Older and Active Community Grants

Darebin City Council wants to ensure that Community Grants are distributed and support projects which address the issues and needs of the local community. For this reason, the following outlines the eligibility requirements for accessing Community Grant: Older Adult Community groups need to be either:

• A not-for-profit, charity or incorporated association with Consumer Affairs Victoria, or;
• Auspiced by another not-for-profit, charity or Incorporated association, or;
• Not incorporated but have a bank account in the name of the community organisation, and;
• Hold public liability insurance up to $20,000,000 at application time and when the project has commenced. If a group does not currently hold public liability insurance, the group can use the funding provided to purchase the insurance, ensuring it is noted clearly in the grant budget and acquittal report.

• Applicants who have a current funding arrangement with Darebin City Council such as the Funding and Support Program funding arrangement and/or sponsorship programs for activities and services. This includes groups/organisations who receive in-kind venue hire and other funding from Darebin City Council. If you are unsure whether this applies to your group, please contact the Community Development Officer on 03 8470 8114.
• Individuals.
• Political organisations.
• Religious organisations, applying with the purpose of promoting religion or proselytizing.
• Businesses or for-profit organisations.
• Applicants who have not completed previous Council grants (including submitting acquittal reports) and/or have outstanding debts with Council.
• Applicants that own or operate Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) or hold events/activities/meetings in venues that have EGMs and/or receive sponsorship or support (in-kind or cash) from EGM revenue.

• Start-up costs for new older adult community groups, such as venue hire (up to $2,000), public liability insurance and incorporation fees.
• Staff hire such as teachers, mentors, cooks, cleaners, entertainers, interpreters.
• Printing, advertising, publicity and promotional costs.
• Materials and other items essential to the activity.
• Transport costs for project participants.
• Activity entry fees for participants.
• Significant events
• Volunteers 'out of pocket' expenses.
• Costs to support participation of people with a disability or house bound older adults.
• Outings and activities, including catering and transport.

• Activities that are inconsistent with Darebin City Council strategic directions or the Older Adult Community Grant Program aims.
• Activities that are the responsibility of other levels of government (e.g. State, Federal)
• New building projects, capital works and facility maintenance projects.
• Activities or projects that have a religious or political purpose which seeks to promote core beliefs & religious functions.
• Activities funded through other Darebin City Council programs or activities, including grant and sponsorship programs.
• Duplicate existing services/activities unless it can be demonstrated that it meets an unmet community need.
• Capital equipment purchases (i.e. telephone lines, computers, printers, power tools, audio-visual equipment, building maintenance or capital improvements such as heating or cooling systems, shade sails, solar panels etc.). If you are not sure if an item for which you are seeking support is “Capital Equipment’ or ‘Material’, please call the Partnership & Grants Officer to discuss (8470 8504).
• Outstanding loans and debts.
• Projects and activities that have already commenced or where the organisation has committed expenditure prior to the grant notification date (activities will not be funded retrospectively.)
• Gift vouchers, prizes and trophies.
• Recurrent rent of private venues.
• Utilities (gas, electricity, water.)
• Any project also funded (cash or in-kind) through EGM revenue, including sponsorship or venue hire.
• Any project that operates in a venue with EGMs.
• Any project that promotes gambling.
• Alcohol purchases.

• The Older and Active Community Grants Program allows grants up to $3,000 per application for incorporated, not-for-profit associations.
• Community groups that are not incorporated are able to apply for grants up to $2,000 but must have a bank account in the name of the organisation/group and demonstrate that they operate as a not-for-profit organisation¹.
• Alternatively, groups that are not incorporated may choose to find an incorporated organisation to auspice them for their project. Auspice organisations² receive and manage funds on behalf of non-incorporated groups. A neighbourhood house is an example of a potential Auspice organisation.
• This grant can be used to apply for Venue Hire at specific Darebin Council venues (including Senior Citizens Centres & Community Halls) and external venues (see page 7). All applicants can apply up to $2,000 to cover venue hire costs. Please note venue hire cannot be provided on an ongoing basis and is subject to availability.

¹ A not-for-profit organisation is an organisation that is not operating for the profit or gain of its individual members. Any profit made by the organisation goes back into the operation of the organisation to carry out its purposes.
² In this context, the auspice organisation would receive the grant funding and have responsibility for ensuring that the activity is completed on time. A letter from the auspicing organisation that confirms the arrangement must be submitted with the grant application form.

• Projects and activities which respond to one or more of the outlined focus areas.
• Projects and activities that meet a new and emerging need for older adults within the City of Darebin, especially groups that are from culturally diverse and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.

Who

• Who is this project for? (older adults, women, people with a disability, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, people from LGBTIQA+ communities)

What

• What do you want to do?
• Which focus area does your project align with?
• What benefits will your participants get from your project?

Where

• Where in Darebin will this project happen?
• If it is outside of Darebin – where will it be?

Why

• Why is your project needed?
• What issue is your project wanting to address?
• Is this issue supported by any local data and information?

When

• When will this project start?
• When will the project end?

How

• How will you deliver the project?
• How will you reach the community members this project is for?
• How much will it cost