to apply for this grant are those based in Queensland that meet the following criteria:

is established, having traded for at least three financial years;

derives more than 50 per cent of income from trade;

is led by an economic, social, cultural or environmental mission consistent with a publicor community benefit;

able to provide evidence (letter by CPA or chartered accountant) that the business does,or intends to, reinvest or give 50% of income generated to fulfil its mission;

has a registered business name;

has an Australian Business Number (ABN) and operations in Queensland;

is not insolvent or has owners/directors that are an undischarged bankrupt;

has no overdue reports, outstanding financial liability, or service delivery or performance

issues for funding previously and currently provided by the Queensland Government;

holds the appropriate public liability insurance required to undertake their project and allrelated activities, consisting of a minimum value of $10 million.

Projects must not replicate or replace those that are known to be currently funded in the same location, for example, through Queensland State Government agencies, Local Government, or Australian Government programs or non-government organisations.

To be eligible to apply for this grant, an organisation must be incorporated and can be:

a company limited by guarantee;

a cooperative;

an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation;

an incorporated association; or

a profit for purpose company.

5 Who is not eligible to apply?

The following organisations are not eligible to apply:

social enterprises that do not meet the agreed definition for the purposes of this grant;

government departments or agencies;

unincorporated organisations;

individuals; or

social enterprises not based in Queensland.

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Please refer to the Thriving Cohesive Communities (Tranche 2) Fact Sheet and FAQs for more information.

6 How can funding be used?

Funding can be used by eligible, established social enterprises for activities that directly

create additional jobs and/or pathways to employment for vulnerable young people and

family members.

We invite you to tell us how your social enterprise would deliver these outcomes, by

submitting an EOI video pitch of no more than 5 minutes duration.

You can find further information on what to include in your video ‘pitch’ and on how it will be

assessed in Section 8: How to Apply and Section 9: How will applications be assessed of this

Funding Information Paper.

Please note: we do not require a professionally produced video. A video pitch filmed on a

smart phone will be acceptable.

7 What can’t funding be used for?

Funding will not be provided for:

Capital expenditure for equipment that is not essential to project delivery;

Recurrent or retrospective funds — including the reimbursement of costs alreadyincurred or expended, and any projects or activities that have taken place prior to theapplication being approved. No component of the project, or related activities, thattake place prior to receiving funding approval will be eligible for funding;

Professional development activities for staff members that are not specifically relatedto the effective delivery of the project;

Activities that involve commercial ventures for personal gain;

Project activities delivered outside of Queensland;

Projects with limited community benefit;

Legal / establishment costs;

Audit fees / contingencies.

8 How to apply

Ensure you carefully read this information paper to determine whether your project meets

program requirements.

This grant will be assessed via a two stage process:

1. Applicants must prepare an Expression Of interest (EOI) video pitch of no more than

5 minutes duration in response to the question: How will your Social Enterprise use up

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to $120,000 (exc. GST) to create additional jobs and/or pathways to employment for

vulnerable young people and family members?

2. Short-listed applicants will then be invited to submit a more detailed grant proposal.

About the ‘pitch’

The ‘pitch’ is your opportunity to convince us how investing in your enterprise will bring tangible benefits to Queenslanders that face exclusion from the workforce or under-employment that limits their economic participation and life opportunities.

When preparing your pitch please give consideration to how your project idea aligns with the funding stream’s objectives AND include information on:

the specific target group(s) and location(s);

your capacity to reach and engage this target group;

why you think your idea will work;

the individual and community benefits you expect to achieve;

the expected scale of these benefits; i.e. how many people will directly benefit/indirectlybenefit.

If your application is short-listed to proceed to the second stage application process you will then be required to provide:

a project budget;

a project plan, including activities and anticipated timeframe;

evidence of your capacity to deliver the project within budget and timeframe;

detailed partnership / consortia agreements outlining respective roles and resources;

an engagement plan for your target group;

A communications plan for all phases of your project;

a risk assessment and mitigation strategy.

When preparing your video pitch please keep the following tips in mind:

Keep it short. Keep your pitch under 5 minutes in length so you don’t lose people’sattention.

Remember the 5 Ws. Don’t assume people already know what your project is andwhat you’re all about. In your pitch video be sure to address the 5 Ws: who areyou? What will the funding be used for? Where will this project take place? Whendo you expect to be finished? And of course — why should we fund your project overothers?

Show, rather than tell. Use concrete examples, like photos, video clips of your work,testimonials from others, etc. Don’t just face the camera and explain your project.

Don’t hide behind the curtain. Conversely, don’t just show us your project. Giveyour audience a little face time! Speaking directly to your audience makes your pitchmore personal and gives a face to your project.

Make sure we can hear you. Good audio is key. Take your video (or any audiorecording) in a quiet space.

Have a great opening. Make sure to get people’s attention from the very beginningof your video.

Please note: we do not require a professionally produced video. A video pitch filmed on a smart phone will be acceptable.

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Submitting applications

The initial EOI and second stage application are to be submitted online through SmartyGrants using the on-line application form. A link to a third party site hosing your pitch video e.g. Youtube will need to be provided in your application.

