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These FAQs accompany the NGO Flood Recovery Program Open Competitive Grants and Closed Competitive Grants Program Guidelines. Questions and answers below are grouped in topics, in the same order as they appear in the Closed Competitive and Open Competitive Grants Program Guidelines. For additional information contact SPCGrantsTeam@facs.nsw.gov.au.
If you are looking for information on current Commonwealth or NSW Government disaster assistance please visit the NSW Disaster Relief and Support webpage.
A. The NGO Flood Recovery Program is a $9.1 million assistance package for non-government organisations (NGOs) from the Commonwealth and NSW Governments to support NSW communities affected by the floods that commenced in August-September 2022 (AGRN1030/1034). All funding is directed to NGOs serving the four highly impacted NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) Districts of Western, Murrumbidgee, Far West and New England.
The Program includes two grant streams - Closed Competitive Grants ($1.1 million) and Open Competitive Grants ($6.5 million).
The Program is designed to embed social cohesion, support community-led social recovery and respond to community feedback about local decision making. This funding is to be used in conjunction with, and does not replace, other NSW Government support services and/or Australian Government Disaster Assist services.
A. Information on others grants and assistance available from the NSW Government can be found on the NSW Disaster Relief and Support webpage and the Australian Government Disaster Assist services webpage.
A. The two different streams of grants are:
Applicants are not eligible if they are any of the following:
NSW Government, Local Councils or Australian Government agencies and their entities
A. DCJ has directly invited service providers to apply based on the following eligibility criteria:
The assessment of invitees was based on local knowledge and prior performance against existing contracts with DCJ.
Please note that service providers eligible to apply for a Closed Competitive Grant will also be considered and assessed for the Open Competitive Grant. If your application is successful, the decision of whether to provide funding through an Open or Closed Competitive grant will be at the discretion of DCJ.
Successful organisations will only be award one grant from either the Closed or Open Competitive Grant streams.
A. If you are an ineligible organisation or individual who is already providing assistance to those affected by the floods in the four DCJ Districts you may be able to enter into a subcontracting arrangement with an eligible organisation that is preparing an application, if you have not already done so.
This arrangement would be at the applicant organisation’s discretion. If you are currently working with an organisation that may have made an eligibility application you could discuss this with them.
For more information see Q: What is subcontracting? below
A. Eligible Open Grant applicants can apply for one-off time limited grants from one of the four packages available:
DCJ will determine the Closed Competitive Grants available to each service provider invited to apply for a Closed Competitive Grant. Grants of between $50,000 and $100,000 will be offered proportionally based on the existing total value of existing DCJ contracts (which will be advised in your invitation email).
DCJ may offer successful applicants a grant amount lower than the amount requested.
Any expenditure over the approved grant will be the liability of the service provider.
Organisations applying for funding from the higher valued packages are required to demonstrate a higher capability and capacity to manage the funds.
A. All grants must be fully expended by September 2024.
A. The Closed Competitive and Open Competitive Grant funds can be used flexibly by grant recipients in the following four DCJ Districts: Western, Murrumbidgee, Far West and New England to sustainably deliver services throughout the recovery and to adapt that support as needs change.
Services funded through this grant must only be provided in LGAs subject to a disaster declaration under AGRN 1030 and 1034 (for more information and lists of LGAs see nsw.gov.au/disaster-recovery/natural-disaster-declarations).
This support to individuals and communities residing in these LGAs, to assist them in getting back on their feet, could include:
This list of eligible expenses and the exclusions listed below are designed to be compliant with the DRFA. DCJ approval of the proposed budget and plan for use of grant funding will be required as part of the application assessment process and establishing the Funding Agreement.
A. You can use up to 25% of your grant to reimburse costs that your organisation has already incurred which is directly associated with service delivery since the August -September 2022 floods that was directed to individuals, families and communities residing in one or more of the Local Government Areas (LGAs) subject to a disaster declaration under AGRN 1030 or 1034 (for more information and lists of LGAs see nsw.gov.au/disaster-recovery/natural-disaster-declarations). DCJ does not require a breakdown of expenses.
Please note subcontracted organisations can also claim up to 25% reimbursement of their share of the total grant as per above.
Successful applicants cannot use reimbursements for capital works (including building repairs and construction), equipment and assets.
You can only claim reimbursement for costs that are eligible for funding - for more information see Q: What can I propose using grant funding on? above and Q: What are we not allowed to spend grant funding on? below.
