GUIDELINES

Grants for Business Chambers and Trader Groups

Program SummaryOn 13 September 2020, the Victorian Government announced the $3 million Grants for Business Chamber and Trader Groups program to support metropolitan and regional business chambers and trader groups.

Grants of $10,000, $20,000 or $50,000 are available to Victorian business chamber and trader groups for initiatives that enable local business collaboration, help members access support and transition into recovery and restart.

This program focuses on locally-led initiatives which use business chamber and trader group networks to empower local businesses and help members to transition and adapt their businesses to the new COVID Normal.

1 Standard Eligibility Criteria

1.1 To be eligible for the grant, the business chamber or trader group must:a) be based in Victoriab) be a not for profit, membership-based organisation (with a membership of

businesses) that services a specific geographic area (e.g. business zone, suburb/ town or region)

c) have the core purpose of acting for its members and promoting commerce in a specific geographic area

d) hold a current Australian Business Number (ABN) and have held that ABN at 13 September 20201; and

e) be registered with the responsible Federal or State regulator or with the relevant local council.2

2 Demonstration of eligibility

2.1 Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the eligibility criteria as set out in section 1.1.

2.2 Applicants must ensure that their ABN registration information is up-to-date and current as at the time of application.

2.3 The Applicant’s constitution, rules or charter must preclude the payment of a dividend or any other pecuniary benefit to the applicant’s members (i.e. the applicant must be a not for profit organisation).

1 If the applicant does not hold an ABN they must provide their incorporated association number or the ABN of an auspicing organisation.2 Where required by relevant and applicable legislation. Responsible regulators are the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC); the ACNC for charities and not-for-profits; and Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) for incorporated associations.

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2.4 Applicant organisations need to demonstrate they are registered with the relevant responsible Federal or State regulator, or local council.

3 Available funding

3.1 The total grant will be $10,000, $20,000 or $50,000 and will be provided based on a competitive application process:

Grants of $10,000 will be provided for smaller organisations.3

Grants of $20,000 or $50,000 will be provided for larger or more significant organisations.4

3.2 An organisation is only eligible for one grant under the program and the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (the Department) reserves the right to determine the allocation of the grant value.

3.3 The value of the grant to an eligible business chamber or trader group will be determined as part of the assessment process (Section 6.2).

4 How the funding must be used

4.1 The objective of this Program is to support initiatives run by business chambers and trader groups that: enable local business collaboration

help members access support, including Victorian Government supports, and

help members transition into recovery and restart.

4.2 Grant funds must be used by business chambers and trader groups to support their members’ COVID-19 resilience, restart and recovery, for example by undertaking activities such as: providing access to Victorian Government COVID-19 business recovery

information, programs and services on the Business Victoria website

supporting and encouraging local business collaboration activities which help members to adapt their businesses to the new COVID operating environment

‘buy local’ campaigns to drive visitation to a particular area

upgrading the Applicant’s digital channels to better support members

undertake locally focussed activities for COVID-19 resilience, restart and recovery.

5 How to Apply

5.1 Funding will be allocated via a two-stage grant process: Business chambers and trader groups are invited to lodge a preliminary proposal

(closes on 12 October 2020).

After a preliminary assessment of applications, eligible applicants will be invited to provide a detailed project proposal for assessment (invitation to be sent in the week commencing 19 October 2020).

3 Determined at the Department’s discretion4 Determined at the Department’s discretion

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5.2 Applicants are required to submit their applications (and any supporting documents) online via the Business Victoria website (business.vic.gov.au). All questions in the application need to be completed to ensure timely assessment and grant payment.

5.3 Further information may be found at business.vic.gov.au or through the Business Victoria Hotline at 13 22 15.

6 Assessment Process

6.1 An assessment panel will assess all applications against the following assessment criteria:

a) How well the project supports the objectives of the program (see Section 4.1).

b) How well the project supports the applicant’s members through the current COVID restrictions and in preparing for economic recovery.

c) The capacity or capability of the applicant to successfully implement the project.

d) Why the project needs Victorian Government support to proceed.

6.2 The recommended grant amount will be determined by the Assessment Panel and may take into consideration factors such as membership size, the strategic importance of the organisation to the local economy, the scale and complexity of the proposal, the financial capacity and delivery capability and the services already provided by the organisation to member businesses.

6.3 In the event of oversubscription of eligible projects to the Program, the Assessment Panel may also take into consideration factors listed in 6.2 to determine recommended projects.

6.4 Applicants are subject to a risk assessment which verifies applicant details provided with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commissioner, Consumer Affairs Victoria and/or other applicable regulators.

6.5 Any of the following circumstances may be taken into consideration in any decision whether to award a grant: Any adverse findings by a regulator regarding an applicant;

An applicant is placed under external administration;

There is a petition to wind up or deregister the applicant; and

The applicant is or becomes deregistered or unregistered (including cancellation or lapse in registration).

7 Conditions of Funding

7.1 Applicants must enter into a grant agreement with the Department (which may be in the form of online terms and conditions which must be agreed by the applicant). The

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grant agreement outlines the commitments and obligations under the grant, as well as the general funding terms and conditions.

7.2 Grant funds will be released when the grant agreement has been entered into.

7.3 Successful applicants will be required to report on the outcomes of their project and contribute information and data about the funded project to the Department for the evaluation of the program.

7.4 Applicants will be subject to audit by the Victorian Government or its representatives and will be required to produce supporting evidence at the request of the Victorian Government for a period of four years after the grant has been provided.

7.5 If any information in the application is found to be false or misleading, or grants are not applied for the purposes of the program in accordance with the terms of funding as set out in these guidelines, application and the grant agreement, the grant will be repayable on demand.

8 Acknowledgement

8.1 Successful applicants must acknowledge Victorian Government support of the project through, for instance, activity-related publications, media releases and promotional material as outlined in their grant agreement.

9 Privacy and Information Management

9.1 Any personal information about a person or third party contained in the application and grant agreement reporting will be collected, held, managed, used and disclosed by the Department for the purpose of grant administration and the program (including to third parties that may assist with the assessment of grant eligibility and the administration of the grant program), and for the purposes of future programs and will be collected, held, managed, used, disclosed or transferred in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and other applicable laws. For further information, please email: privacy@ecodev.vic.gov.au

10 Other information about this Program

10.1 The Department reserves the right to amend these guidelines and the application terms at any time as it deems appropriate.

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