Funding guidelines

The terms of the Wills of the Collier sisters provide the Trustees complete discretion to make decisions on what will be funded in support of the wishes of the sisters (referred to inthe Wills as Designated Purposes).

The general funding practices currently adopted by the Trustees are:

1. To encourage organisations to seek funding that meets their own priorities, not those that may be thought to be favoured by the trustees.
2. To be broad and flexible in their approach, within the scope of the Designated Purposes.
3. To fund a variety of organisations and initiatives rather than to make very large grants to fewer organisations – see Annual Reviews
4. To be open to making limited multi-year grants from time to time.
5. To be open to supporting organisations in collaboration with other grant-makers to maximise impact and eliminate duplication.
6. To be open to supporting organisations that collaborate with other like-minded organisations to maximise impact and eliminate duplication.
7. To be supportive of applications to build organisational capacity. This may include:
   
   • staff costs
   • staff training
   • costs to improve effectiveness through the use of technology, and
   • developing strategic capacity.
8. Where funds available permit, being open to out-of-round applications for emergency relief or genuinely urgent matters.
9. To limit each organisation to one application per area of support.
10. To limit the number of larger grants. In relation to grants made in 2023, the average grant amount was $34,000 and the median grant was $29,300.
11. From time to time to make grants on the Trustees' own initiative.
12. Not to support applications that:
    • only benefit an individual or an individual's family,
    • seek contributions for the corpus of another grant making organisation.

Organisations supported under this Fund will normally be registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission (ACNC) as a Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) and be incorporated in, or have their headquarters in, Victoria. Preference will be given to funding that supports Victorians or activities in Victoria.

Eligible initiatives include (but are not limited to):

• those designed to alleviate the cycle of social disadvantage and social problems within Victoria, and
• emergency relief and material aid initiatives within Victoria.

The Fund is supportive of initiatives that assist disadvantaged groups including:

• recently arrived migrants, refugees and asylum seekers
• Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and
• people living in regional, rural and remote areas in Victoria.

It is also supportive of initiatives promoting equity and fairness.

The Victorian Government's Department of Health and Human Services provides a list of all Public Hospitals in Victoria on its website. All hospitals on this list are eligible to apply for funding.

Areas of focus that have previously been supported include:

• equipment and infrastructure
• initiatives that improve patient care (including hospital-based research)
• regional hospitals that act as centres of excellence and specialised services within an area, and
• support for smaller community hospitals.

However, for the time being, the Fund is not accepting applications under this focus area but is trialling the making of annual untied grants to Victorian Public Hospitals selected by the Trustees.

Applications from organisations working anywhere in Australia are encouraged. Initiatives that may be funded include  (but are not limited to):

• early education initiatives for disadvantaged children
• improved education for indigenous, immigrant and disadvantaged communities
• the improvement of educational outcomes and the completion of schooling
• support for the delivery of vocational training programs that provide alternative education pathways
• teaching, training or research carried out by universities or other tertiary institutions into any of the above areas, and
• initiatives designed to educate the public.

Applications are encouraged from all religions and denominations in Australia for the advancement of religion.

Understanding the diversity of religious practices and beliefs in modern Australia, the Fund supports ecumenical and interfaith initiatives.

The following are some of the areas that are currently supported:

• religious ministry
• religious initiatives to the poor and disadvantaged
• training for religious ministry
• upkeep and support of ministers of religion in their ministries
• chaplaincy or pastoral care initiatives, and
• maintenance, restoration, refurbishment or improvement of places of worship.

PLEASE NOTE: Social outreach initiatives provided by churches generally do not qualify for funding as Furthering Faith & Religious Endeavours in Australia but maybe eligible for funding under other focus areas covered in these guidelines. 

Applications are encouraged from applicants within Australia, but outside of Victoria, in respect of initiatives mentioned under Supporting Victorians in Need above.

Additionally, this area is able to support other charitable purposes in Australia (including Victoria) outside the scope of the areas of focus referred to above.

Unless stated otherwise, a grant will be made on the following conditions:

The recipient will:

• use the whole of the grant exclusively for the initiative as described in the application
• endeavour to complete the project within 12 months from the date of receipt of the grant
• inform the Fund when any material change, which may affect the recipient's ability to undertake or complete the project within 12 months from receipt of the grant
• expend the grant only within Australia
• show the receipt of the grant in its financial accounts and keep appropriate records to verify the use of grant
• provide the Fund with a receipt for the amount received
• submit a grant report (acquittal) at the end of the funding period using the grant (acquittal) report form

The recipient gives approval for their distribution details to be published on our website and in other other publications.

All applications are submitted online using the online application form which can be found under the Grants tab. 

If you are not able to submit an application using the online application system please contact the the Executive Officer to make other arrangements for submitting an application.

Except for emergency applications the Trustees make grants in one round each year. 

The opening date for applications is early to mid-April each year and will close on 31 May. 

The Trustees' normal practice is to finalise their decisions on all applications submitted by the end of October. All applicants are then notified of the outcome of their application and successful applicants will receive payment for the approved funding at this time.