Funding guidelines

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

The opening date for applications is mid-April each year and with a closing date of 30 June each year. 

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.

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.

The terms of the Wills give the Trustees complete discretion in making their decisions on what they fund or choose not to fund in support of the Designated Purposes.

The general funding practices currently adopted by the trustees are:

1. To fund a variety of organisations and initiatives rather than making very large grants to fewer organisations – see Annual Distributions
2. From time to time consider funding multi-year grants.
3. Being prepared to support organisations that collaborate with other grant-makers to maximise impact and eliminate duplication.
4. To support organisations to build their capacity. This includes funding:
   • staff costs;
   • costs to improve effectiveness through technology; and
   • developing strategic capacity.
5. Not to support the following:
   • initiatives that only benefit an individual or an individual's family;
   • contributions to 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.

Initiatives supported under Fund 1 include (but are not limited to):

• initiatives 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;
• First Nations Peoples; and
• people living in regional, rural and remote areas of Victoria.

It is also supportive of initiatives promoting non-discriminatory practices.

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 under Fund 2.

Areas of focus 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.

Fund 4 encourages applications from across Australia including (but not limited to) the following areas of focus:

• early education initiatives for disadvantaged children;
• education and training for the young;
• initiatives designed to educate the public;
• improved education for First Nations Peoples, immigrant and disadvantaged communities;
• teaching, training or research carried out by universities or other tertiary institutions into any of the above areas; and
• the improvement of educaitonal outcomes and the completion of schooling.

Initiatives supported under Fund 5 are open to 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 will usually be eligible for funding under Fund 7 and not Fund 5.

Under Fund 7 applications are encouraged within Australia, but outside of Victoria, in respect of initiatives mentioned above in Fund 1, which is limited to Victoria.

In addition Fund 7 is available to support other charitable purposes in Australia outside the scope of the various Funds. These other purposes are not identified in the Wills but would include supporting the aged, sick and disabled.

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 online grant report form .

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