Membership Activity Grant 2024-2025

Welcome to the Merri-bek City Councils online grant application service, powered by SmartyGrants.

Council is in Caretaker Mode until 27 October 2024.
     >   We have undertaken a pause to accepting and considering community grant applications over this time period.

Ability to submit an application will open on 27 October.
      > Please ensure your activity costs are planned to start after 29 November. Contact us for any questions. communitygrants@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

Contact us for any questions. communitygrants@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

Membership Activity Grants 
Aims to support initiatives that help residents participate in community life and improve personal outcomes. Read the Guidelines for more information. Help Sheets Preparing your application and Completing the budget can be viewed on Councils website. 

Use this application form to apply for the following category: 
  • Membership Activity Grant - for groups (up to $3,000) 

Read the Guidelines for more information about this category. 

Membership Activity - for Groups
Supports up to $3,000 per year for 3 years This funding aims to help with ongoing costs for community groups that meet regularly to support the health and wellbeing of its members.

Funding will be prioritised for activities which support for residents from at least one of these communities:
   • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,
   • Migrant and refugee communities
   • People with disability,
   • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual plus, Transgender and gender diverse, Intersex, Queer, Asexual and Aromantic communities (LGBTIQA+),
   • Women,
   • Youth,
   • Seniors
   • Children.

Community groups must:
• Meet regularly within the Merri-bek municipality;
• Address Community Grants Objectives and Funding Priorities;
• Provide activities to members that support health and wellbeing, such as social or active programs;
• Provide evidence of membership and that it meets in Merri-bek.
• Must complete an acquittal every year to show how the organisation is operating.

Amounts groups can recieve each year:
   • $2,000 for groups with up to 20 members ($1,500 if receiving other Council support)
   • $2,500 for groups with 21 to 60 members ($2,000 if receiving other Council support)
   • $3,000 for groups with over 60 members  ($2,500 if receiving other Council support).

Assessment timelines
~ The timeline for this grant is approx 4-6 weeks, once submitted and officers are comfortable all supporting documentation is appropriate for the application and funds requested, the application will be assessed against the criteria, and you will receive notification of the outcome.
~ If approved for funding support, you will be required to submit a funding agreement. Payment made in accordance with Council;'s payment terms, which is usually within 14 days of submitting the agreement
~ You may begin anywhere in this application form. Please ensure you save as you go.
~ For queries about eligibility, guidelines or questions in the form, please contact us on 9240 1111 during business hours or email the grants officer - communitygrants@merri-bek.vic.gov.au;  and quote your application number.

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

Before you begin:

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.