22 October 2008

Grants have been announced

WESNET has just announced the successful grants.  The list is on the website here.

Congratulations to all the successful applicants.


20 October 2008

Announcement timing

If everything goes to plan, the successful grants will be announced this Wednesday.  

And for those who are wondering, we know that you were originally scheduled to start your projects this week, but the timeframes will all be shifted backwards a week or so to make up for the delay.  

15 October 2008

A short delay

I've just sent all applicants a short email explaining that there has been a short delay in announcing the successful grant applications following some exciting discussions with the Office for Women. 
 
As a result, there will be a short delay of about one week to advise you of the outcome of the applications, for which we would like to apologise.  We will be in touch with all applicants by email again shortly. 

Karen 

19 September 2008

Thanks Everyone - Applications are now closed

Thanks to everyone for your interest and applications.  Applications are now closed.

Karen 

16 September 2008

Q: What is your postal address?

Q: We have some hardcopy materials we need to send you by post.  What is your postal address?

A: The postal address is at the bottom of page 7 of the the Applicant Guidelines document.  Please make sure you did download a copy of the guidelines.  

If you don't have a copy of the applicant guidelines, please revisit www.wesnet.org.au/grants and go back through the registration form to get to the download page.  

Q: We don't currently have professional indemnity insurance, can we still submit a proposal?

Q: We meet all the eligibility criteria except that we do not currently have professional indemnity insurance. Can we still submit a proposal?

A: We suggest if your proposal in $10,000 or over, that you include the cost of getting insurance for your proposal in your  budget. If you are successful you can then purchase the necessary insurance for the duration of your project. 

For proposals under $10,000, you may submit your application without professional indemnity insurance.

Q:The tick boxes don't work on our copy of the application form, what do we do?

Q: When completing the application form, we don't seem to be able to get the check boxes to work.  What can we do?

A: Delete the relevant check box and replace each with a capital X in bold. 

Most people will find that if they save the RTF file into a MS Word document there is no problem with using the inbuilt check box.  However, if it is a problem, please just mark your selection by deleting the check box and replacing it with an "X" so that the selection panel is aware of your answer. 

09 September 2008

Q: Will there be another round next year?

Q: We have an idea for a project but we cannot implement it until 2009.  Will there be another round of funding next year?

A: The WESNET grants program only has one off funding at this stage. 

Q: Can another organisation auspice us?

Q: We would like to apply for funds and was wondering if it was ok to apply for the funds if another organisation is to auspice for us. 

A: Yes, as long as your Auspice is an eligible organisation against the eligibility requirements in the application guidelines, there is no problem.

08 September 2008

Q: If we lodge more than one proposal will that jeopardise the success of either proposal?

Q: If we lodge more than one proposal will that jeopardise the success of either proposal?

A: Each proposal will be assessed on its individual merits against the other proposals in each category - so the fact your organisation submits one, two or more proposals has no impact on the individual proposals themselves.  Of course, as this is a competitive selection process the more applications there are, the more "competition" each proposal has.

Q: Can we have an extension?

Q: Can my organisation have an extension on the deadline for submitting our proposal(s)?

A: Unfortunately, no - we are not allowing any extensions to ensure procedural fairness.  We have tried to make the application form and guidance document as streamlined as possible to try and reduce the amount of work required by applicants in completing their proposals. 

04 September 2008

Q: What about a proposal for just over $2000

Question: Our organisation has an idea for a proposal but it won't quite be manageable in the $1000-$2000 bracket.  Can we still apply?

Answer: Yes - the application form for both the small intervention projects ($1,000-$2,000) and the community-based projects is the same.  Community-based projects can have a budget of between $2,000 and $50,000 (excl GST).  Just use your common sense in working out how much detail you need to give in relation to your proposal.  

You should also note that projects under $10,000 will use the minimalist funding agreement template, while those between $10,000 and $50,000 will use the short-form funding agreement.   

 

Q: Can we post our application form?

Question: Can we post you our (handwritten or typed) application form?

Answer: Generally no.  You need to contact the project coordinator to discuss this. Please ring her on 0404 385 991. 

26 August 2008

Q: Is my proposal to do [this] eligible?

Question along the lines of: "Is my proposal to do x and y eligible? "

Answer: WESNET advises you (and all potential applicants) to read the applicant guidelines and strongly urge you to submit a proposal if you consider that your organisation is eligible and your project meets one or more of the aims and objectives of the program.  

All proposals in each category will be assessed together once the applications close on 19 September 2008. 

Q: When will the funding be available?

Question: If our proposal is successful, when will funding be available?

Answer: All going to plan, the grants should be announced and funding agreements in place by late October.  Funding will be provided upon signing of the funding agreement. 

Q: Can my service lodge more than one proposal?

Question: Are you able to apply for more than one project per service? I have two projects in mind that are quite different, but wasn't sure if we would be able to apply for money for both.

Answer: There is no limit to the number of proposals an eligible organisation can submit.  

25 August 2008

Q: Is the timeline on the webpage correct?

Question: the timeline on the web page for these grants is announcement in October 2008 and completion by 31 May 2009. Is this correct, as this is only seven months?

Answer:  Yes the timeline on the web page (and in the application kit) is correct.   

21 August 2008

Q: Can we apply for funding for an ongoing position in our service?

Question: The funding for one of the positions in our service is about to finish. Can we apply for funding for that position?

Answer: No. Funding may only be used to support expenses associated with a project and is not available for expenses such as the ongoing costs associated with the daily operations of an organisation.   

(See "Use of Funding" in the Applicant Guidelines document") 

Q: Can I apply for funding to establish a private counselling service?

Question: Can I apply for small grant money to help with the cost of establishing a private counselling service in a rural community that has no specific domestic violence services?

Answer: No. As you will be establishing a business, you are not eligible to apply for funding. 
 
(See "Eligibility" on page four of the Applicant Guidelines). 

20 August 2008

Q: The service I deliver is based in a government funded school? Are we eligible to apply?

Question: Our centre is based in a government-funded school. Are we eligible to apply for funding under the program?

Answer: Government agencies, like schools, are not eligible to apply for funding through the WESNET Capacity Building Program. However, you may wish to approach an eligible community organisation to seek their agreement to auspice the project on your behalf. 


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19 August 2008

Welcome!

Welcome to the WESNET Capacity Building Grants Blog.

This is a place where we will be posting the answers to any queries we receive about the project. So if you've submitted a question about completing your application to our grants email address then this is where your answer will appear.

It is a good idea to check back here regularly during while the application process is open, so that you can keep up with what others might be asking about.