Claims for reimbursement that are not directly related to service delivery by NGOs in the four DCJ Districts and the Local Government Areas (LGAs) subject to a disaster declaration under AGRN 1030 or 1034 (for more information and lists of LGAs see nsw.gov.au/disaster-recovery/natural-disaster-declarations) will not be considered.
A. In simple terms, for the purposes of these grants “subcontracting” refers to an arrangement between your organisation and one or more other organisations/individuals (referred to as “subcontractors”) to assist your organisation to provide services funded through your grant. In some cases all the service delivery may be undertaken by the subcontractor.
Examples could include:
A subcontracting arrangement requires the eligible organisation to enter into an agreement with the subcontractor to conduct the work, but the applicant (lead) organisation will retain the contractual obligations to DCJ under the Grant Funding Agreement for delivery and accountability.
For this reason, it’s important you carry out the necessary due diligence before entering into such an agreement and applying for a grant on one or more subcontractors’ behalf.
Responsibilities of the applicant organisation include:
For more information on subcontracting responsibilities please visit facs.nsw.gov.au/providers/working-with-us/fcm-resources/subcontracting
A. “Auspicing” is a form of subcontracting. Please note the term “subcontracting” is used for the purposes of this grant program.
Please note that even if your organisation already has a formal auspicing agreement in place you will still be required to seek formal permission in writing from DCJ to enter into subcontracting arrangements using one of the available forms should your application be successful, as per Q. What is subcontracting? above.
A. This refers to providing direct assistance to members of the community living in one of the four DCJ Districts affected by the August – September 2022 floods, which could include:
No more than $1,000 of grant funding can be spent on any particular individual.
A. Proposals for the following items will not be considered, nor can NGO Flood Support Closed Competitive or Open Competitive Grants funding be used for:
Funding can only be used for activities outlined in your application.
A. You can receive grant funding if you’ve already received an insurance payment or a Commonwealth or NSW Government grant, but not for the same expense/s covered by that payment or grant.
You can also use grant funding to extend, increase or “top up” services funded by the Commonwealth, NSW Government or local government, due to increased demand, as long as this is described clearly in your grant application with information on why you need to provide increased services. You will need to differentiate between services provided with grant funding and other funding in your reporting to us.
Please note that you may be required to advise the government agency or body that already provides your organisation with funding for a service if you then receive additional grant funding.
A. First, please review the Program Guidelines for the Open Competitive or Closed Competitive grants, as applicable, available on our main NGO Flood Recovery Program page.
Applications must be made online through the SmartyGrants online grant portal via dcj.smartygrants.com.au/ngofloodrecovery
Applications close at 5:00pm on Friday 1 September 2023and applicants will be notified in late September – early October 2023. Please note that late applications will not be accepted.
DCJ staff and NSW Reconstruction Authority staff in the four DCJ Districts will be available to assist organisations with their grant applications, or eligible applicants can contact the Grants team at SPCGrantsTeam@facs.nsw.gov.au.
Please do not email additional attachments such as support letters or references as only your response to the application form will be used to assess your application.
Submission of an application does not guarantee funding and the cost of preparing an application is the responsibility of the applicant.
A. No, the same form is used for both streams of funding.
A. Yes, applications will only be accepted that are submitted via the SmartyGrants website. If you need assistance with this process please refer to Q: Is there support available to help me apply or answer questions? below.
A. Yes, when you log on to SmartyGrants and view the application you can also choose to download as a PDF to review whenever you like. You can also preview the form online.
Please note that PDF copies of application forms do not show which questions are conditional, so you may see questions that do or do not apply to your organisation.
A. No, only your application form and any documents requested and submitted through the form on SmartyGrants will be considered.
You are encouraged, however, to describe any work or partnerships with other organisation that have and/or will help you to provide support to those affected by floods in the four DCJ Districts in your application.
A. There will be online information sessions on the Open Competitive Grants at 10am on Thursday 3 August 2023 and Thursday 17 August to support eligible organisations with their applications and to answer any questions, contact SPCGrantsTeam@facs.nsw.gov.au for an invite. Details of sessions on Closed Competitive Grants were provided in invitation emails.
DCJ staff and NSW Reconstruction Authority staff in the four DCJ Districts will be available to assist organisations with their grant applications, or eligible applicants can contact the Grants team at SPCGrantsTeam@facs.nsw.gov.au.
Please quote your Application ID in all correspondence.
If you are not familiar with the SmartyGrants management system, please refer to the SmartyGrants Help Guide for Applicants or their general help page. You can also contact SmartyGrants directly if you are having technical difficulties with the application form or your SmartyGrants account/password, for contact details visit their help page.
