Connecting Seniors Grant Program

Information you need to gather before you apply includes:

• your organisation name and details
• your Australian Business Number. If your organisation has an auspicing agreement with an incorporated organisation with an ABN, that organisation may apply for funding on your behalf.
• your current registrations and insurance
• a detailed project budget 
• quotes or an estimate of the project cost. Try to provide at least one quote per line item for purchases of goods or services in your budget to support the funding amount requested.
• confirmation that your organisation is located in NSW and that the proposed project will occur in NSW.

Make sure you address all the eligibility criteria and use the assessment criteria provided below to help you structure your application.

Assessment stages

Your application will be assessed in 2 stages:

Stage 1:

The assessment team will review whether the organisation and project are eligible. This includes confirming that:

• the applicant organisation is eligible to apply
• the application meets program requirements for commencement, completion and the amount of funding requested
• the application is complete, including quotes or an estimate of the project cost
• the project type is eligible for Connecting Seniors Grant Program funding.

Stage 2:

As this is a competitive grants program, all eligible applications will be assessed to determine their relative merits against the assessment criteria.

Show that your organisation is eligible to apply for this funding and that your project meets the requirements.

Show how your project matches 1 of the following 3 approaches: 

1. Creation of a new program that fosters social connection for older people. 
2. Enhancement and Expansion of a successful program that fosters social connection and focuses on older people. For example, into a new geographical area or to target a new cohort/s (for example, CALD and/or Aboriginal). It should not duplicate or try to replace a similar local program that is already successful.
3. Local council grants that are available to  local councils only.  

Categories 1 and 2 will exclusively be open to not-for-profit community organisations only with local councils eligible to apply for category 3.

Show how your project focuses on 1 or more of the priority groups. You will be asked to report specifically on how you engaged older people from these groups and the effectiveness of your engagement approach.

Organisations that can demonstrate expertise and experience in engagement with older people and/or delivering projects or services inclusive of older people are strongly encouraged to apply.

Relevance (30%)

• The application puts forward a proposal that explains how the project will:
  • provide quality and lasting social connection opportunities for older people 
  • address isolation for older people 
  • engage new people, particularly harder to reach older people. 
• The application identifies and demonstrates:
  • an understanding of the needs of groups that will be targeted for the project, particularly any older people from the priority groups, where identified
  • how older people will be effectively and actively engaged to participate in the project, particularly any older people from the priority groups, where identified why you need the grant to deliver the project.

The application identifies, and focuses on, activities that are meaningful, purposeful and productive (involving action and engagement).

• The application demonstrates:
  • a defined local community need
  • how the proposed project provides an effective local solution to that need
  •  the community-driven delivery approach that will be applied.

Where the application is for the expansion of an existing project, the application demonstrates how it will be tailored to a new geographical area or new cohort and how local groups will be involved in the development and delivery of the project.

Impact (30%)

Your application shows:

• how quality and lasting social connections will be formed, encouraged and sustained using an active engagement approach for older people who are socially isolated or at risk of isolation, and offering meaningful activities.
• the project will deliver tangible, positive and clearly articulated outcomes that meet the objectives of the grant program and identify what the outcomes will be.

Your project should reach the greatest number of participants with the funding provided.

You explain how you will measure and demonstrate to DCJ the success of your project.

Where your application is for the enhancement or expansion of an existing project, it shows:

• how this has fostered connection among existing participants and/or how this may impact older people.

Implementation (40%)

Your application shows:

• how the project will actively attract and sustain participation, at least through to November 2024, of older people who are isolated or at risk of isolation.
• that the organisation (or project lead and partner/s, in the case of a partnership) has the appropriate skills and expertise to deliver the project, demonstrating good planning.

The location where the project will be delivered is clearly identified, accessible, and appropriate for local older people.

You show business continuity planning to keep the project running to 31 January 2025. 

Your application shows the project is value for money in terms of:

• the overall costs
• what you plan to use the grant for
• the outcomes and benefits that will be delivered and
• includes a detailed and comprehensive budget and plan.