Grants program

Grantmaking guidelines

Updated June 2008

The purpose of the Sydney Community Foundation (SCF) is to connect people who care with causes that matter to Sydney. Our vision is positive wellbeing for all the communities of Sydney. We invest in projects that:

• Create social change in the greater Sydney area;
• Pioneer responses to community needs;
• Focus on prevention or early intervention;
• Are sustainable and replicable and
• Develop the community's - and service providers' - skills, knowledge and engagement.

Currently, the SCF has a particular emphasis on funding projects focusing on women experiencing disadvantage and older people experiencing social isolation. In addition, the Foundation also considers proposals in these areas:

• Young people at risk
• Young families
• Indigenous and culturally diverse communities
• Initiatives promoting sustainability

As the SCF was created to benefit the community of Sydney, we will only provide funding for initiatives and projects that are delivered within the Sydney region (generally speaking, this region is bordered by the Hawkesbury to the north, the Blue Mountains to the west, Camden to the south west and the Sutherland shire to the south).The foundation prefers to fund smaller, grass roots organisations that work towards improving the wellbeing and social inclusion of people who live in Sydney, even in small ways. We are happy to be one of a number of supporters of a project and will undertake co-funding in conjunction with other organisations to ensure the success of a project.

Grant exclusions

Grants will not be made for:

• Religious or political causes
• Projects for building traditional infrastructure which is the responsibility of government
• Fundraising costs and annual appeals
• Sporting projects where sport is the principal purpose
• Emergency relief, except where a major crisis affects the Sydney community.

Eligibility

The SCF welcomes applications from a diverse range of non profit community organisations, for projects meeting some or all of the above criteria. Applicants need to have Tax Concession Charity (TCC) endorsement from the Australian Tax Office (ATO), and Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) endorsement from the ATO, if applicable.

How to apply

In the first instance, you should call the SCF to check that your project is something that would be considered for funding. You can contact the SCF on 02 9322 1320, or send an email to enquiries@sydneycommunityfoundation.org.au.

You would then send an expression of interest (EOI) to the Foundation. An outline of the information required is set out in our Expression of Interest form. The EOI form must be completed in full to be considered. A copy of the organisation's endorsement notices from the ATO must be either emailed in PDF format with your EOI or mailed in hard copy to the Foundation. Please do not send a print out from the ABN Lookup website. As the SCF office has very limited space, please do not send DVDs, posters or other material with your application.

The SCF projects committee meets quarterly to assess the EOIs received in that period. Those that most meet our selection criteria and priority areas are progressed to the full application stage. Please allow around three months for this assessment process. You will be notified as to whether or not a full application is invited.

Grant timeframes

A small selection of grants are made throughout the year and there is no closing date for applications. We will acknowledge receipt of your application, but please allow three months for the selection process.

Depending on the nature of the project for which funds are requested, the Foundation will consider multi year funding.

Grant amounts

Funding levels are flexible and guided by the specific needs of projects and funding availability, however grants generally do not exceed $50,000.

Contact details:

SCF Expression of Interest form

Expression of Interest form - Word document
Download, complete and email back as an attachment.

Expression of Interest form - PDF document
Download, print, complete and post back.

SCF Application Guidelines - PDF document