A. Yes, recordings will be available, please contact the team via SPCGrantsTeam@facs.nsw.gov.au for links after the sessions take place. You may also wish to consider having someone else from your organisation participate, so they have the chance to ask a question if they wish.
A. No. Each organisation can only submit one application on its own behalf.
If your organisation was invited to apply for a Closed Competitive Grant, however, the same form may be used to apply for Open Competitive and Closed Competitive Grants. Only one grant will be awarded, however.
A. Please refer to our page on Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), which also provides information on our commitment to building the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector.
A. Your funding request should exclude any GST that you will be charged by contractors or suppliers as part of the cost/delivery.
If your application is successful and your organisation’s ABN is registered for GST, you will be paid GST on top of the approved grant amount. If your organisation ABN is not registered for GST or you do not have an ABN, you will only be paid the approved grant amount.
A. The Applicant Declaration must be made by two of your organisation's authorised signatories, who will also be responsible for signing the Grant Funding Agreement via DocuSign should your application be successful
More information on DCJ authorised signatories is available on our website.
Please note, you must provide the contact details (email address, phone number, name and position) of the relevant authorised signatories, or their delegates, in your application form. Please contact SPCGrantsTeam@facs.nsw.gov.au immediately if these details change.
A. DCJ administers Grant Funding Agreements to successful organisations via DocuSign, which only allows those who receive an individualised link to access the document for viewing. Therefore, all of those who wish to either sign or view the Grant Funding Agreement must provide their contact details.
You may wish to include any relevant legal or administrative staff to review a copy of the Grant Funding Agreement before it is signed. You should note, however, that the signatories will not be able to sign the document before your reviewer confirms that they have viewed the document.
A. Eligible organisations are requested to submit an application that will be assessed against the following assessment criteria:
The applicant:
The assessment criteria applies to the lead applicant in a subcontracting arrangement. The lead applicant will be held accountable for all subcontracted organisations against the criteria above.
Application for funding does not guarantee funding. The assessment process will be managed by DCJ and supported by an independent probity advisor. An eligibility assessment will be based on how the applicant has addressed the core eligibility criteria. The delegated decision-maker (Deputy Secretary in DCJ) is the final decision maker regarding eligibility and awarding of funding
A. The assessment process will prioritise organisations that primarily deliver services to:
Applications may also be prioritised to ensure equitable geographic distribution across the four DCJ Districts, and to target areas most affected by the floods that commenced in August-September 2022.
A. We only ask you to explain your proposed work and complete a high-level proposed expenditure table.
It is important to understand that these grants are not project-based. Instead, they are intended to boost funding for existing service delivery to the community affected by floods, whether those services are the same as those provided before the floods or new services that you have provided since the floods and intend to continue.
We understand that all organisations deemed eligible for funding have faced increased demands for the services since the August-September 2022 floods, and require funding that is provided flexibly to meet this demand (and in some cases, reimburse some costs already incurred).
On this basis we do not require a project plan or detailed budget to provide evidence that you have planned a new project, or to ask you to report later in a high level of detail. Instead we wish to allow you the opportunity to boost your services without incurring substantial new reporting requirements, and to have the ability to make minor changes to how you spend this funding to address the changing needs of communities without seeking permission from DCJ unless the nature of your services substantively change ( see Q: What happens if situations change and we wish to change the details of our proposed work after we receive funding?)
On this basis we ask only for a description of your intended work and a high-level and estimated proposed expenditure table.
A. Please see Q: What happens when you receive my application? below.
A. Your organisation is required to provide a valid Certificate of Currency for Public Liability Insurance with a minimum cover of $10 million in your organisation’s name, which you will upload as part of your application. Your organisation must also retain any other insurance required under Commonwealth and NSW law for the performance of its activities funded by this grant, if successful.
Your organisation is responsible for ensuring it has appropriate and current insurance coverage in place to cover any liability of the grant recipient that might arise in connection with the performance of its obligations under its Grant Funding Agreement, which includes activities carried out by any other individual or organisation that you may subcontract.
A. The National Redress Scheme is part of the Commonwealth Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The National Redress Scheme provides support to people who experienced institutional child sexual abuse.
The Scheme:
The Scheme started on 1 July 2018 and will run for 10 years. The NSW Government will not award a grant to a non-government organisation with Redress Obligation (or to any of its Related Entities) if that non-government organisation:
For further information please visit the NSW National Redress Scheme Sanctions Policy webpage.
A. Please refer to the up-to-date information on current public health orders and advice on the NSW Government’s COVID-19 webpage. Due to the changing impacts of COVID-19 across NSW, it is the successful applicant’s responsibility to keep track of current NSW Government public health orders and advice, and adhere to them.
