Gift of the G.A.B – February 2025
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Grants Administration Manual (GAM) Update Project
The GAM Update Project wants your input! The survey is open until 31 March 2025. If you have not already, please complete the Slido GAM Usage and Awareness Survey. These answers will help inform user needs for the GAM. You can now find out more information about how to improve your GAM via the Grants intranet page: Improvements to the GAM - NIAA Intranet
If you have detailed suggestions for the GAM, or would like to volunteer for a future focus group or user acceptance testing, please email: GAMFeedback@niaa.gov.au
Also, you might notice some early updates being made to the GAM - feel free to use GAMFeedback@niaa.gov.au to tell us whether changes are helpful too!
Grant Facts: Did You Know?
This section provides an opportunity to highlight important or little-known grant-related facts or points of interest.
What is policy authority for a grant program/ activity and do I need it?
The Government must approve the creation of a grant program for it to be funded by the Commonwealth. This approval forms the grant’s policy authority. The NIAA’s design and administration of the grant must align with this policy authority, including funding decisions by an NIAA financial delegate. Otherwise, the NIAA risk breaching the CGRPs. The Government’s policy authority often comes through a New Policy Proposal (NPP) process considered by the Cabinet. It can also happen through an exchange of letters with the Prime Minister or a brief to the Minister for Indigenous Australians, depending on the scope of the grant.
What is the difference between policy authority and NIAA grant financial delegations?
The Government sets the policy for any grant funding through approving the policy authority and the GOG. Both policy authority and a GOG are required for any grant funding. The Government has then delegated authority for the NIAA to make administered funding (grants) decisions in relation to awarding grant funding.
If the Government has specified a grant program will run for two years in the policy authority, the NIAA delegate cannot extend grant funding agreements beyond the two years without seeking the Government’s approval to change the policy authority (unless there are provisions in the original policy authority and GOG which permit the extension). The delegate must also consider the probity implications of any decision. More information: See Grant Design Phase Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Or contact the Grants Front Door.
Great Job, Assessment Coordination and Briefing Support and Grants Front Door teams of Grant Services Branch!
Congratulations to Assessment Coordination and Briefing Support (ACBS) and Grants Front Door teams who engaged effectively this month to complete CCE checks for Round 1 of the RJED grant opportunity, with assessments proceeding quickly.
Grant Services Branch Manager Matt Tolley has praised the collaboration: “An amazing example of pulling together, careful planning, strong communication and smart execution, including engagement with the Hub, and it meant that Rohan and the team were able to honour firm commitments made well in advance. I think other areas of the Agency could learn a thing or two from this approach. Feedback from the policy and program area has been very positive, even with constructive pushing back by the team on a number of issues.”
Rohan Matthews, Director of ACBS team said: “We are certainly not through the peak yet but what a great job my team has done to meet the agreed timelines for the first cab off the rank this year which is RJED round 1 – even with the additional 50 applications. There were 252 applications to be precise for this round. Thank you team, what a great outcome.”
This is all the more impressive as the ACBS team is right in the middle of the huge peak in its workload. This is what ACBS have been working and planning for since about the same period last year when the Indigenous Rangers, the Ceasing Grants Process and the NAIDOC open rounds created a similar peak.
Great job Rohan and teams and congrats to all for a job well done!
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NIAA Grant Rounds that opened in GrantConnect in February 2025
Important Changes to the Agency’s escalation and breach process
In February 2025, there were some changes made to the Agency’s breach process in response to calls from the GMU recall in November 2024. A failure to remedy breach letter template (and completed example) has been published by Program Compliance and Fraud Branch in partnership with the Commercial Law and Grants Guidance teams.
The intention of the template is to ensure the Agency’s approach is more consistent where a grantee has failed to comply with the requirements of the Notice of Breach and Remedy letter. It should be used by activity managers to notify a provider that they are in breach of their funding agreement with the NIAA and the resulting actions that the NIAA is taking.
