Food Source Victoria Planning Grants and Growth Grants – Application and Assessment Process

1. Application and assessment process

To ensure the suitability of projects, all applicants will need to go through the following four step process.

Step 1: Before applicationBefore submitting an application, prospective applicants are advised to:

read the Application Guidelines carefully to establish eligibility

read the conditions for funding offered (section 2)

complete an Expression of Interest form.

A Departmental staff member will contact you to discuss your proposal and help you determine your project’s suitability before you complete an application form.

Prospective applicants should note that projects should not proceed to the formal application stage where the project:

can be better implemented through another government funding program (if appropriate, prospective applicants may be referred to other funding programs)

does not strongly met the core selection criteria such as economic benefit

is not ready for implementation

has been completed or commenced before receiving funding approval

is an infrastructure project built to meet regulatory and/or legislative requirements or requires on-going government support once completed

does not have requisite co-contributions.

Step 2: Prepare an applicationProspective applicants should use the application to clearly and succinctly describe the project, its objectives, outcomes and any infrastructure requirements. Attach any documents that support your project (such as feasibility study, letters of support).

GSTAll proposed project costs included in an application must be exclusive of GST.

The grant to be paid by the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Resources and Transport (DEDJTR) will be ‘grossed up’ by the amount of GST, provided the applicant provides details of registration for the GST, or proof of exemption from being required to register.

Who signs the application?The Chief Executive Officer (or equivalent) must sign the application.

Addressing core selection criteriaIn your application, show us your proposal’s:

potential economic benefits

breadth of impact for the businesses, sector and regional Victoria

demonstrated project need, feasibility and delivery

financial viability

value to the state.

Economic benefitsAll applications should outline the economic benefits associated with government supporting your proposal. How will your proposal support economic development in regional Victoria?

All applications should demonstrate clearly how supporting your partnership to achieve its objectives will:

stimulate growth in agri-food businesses

create or retain jobs

enhance workforce capability to support business and export growth

support an increase in competitiveness or innovation

result in strategic industry development or build resilience in the export supply chain.

increase value-adding capability

deliver export outcomes in the short to medium-term.

Planning Grants and Growth Grants – Application and Assessment Process

Breadth of impact for the businesses, sector and regional VictoriaAll applications should demonstrate clearly how the benefits associated with your partnership achieving its objectives will:

be communicated and, if possible, extended to other agri-food businesses across regional Victoria

contribute in the longer-term to the strengthening of the broader agri-food sector

deliver adequate social and environmental returns

be shared among partners.

Demonstrated project need, feasibility and deliveryApplications should clearly demonstrate:

the project need and a compelling case for government assistance

access to suitable project management expertise in both the developmental and operational phase of the project

that for infrastructure projects, land tenure, planning and environmental issues have been identified and resolved or satisfactory resolution strategies are in place

that project risks have been identified and strategies are in place to manage them.

Financial viabilityTo enable DEDJTR to assess the financial viability of applicants and ability to manage and complete the project, applicants must provide the following records.

Applicants seeking funding over $10,000 and less than $50,000 for any one component of the project will need to provide financial reports for the last two financial years. This should be the ‘final accounts’ with Directors’ Report and Declaration and should include Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet and Notes to the Accounts.

Where the latest financial report is more than six months old, provide up-to-date management or interim accounts (Profit & Loss Statement and Balance Sheet).

Applicants seeking funding over $50,000 for any one component of the project will need to provide audited financial report for the last three financial years.

Where the latest financial report is more than six months old, they will also need to provide up-to-date management or interim financial statements (Profit & Loss Statement and Balance Sheet) or in the case of public listed corporations, half yearly financial report.

Local Government Authorities are exempt from this requirement.

Value to the stateApplications should demonstrate and provide evidence of how the project maximises funding support from a range of sources.

Prospective applicants should consider contacting the Industry Capability Network (www.icn.org.au), which can help identify competitive local suppliers.

Step 3: Application assessmentOnce received, an application will undergo a two-stage assessment process.

Stage 1: The proposal is assessed against its ability to meet the core selection criteria outlined above.

Stage 2: If an application meets these criteria, it will be considered by an inter-departmental committee, the Food Source Victoria Assessment Committee (FSVAC).

The FSVAC is responsible for making a recommendation to the Minister.

In making its recommendations, the FSVAC will consider a range of matters, including how well projects align to State Government policies, availability of funding, and the outcomes realised from previous funding, if any, provided to the prospective applicant.

Agriculture Victoria chairs the FSVAC with input from other government departments and agencies where relevant.

Step 4: Approval and notificationThe Minister will consider the advice of the FSVAC and determine whether or not to approve the project. If approved, the Minister will determine what conditions, if any, apply to the funding offer.

Applicants are advised of the decision relating to their application in writing. Successful applicants will receive a Letter of Offer from the Minister, which will outline the funding obligations and conditions.

Planning Grants and Growth Grants – Application and Assessment Process

2. Conditions of funding

Funding agreementsSuccessful applicants will be required to enter into a funding agreement with DEDJTR. The standard terms and conditions upon which the funding is offered are available from DEDJTR.

The funding agreement is a legally enforceable document that defines the obligations of both parties.

The organisation’s Chief Executive Officer (or equivalent) must sign the funding agreement which will:

describe the purpose for which the funding must be used

set out any requirements or conditions that must be met prior to the payment of a grant instalment

outline agreed milestones and project outcomes that must be achieved before any payment of a grant instalment.

Once the funding agreement has been executed, the applicant will be required to actively manage and deliver the project, and provide progress reports to DEDJTR, along with evidence of completion. During the course of the project, DEDJTR may conduct site visits as necessary.

In some instances, based on project size, complexity and the amount of funding being provided, a Project Control Group (or equivalent) may need to be established with regular meetings and reports. DEDJTR may be either a participant or observer in these meetings.

The project must commence within one year from the date of offer of funding. If a project does not commence within this timeframe, the grant will be reviewed by DEDJTR.

Evaluation and reportingAfter completion of the project, applicants must submit annual evaluation reports assessing the success of the project in meeting its stated objectives. These evaluation reports may be required for up to three years following completion of the funded project.

Successfully funded projects may be required to contribute information on project outcomes for use in program evaluation reviews or for Agriculture Victoria marketing collateral. It is the responsibility of the successful applicants to put in place adequate data collection arrangements to capture the appropriate data in relation to outputs and outcomes.

Applicants for Food Source Victoria grantsAn applicant must be:

solvent

not named by the Affirmative Action Agency as an organization that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (www.wgea.gov.au).

PrivacyAny personal information about you or a third party in your application will be collected by DEDJTR for the purpose of grant administration. This information may be provided to other Victorian Government agencies for the purposes of assessing your application. If you intend to include personal information about third parties in your application, please ensure that they are aware of the contents of this privacy statement.

Any personal information about you or a third party in your correspondence will be collected, held, managed, used, disclosed or transferred in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and other applicable laws. DEDJTR is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information.

You can find DEDJTR’s Privacy Policy online at www.ecodev.vic.gov.au. Click on the Privacy Statement link at the bottom of the page and then click on Department’s Privacy Policy. Enquiries about access to information about you held by DEDJTR should be directed to the Department’s Privacy Unit by phone on (03) 9208 3900 or email privacy@ecodev.vic.gov.au

3. More informationCall the Program Manager on 136 186 or email food.source@ecodev.vic.gov.au

Guidelines for all Food Source Victoria grants can be found on: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/food-and-fibre-industries/food-source-victoria

Applications for Planning and Growth Grants can be made any time up until 30 June 2019.