Community Legal Centre Grant Funds Program 2017-19

Submissions closed at midnight 28 August 2017 (AEST).

IMPORTANT: Please read information below to assist you in completing your application online.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Welcome to the Department of Justice and Regulation's online grant application service, powered by SmartyGrants.

You may begin anywhere in this application form. Please ensure you save as you go.

For queries about the guidelines, deadlines, or questions in the form, please contact Eliza Hallt on (03) 8684 0888 during business hours or email Eliza.Hallt@justice.vic.gov.au and quote your application number. To view the Community Legal Centre Grant Funds Program 2017-19 Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), please select from the following:

  • Community Legal Centre Assistance Fund 2017-19 Guidelines (PDF) (Word)
  • Family Violence Duty Lawyer Fund 2017-19 Guidelines (PDF) (Word)
  • Community Legal Centre Family Violence Fund 2017-19 Guidelines (PDF) (Word)
  • Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) (Word).

If you need more help using this form, download the Help Guide for Applicants or check out Applicant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

NAVIGATING (MOVING THROUGH) THE APPLICATION FORM

On every screen (page of the form) you will find a Form Navigation contents box, this links directly to every page of the application. Click the link to jump directly to the page you want.

You can also click 'next page' or 'previous page' on the top or bottom of each page to move forward or backward through the application.

SAVING YOUR DRAFT APPLICATION

If you wish to leave a partially completed application, press 'save' and log out. When you log back in and click on the 'My Submissions' link at the top of the screen, you will find a list of any applications you have started or submitted. You can reopen your draft application and start where you left off.

You can also download any application, whether draft or completed, as a PDF. Click on the 'Download' button located at the bottom of the last page of the application form.

SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

You will find a Review and Submit button at the bottom of the Navigation Panel. You need to review your application before you can submit it.

Once you have reviewed your application you can submit it by clicking on 'Submit' at the top of the screen or on the navigation panel. You will not be able to submit your application until all the compulsory questions are completed.

Once you have submitted your application, no further editing or uploading of support materials is possible.

When you submit your application, you will receive an automated confirmation email with a copy of your submitted application attached. This will be sent to the email you used to register.

If you do not receive a confirmation of submission email then you should presume that your submission has NOT been submitted.

ATTACHMENTS AND SUPPORT DOCUMENTS

You may need to upload/submit attachments to support your application. This is very simple, but requires you to have the documents saved on your computer, or on a storage device.

You need to allow enough time for each file to upload before trying to attach another file. Files can be up to 25MB each; however, we do recommend trying to keep files to a maximum of 5MB – the larger the file, the longer the upload time.

COMPLETING AN APPLICATION IN A GROUP/TEAM

A number of people can work on an application using the same log in details as long as only one person is working at a time. Ensure you save as you go.

SPELL CHECK

Most internet browsers (including Firefox v2.0 and above; Safari; and Google Chrome) have spell checking facilities built in – you can switch this function on or off by adjusting your browser settings.

CLARIFICATIONS

In the interests of transparency, general questions about the grants process and answers will be posted here. All questions will be de-identified to ensure privacy.

What evidence is required to show the service/project is needed?

You need to be able to provide some evidence to show:

  • the nature of the problem the service is trying to address;
  • that demand for the service is currently unmet; and
  • how you will know whether the service is successful.

Evidence of demand for the service may include reference to requests from the Magistrates’ Court to extend the operation of services in a particular area, or details of unmet demand for services in a particular catchment area.

Evidence to support your application could comprise data from a range of sources. Possible sources include from the 2015-16 CLSIS data or CLSIS data provided more recently by VLA, 2015-16 Annual Report, Victoria Collaborative Planning Resource – Jurisdictional Data 2015 report and data available on the Law and Justice Foundation website, Victoria Police crime statistics, Crimes Statistics Agency – Victoria, Australian Council of Social Services, Australian Bureau of Statistics or other data sources.  

Can organisations apply for the same service/project under more than one of the three grant funds (Community Legal Centre Assistance Fund 2017-19, Family Violence Duty Lawyer Fund 2017-19, Community Legal Centre Family Violence Fund 2017-19)?

An organisation must not apply for the same service/project under more than one of the three grants available. However, an organisation may apply for a similar service/project under more than one of the three grants.

For example, an organisation may wish to apply for the Family Violence Duty Lawyer Fund 2017-19 seeking to employ a 0.5 FTE family violence duty lawyer in a particular Magistrates’ Court and also apply for the Community Legal Centre Family Violence Fund 2017-19 seeking to employ a 0.5 FTE family violence lawyer to provide family violence-related casework to enable court readiness and post court appearances. 

Individual applications must be submitted in respect of each grant fund in order to be considered. Organisations should read the eligibility guidelines and assessment criteria for each grant fund carefully to ensure the service/project meets the requirements.

Individual applications will be assessed for eligibility and, if deemed eligible, assessed on merit against the relevant assessment criteria.