Please note, if a grantee has not satisfactorily responded by the specified time to the Notice of Breach and Remedy letter, it is important for the NIAA to take further action in a timely manner by sending out the Failure to Remedy Breach letter. If the NIAA takes too long to address a provider’s failure to comply with the breach notice (or doesn’t respond at all) the Agency may not be able to subsequently rely on this notice. This is because it could reasonably be inferred that, in delaying or failing to take further action, the Agency may have accepted the breach and waived its rights. For guidance on failure to remedy for a particular grant milestone, please contact the Grants Front Door here: Support : The Grants Front Door. For more complex matters relating to the use of the template, please contact compliance@niaa.gov.au
Reminder – All FUSION Resources are available on the Grants Front Door. Our next FUSION Super User Group catchup 5 March – staff keen to join the group, express your interest by sending an email to systemsupportreporting@niaa.gov.au
Upcoming Grant Opportunities with other agencies Attention Regional and Program staff: Each month we will promote any new GOGs released (including by other agencies) and published on Grant Connect that may be relevant to your stakeholders. Registering on Grant Connect is easy ? This month there are three new Grant Opportunities or Forecast Opportunities, details below: Forecast Opportunities
FO ID: Remote Employment Service Agency: National Indigenous Australians Agency Programme Name: IAS Jobs, Land and Economy Program Description: The Australian Government is reforming remote employment by replacing the Community Development Program (CDP) in two stages, in partnership with remote communities. 1. The first stage is the new Remote Jobs and Economic Development (RJED) program, which is creating 3000 new jobs in remote Australia over three years and started in December 2024. 2. The second stage is the design and delivery of a new remote employment service which will begin on 1 November 2025. The new service will replace CDP with a flexible employment service across remote Australia. It will better support job seekers in remote Australia to upskill, find pathways to work and contribute to their community. It will differ from the old program by leading with a strengths-based approach, supporting providers to work collaboratively with communities on projects and with job seekers to understand their needs. CDP services have been extended until 31 October 2025 to support remote job seekers before a new remote employment service begins. There is planning underway to ensure a smooth transition between programs. Organisations that would like to deliver remote employment services will be able to apply for funding through a grant process. A competitive grant selection process will open in the first half of 2025 for interested organisations in RES regions (currently known as CDP regions) to apply. Status: As Published Estimated Period of Release: January to June 2025
FO ID: FO2023-1937 Agency: Department of Social Services Program name: National Child and Family Investment Strategy – Innovation Fund The Australian Government is inviting organisations currently delivering or seeking to deliver child and family services in select locations in each state and territory to apply for funding under the Innovation Fund through a targeted competitive grant process. The program is a priority action under Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021-2031 and has been informed by the upcoming National Child and Family Investment Strategy due to be released in 2025. Up to $8.573m over 3 years will be available to assist organisations:
The grant opportunity is expected to be open in early 2025 for 4 weeks. Grant Opportunity Guidelines and other supporting documents including eligible locations will be published when the grant opportunity is open for applications. Estimated period of release: January to June 2025 FO Documents: Innovation Fund Forecast Opportunity - priority locations Web address: https://www.communitygrants.gov.au/grants Linked Grant Opportunities: GO7405 National Child and Family Investment Strategy – Innovation Fund | Closed GO ID: GO7349 The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems Agency: Department of Industry, Science and Resources Close Date & Time: 18-Mar-2025 5:00 pm (ACT Local Time) Publish Date: 4-Feb-2025 Location: ACT, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, QLD, NT, TAS, Administered Territories Selection Process: Open Competitive Description: The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems Prize honours Indigenous-led projects that benefit Australian Indigenous peoples, communities or place through the practice and preservation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems. The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are an ongoing element of the Inspiring Australia – Science Engagement Program. The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science will award up to $1.4 million each year for achievements across 3 prize categories:
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are Australia’s most prestigious and highly regarded awards for achievements in scientific research and research-based innovation, the practice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems and excellence in science teaching. The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science celebrate Australian scientists and innovators, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who practice knowledge systems, and science teachers who are inspiring students to pursue science education and careers.
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