No. 15

BETTER COMMUNITY ACCESS TO GRANTS PROGRAMS

A new website funded in the 2006-07 Budget will make access to the full range of ACT Government grants easier for the community, Chief Minister Jon Stanhope announced.

“The new grants portal will contain information on every ACT Government grants program, in areas ranging from health and the arts to environment and heritage,” Mr Stanhope said today.  

“The site will provide information on the full range of grants, target audiences, eligibility and assessment criteria, accountability requirements, application processes, application timetables and contact details for more information.”

The ACT Government has allocated $100,000 a year over four years to establish and maintain the site and to streamline grants administration. 

“The website is one of a number of reforms that will streamline and improve grants administration across the ACT Government,” Mr Stanhope said.  “Other reforms include the consolidation of grants into two programs — Health and Wellbeing Community Grants, and City and Territory Service Grants — and the streamlining of administration within agencies to reduce overheads while preserving grant funding.

“To simplify access and reduce administrative costs, grant programs will now be administered by the Departments of Disability, Housing and Community Services, the Department of Territory and Municipal Services and ACT Health.  These arrangements could be further consolidated at a later date.  Guidelines and reporting arrangements will be standardised to the greatest extent possible.

“In addition, a number of recurrent grants will be reclassified as service agreements, to give recipients greater certainty into the future and to enhance accountability and reporting arrangements.

"The Government recognises and appreciates the role played by non-government organisations and individuals in supporting the community and ensuring a high quality of life and high levels of participation, and wants to simplify the process of getting access to government support for that work.

“At the same time, we want to maximise the value the community gets for every dollar of grant funding for community initiatives and projects, by reducing government overheads and streamlining administration.”