A downloadable copy of the application form is available to applicants via SmartyGrants when the submission process has commenced. You will need to register your social enterprise on-line with SmartyGrants before you can access the application form and submit your EOI video.

If you have successfully completed your EOI you will receive an acknowledgement email from SmartyGrants. If you do not receive an acknowledgement email, your EOI has not been submitted. Check your application to ensure all sections have been completed and resubmit.

Applications must include specific support materials as requested in the online application. Please check your application prior to submission to ensure you have provided all the relevant documents.

Key dates

Key dates for the EOI process are as follows:

SmartyGrants application stages Key dates

EOI opens Tuesday 17 December 2019

EOI closes 2:00pm Friday 14 February 2020

Short-listed applicants invited to submit

further information (stage 2)

Approx. 6 March 2020

Stage 2 applications close Approx. 27 March 2020

Completed applications must be submitted through SmartyGrants with all required documents by 2:00pm Friday 14 February 2020.

Late applications

An application submitted after the closing time and date will be considered a late application. Late applications may be accepted at the discretion of the Assessment Panel. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

9 How will applications be assessed?

An initial check will be conducted by the Department to ensure eligibility of the applicant and alignment of the application with the funding objectives of the Thriving Cohesive Communities (tranche 2) grant stream 2: Pathways to economic inclusion.

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Eligible applications will be progressed to the EOI assessment panel who will rate applications according to how strongly they meet the assessment criteria in this funding information paper. Short-listed applicants will then be invited to submit a more detailed grant proposal containing the information requested on page 5 of this information paper.

Assessment criteria

Eligibility requirements

The project aligns with the objectives of Stream 2: Pathways to economic inclusion and meet program and organisational eligibility requirements:

is established, having traded for at least 3 financial years;

derives more than 50 per cent of income from trade;

is led by an economic, social, cultural or environmental mission consistent with a public or community benefit;

able to provide evidence (letter by CPA or chartered accountant) that the business does, or intends to, reinvest or give 50% of income generated to fulfil its mission;

has a registered business name;

has an Australian Business Number (ABN) and operations in Queensland;

is not insolvent or has owners/directors that are an undischarged bankrupt;

has no overdue reports, outstanding financial liability, or service delivery or

performance issues for funding previously and currently provided by the

Queensland Government;

holds the appropriate public liability insurance required to undertake the project and all related activities, consisting of a minimum value of $10 million.

Projects must not replicate or replace those that are known to be currently funded in the same location, for example, through Queensland State Government agencies, Local Government, or Australian Government programs or non-government organisations.

To be eligible to apply for this grant, an organisation must be incorporated and can be:

a company limited by guarantee;

a cooperative;

an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation;

an incorporated association; or

a profit for purpose company.

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Assessment criteria

1. Project pitch

Prepare a video pitch of no more than 5 minutes duration in response to the question: How will your Social Enterprise use up to $120,000 (exc. GST) to create additional jobs and/or pathways to employment for vulnerable young people and family members?

Please address in your video EOI:

the specific target group(s) and location(s);

your capacity to reach and engage this target group;

why you think your idea will work;

the individual and community benefits you expect to achieve;

the expected scale of these benefits; i.e. how many people will directlybenefit/indirectly benefit.

The video ‘pitch’ will be assessed against the following criteria: 1. Innovation – how the project will leverage the Social Enterprise’s existing investment,

strengths, markets and assets to grow the economic opportunities on offer; 2. Evidence of the applicant’s ability to deliver the project;3. Alignment with the objectives of the funding stream;4. Value for money – including scale and sustainability of impact.

10 Announcement

Grant recipients will be announced by the Minister for Communities and Minister for Disability Services and Seniors and will be listed on the Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors website.

Funding decisions are final and unsuccessful applications will not be reconsidered.

Grant recipients will be required to enter into an agreement with DCDSS, outlining the obligations of both parties, including, but not limited to, funding and payment details, reporting requirements, agreed deliverables and acquittal conditions. The panel may decline certain components of an application, or limit the amount of funds approved for individual items. An example funding agreement is available on the SmartyGrants site.

Grant recipients will be bound to the grant agreement and contractual terms and conditions. Additional individual conditions may be specified at the time of approval. If necessary, a revised project plan may be negotiated.

Unsuccessful applicants will be given the opportunity to seek feedback by emailing a request to grantqueries@communities.qld.gov.au.

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11 Assistance

Questions about the funding application form and process go to grantqueries@communities.qld.gov.au or refer to the SmartyGrants application site under the Q&A section.

Queries will be responded to by email up to three working days before the EOI process closes.

We also provide feedback on unsuccessful applications up to 8 weeks after the announcement of successful grants.

12 Applicant Q&A log

In addition to the pre-prepared Frequently Asked Questions document, the department will provide a list of any relevant Questions and Answers asked by applicants about the funding application form and grants’ process. Questions submitted by applicants and responses will be listed on Smartygrants and will be updated weekly each Wednesday. Applicants are encouraged to review all relevant responses before emailing the Grant Queries mailbox.

The last day for responding to questions will be Tuesday 11 February 2020.

Other sources of funding and assistance

For a full list of Queensland Government grants, please refer to www.qld.gov.au/grants.