A. Yes. It is your responsibility to provide the correct banking details, including the authorised signature to verify your bank details, in your application form. Funds transferred to an incorrect bank account may not be recoverable. This applies even if you have provided your banking details to DCJ in the past, or are currently receiving other payments from DCJ.
A. Your application, Funding Agreement and acquittal for the grants will be managed using the SmartyGrants online grants administration system and DocuSign. We will contact you and your organisation’s authorised signatories using the details provided in your application on SmartyGrants.
It is the responsibility of the grant recipient to keep DCJ up to date with any change in contact information, including the contact details of authorised signatories. Please email SPCGrantsTeam@facs.nsw.gov.au to update contact details.
DCJ is not responsible for any consequences should your grant offer be withdrawn due to out-of-date contact details in SmartyGrants.
A. Applications will initially be reviewed by DCJ for general grant program eligibility, and then assessed by a Grant Assessment Panel which will include DCJ Directors and/or Managers, and at least one independent assessor. This Panel will then make recommendations for funding to the delegated decision-maker (Deputy Secretary in DCJ).
Assessment will involve considering your answers to the questions in your application (as well as your Eligibility application) against the assessment criteria (see Q: What are the assessment criteria? above), in the context of any prioritisation required (see Q: Are there any funding priorities for Open Competitive Grants? above).
All assessors will sign confidentiality agreements and conflict of interest forms prior to viewing your application.
Applicants will be formally notified in late September – early October 2023 if their application has been successful or unsuccessful. Applicants must ensure their contact details on SmartyGrants remain up to date.
A. Information received in applications and in respect of applications is treated as confidential, and all assessors will sign a confidentiality agreement before reviewing your application.
However, documents in the possession of the government are subject to the provisions of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009.
If you are successful, the NSW Government may share or publicise information on your work. An agreement that this may occur will form part of your Grants Funding Agreement.
A. You will be notified via email in late September – early October 2023. Applicants must ensure their contact details on SmartyGrants remain up to date.
A. You will be notified via email in late September – early October 2023, and shortly after a Grants Funding Agreement will be sent via DocuSign to the authorised signatories, and any additional reviewers, as provided in your application form. Successful applicants are required to return the signed Funding Agreement within seven days of receipt.
Grant Funding Agreements can only be signed by authorised officers of your organisation. This may be a member of the executive/committee as deemed under the Articles of Association or Constitution if you are a not-for-profit organisation. Please refer to the following for further details on authorised signatories and delegation.
Please note, you must provide the contact details (email address, phone number, name and position) of the relevant authorised signatories, or their delegates, in your application form. Please contact SPCGrantsTeam@facs.nsw.gov.au immediately if these details change.
It is your responsibility to ensure staff availability to complete and sign documents, to carefully read the terms and conditions of the Grant Funding Agreement, and to sign the Grant Funding Agreement using the correct authorised signatories.
Once we receive your signed Funding Agreement via DocuSign, your Grant Funding Agreement will be countersigned and sent to you by email.
A. In your application you are not required to provide a project plan or detailed budget, therefore minor changes to proportions of funding devoted to each type of expense can be made without seeking approval from DCJ.
This grant funding is intended to be flexible, and give providers the ability to make changes based on changed circumstances. We would encourage fund recipients that face an unexpected underspend or overspend in a particular area to offset this with higher or lower spending in another area.
However, any major variations to the high-level proposed expenditure table or approved purposes outlined in your original application form on SmartyGrants must be formally requested and approved in writing before any related work takes place, as your application form will form part of your legally binding Grant Funding Agreement with DCJ. Failure to do so may result in you being required to return the grant monies in full.
To discuss a variation, please contact the Grants team by email SPCGrantsTeam@facs.nsw.gov.au.
A. Successful applicants will need to submit a simple financial acquittal in October 2024. The acquittal will include an expenditure breakdown on:
Those that receive grants of $50,000 and above will also need to provide information regularly on the number of services delivered.
Service providers will also be required to participate in regular support forums during the grant period and regularly liaise with and provide information to local DCJ Flood Support Officers.
Due to Commonwealth and NSW program audit requirements you may be randomly selected to provide further information during the grant period or afterward, including appropriate evidence and documentation to demonstrate that your expenditure of grant funding aligns with the use of funds permitted in these Guidelines. This may include invoices, receipts, transaction listings, general ledgers, employment contracts and the like, which you will be required to retain for a period of seven years.
A. No. This Grant Program provides one-off grants only, to be expended within 12 months (before September 2024).
05 Sep 2023