WHAT ARE THE KEY DATES?
Applications open: August 3rd, 2023
Applications close: August 31st, 2023
Shortlisting committee evaluation period: 1st-13th September
Member vote: 18th -22nd September
Successful and unsuccessful applicants announced: 26th September
HOW TO APPLY?
Applications for the 2023 WELA Small Grants Program have now closed.
HOW MUCH ARE THE GRANTS?
We anticipate the average grant to be between $5000-$10,000 over 12 months. If your project requires a higher level of funding, please get in touch before submitting your application.
WHAT CAN FUNDS BE USED FOR?
Our grants will support women and/or gender-diverse led environmental and climate action. (see here for more information)
OUR LEGAL STRUCTURE
The WELA Giving Circle is a sub-fund of the Australian Communities Foundation. Australian Communities Foundation Fund is a tax-deductible Trust Fund.
WHO IS ON THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE?
The Advisory Committee will include key WELA staff, philanthropy experts, and women from diverse backgrounds and communities. Current members include Kate Walsh, Sarojini Krishnapillai, Ali Limb and Jen Grindrod.
WHO IS ON THE SHORTLISTING COMMITTEE?
The Shortlisting committee is made up of six WELA Giving Circle members.
These six positions will be chosen by the WELA Giving Circle Advisory Committee via applications from the membership. The term for the Granting Committee will be one grant round with four positions retiring and two positions overlapping with the next Committee.
HOW WILL THE GRANTS BE SHORTLISTED?
The Grants will be shortlisted via a Shortlisting Committee, This Shortlisting Committee will evaluate all applications and then generate a shortlist which will then be voted in by the Giving Circle membership.
Any conflicts of interest must be disclosed between a Granting Committee Member during both the shortlisting and voting stages. If deemed serious enough by the Committee, the member will be required to remove themselves from discussions and voting concerning the applicant in question.
THE MEMBER VOTE
The member vote will happen from 18th -22nd September via a member access only online form. Members will rank projects and then the Granting Committee will determine the successful projects and the grant amounts.
WHEN WILL APPLICANTS BE NOTIFIED?
Successful and unsuccessful applicants announced: 26th September
WHEN WILL THE GRANTS BE DISBURSED?
Grant funds will be in bank accounts within two weeks of successful applicants completing the Grant Agreement with the Australian Communities Foundation.
HOW LONG IS THE GRANT PERIOD?
Grantees will have 12 months to use the funds.
WHAT REPORTING WILL BE REQUIRED?
We will be keeping the reporting to a minimum and it should only take you around two hours to complete our acquittal form.
WHERE CAN I GO IF I HAVE A QUESTION?
Please get in touch with us! Email us at info@wela.org.au and we can set up a time to talk.
IF MY ORG DOESN’T HAVE DGR STATUS, CAN WE APPLY?
Yes! We will accept applications from organisations that are:
– an Australian registered charity with the ACNC https://www.acnc.gov.au
OR
– an incorporated organisation or individual with an ABN https://www.abn.business.gov.au/
– with or without Deductible Gift Recipient status.
– have an annual income of less than $3 million
– projects and organisations based in Australia
DO I NEED AN AUSPICE IF I DON’T HAVE DGR STATUS?
– You do not need DGR status to apply so no need for an auspice. (see above) However, we will accept projects that have an auspice if this is your arrangement but it is not our preference.
WHAT WILL WE NOT FUND?
– Retrospective activities
– Non-charitable activities
– Projects or activities that are politically partisan in nature
– Commercial activities
– On-ground environmental actions such as tree-planting, or installation of solar on buildings, for example
– Grant funds cannot be used for electoral expenditure or the creation or communication of electoral matters (as defined in the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918), or to incur electoral or political expenditure or communicate political or electoral matters under any similar applicable state or territory legislation.
– Green building projects including energy efficiency upgrades
– Political campaigns that support specific parties or candidates
– Straight research, unless it is in direct support of a developed plan for specific action to alleviate an environmental problem
– Land acquisition
