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Grant Categories

Promoting harmony: Multifaith and Interfaith

Provides funding to projects that bring different faith and community groups together to promote community harmony, celebrate our shared values and increase our understanding of, and respect for, our differences. There are two subcategories of funding available:

· Multifaith Initiatives - Grants of up to $10,000 (excluding GST) for partnership projects that promote interfaith dialogue and community harmony.
· Interfaith Networks – Grants of up to $20,000 (excluding GST) for projects that develop the capacity of formalised interfaith networks to promote interfaith dialogue and community harmony.

Organisational Support Grants

Provides financial assistance for the general costs associated with running community organisations (maximum grant $5,000)

Senior Citizens Grants

Supports ethnic senior citizens clubs to hold regular social and community strengthening activities (maximum grant $4,000 per year for three years)

Buildings and Facilities Improvement Grants

Assists ethnic community organisations to undertake minor upgrades to buildings that they own (maximum grant $15,000)

Educational Program Grants

Provides funding support to out of hours ethnic schools within Victoria. There are four subcategories available:
· Professional Development of Teachers - Grants of up to $10,000 (excluding GST) to support Victoria’s ethnic schools to provide school-based professional development programs for their teachers.
· Materials Development – Grants of up to $20,000 (excluding GST) to support the development of classroom teaching materials for a language taught in community languages schools sector where there are few readily available resources suitable for students living in Victoria.
· Support for new community language schools – Grants of up to $2,000 (excluding GST) to assist with the establishment costs of a new community language school.
· Support for existing community language schools – Grants of up to $2,500 (excluding GST) to assist with the operational costs of a community language school.

Multicultural Festivals and Events Grants

Supports major festivals, conferences and special ethnic community events that encourage the participation of the broader community in celebrating and valuing cultural diversity. Grants are also provided to support activities addressing a major issue through a conference or special event. ($2,000 unless otherwise advised)

Strengthening Multicultural Communities Grants

Supports community organisations to undertake projects that address the unmet needs of Victoria’s CALD communities. Priority was given to projects that:

develop the capacity of new and emerging communities and multicultural networks to self-manage and fully engage in community life;

provide assistance to migrant and refugee women and/or young people;

support local heritage that acknowledge and document the contribution of migrants and refugees in Victoria; and

enable organisations to develop partnerships with other community and government agencies that address community needs; (maximum grant $20,000)

Funding Rounds

The Community Grants Program is separated into three funding rounds:
1. Round One - Closed for 2008
2. Round Two - Multicultural Festivals and Events, for activities being held between January 2009 and July 2009;
Dates: applications open 18 August 2008 and close 10 October 2008; and
3. Major funding round - including the Organisational Support program, the Building and Facilities program and the Strengthening Multicultural Communities program.
Dates: Applications open 13 October 2008 and close 12 December 2008.

Who is eligible?

In order to receive a grant from the VMC, and most other funding bodies, your group will need to:

be incorporated as separate entities registered with the Office of

Consumer Affairs Victoria or be auspiced by an incorporated group;

have an Australian Business Number (ABN). Application forms for ABN can be obtained at the

Australian Taxation Office.

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