Second stage grants

The Reef Trust Partnership - Traditional Owner Stage 2 Grant Program 2020 is a competitive grants program which provides up to $1.5 million to eligible Traditional Owners to strengthen leadership and build capabilities, increase skills and training opportunities; undertake planning and on-ground activities that enhance participation in Reef Trust Partnership component areas. The program will also enable Traditional Owners to build, maintain and strengthen key partnerships as well as provide an opportunity to undertake mapping, conservation, protection and promotion of important heritage values in places that form part of delivering the Reef Trust Partnership.

Traditional Owners can apply for a share in $1.5M to support and enhance participatory pathways into effective delivery of Reef Trust Partnership component areas specifically focusing on Crown of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) Control; Integrated Monitoring and Reporting (IMR); and Reef Restoration and Adaptation Science (RRAS). Funding activities relevant to Traditional Owner care and protection of healthy water and water sources are being specifically addressed through the Reef Trust Partnership Traditional Owner Healthy Water Grants Program 2020.

This investment will contribute to a large-scale, coordinated, strategic plan of action that can be co-developed between Reef Traditional Owners and their partners - building on and scaling the work already being done within the Reef and its catchment and focusing on strengthening opportunities and supporting Traditional Owner led actions across all Partnership component activities.

Grants will support activities in the key focus areas of:
1. Leadership and capacity building
2. Planning
3. Innovation
4. Partnership development
5. Indigenous Heritage Value mapping

Projects can address more than one Key Focus Area or Key Component Area, but only one application can be submitted per applicant for this grant opportunity.

For more information, please refer to page 4 -5

The Reef Trust Partnership - Traditional Owner Stage 2 Grant Program 2020 is a competitive grants program which provides up to $1.5 million to eligible Traditional Owners to strengthen leadership and build capabilities, increase skills and training opportunities; undertake planning and on-ground activities that enhance participation in Reef Trust Partnership component areas. Funding activities relevant to Traditional Owner care and protection of healthy water and water sources are being specifically addressed through the Reef Trust Partnership Traditional Owner Healthy Water Grants Program 2020.

There are two types of grants available:

1. Standard Grants: Grant opportunities will range from $50k -$150k

2. Complex Grants: The Foundation does have the ability to consider highly complex projects from Traditional Owners groups with established and proven track records in project management and execution. Grants up to $300k (GST exclusive) will be considered for projects that are well designed, include external partners, deliver on multiple outcomes for the reef and the Traditional Owner group/s and are accompanied by a detailed and well thought out budget.

The Traditional Owner Stage 2 Grants are targeted towards Traditional Owner groups (with established or emerging governance arrangements) located along the Great Barrier Reef coastline and within the GBR catchment.

To be eligible Traditional Owner groups that apply for funding must meet all of the following criteria:

1. Must be a legal entity, for instance:
a. an incorporated association
b. a body corporate
c. a company
d. a cooperative society
e. an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander corporation or incorporated
association, or
f. a trust duly constituted.

2. Be a Traditional Owner group for the area the work/planning is proposed (or have culturally appropriate permission where the project may be over multiple estates).
3. Accept the conditions of the application
4. Confirm that all actual, perceived or potential conflicts of interest relating to
the grant project have been declared
5. Hold or be willing to hold the required insurances.
6. Have a project that is ready to commence by early February 2021

Traditional Owner groups that are not legal entities at the closing date for applications must be sponsored by a legal entity (such as a peak body or regional natural resource management organisation) who may apply on their behalf. The legal entity will be legally responsible for meeting the contractual obligations of the grant.

PBCs or Aboriginal Corporations that represent more than one Traditional Owner group may apply for a grant but that does not exclude an individual Traditional Owner group applying separately.

For more information see Section 6 of the Stage 2 Grant Guidelines

The following groups or organisations are not eligible to apply unless sponsoring for a Traditional Owner organisation

• Regional natural resource management organisations
• Peak industry groups or umbrella bodies

The following are not eligible to apply for the grants and are not eligible to sponsor a project:
• Individuals
• Organisations that have at the application closing date, any overdue final
reports or acquittals for other grant programs.

For more information see Page 9 of the Healthy Water Grant Guidelines and Section 6.2 of the Stage 2 Grants Guidelines.

Read the grant guidelines, complete the application form and submit online at applications@barrierreef.org by 11.55pm 17 November 2020.

All applications must be submitted by 17 November 2020. The completed application forms with any of its supporting documentation must be submitted electronically by 11:45pm (AEST) 17 November 2020.

Late applications will NOT be accepted.

No. Great Barrier Reef Foundation staff are able to clarify any questions you have regarding the application form, but they are not able to help you complete it.

No. As an individual you are not eligible to apply either with or without a sponsor.

No. Applications should be submitted for new projects or further stages of an existing project. There should be no duplication of funding between existing projects and new applications made under this grant program

Yes. Funds can be used for travelling if it relates to the project. All travel must be incorporated into the proposed budget for the project.

An organization CAN submit one application form for the Healthy Water Grants and one application form for the Stage 2 Grants. Only one application form per grant opportunity, may be submitted by each group. If multiple applications are submitted, only the first one received will be assessed and considered.

Items that were not budgeted in the original application will not be funded. Applicants must consider all aspects of their project and ensure they include all relevant costs within their application. Additional funds are not available to meet costs which may have increased after the application was submitted.

Quotes may be considered by the assessment panel but are not required to be submitted with the grant application. However, for complex or large budget items we do encourage you to provide quotes or supporting documentation to help the assessment panel understand the costs associated with the project.

Optional supplementary information (e.g. letters of support from stakeholders or other community groups) are encouraged to help assist the assessment panel understand your application. Support letters or letters of endorsement from your Traditional Owner group are required.

When you submit your application to applications@barrierreef.org you should receive an automated confirmation email that you have successfully completed the application process. If you do not please contact grants@barrierreef.org

No changes are permitted once the closing of the application date (post November 17). Please read your application carefully before submitting to ensure that you have completed every relevant section and that all the information is true and correct.

Applications will be assessed against the selection criteria described in Section 11.2.1 and 11.2.2 of the Stage 2 RTP Grant Guidelines.

Successful applicants will receive a funding deed that will need to be signed and returned. Any specified conditions of funding must be met before full payment for the project can be processed and the project commences. Projects should expect to start in early February 2021.

The payment will be processed only when the successful applicant has accepted the terms of the funding by signing and returning the funding deed.

Traditional Owner Stage 2 projects Standard Projects must be completed no later than 30 June 2023, and Complex Projects must be completed before 30 May 2024.

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation places a high priority on monitoring and reporting for all Reef Trust Partnership funded projects. The monitoring and reporting requirements are:

• Tracking of expenditure for acquittal
• A process to record project achievements
• A final report on project outcomes and financial expenditure

Refer to Section 13 of the Stage 2 RTP Grant Guidelines for more details.

The Grants program is being funded under the Reef Trust Partnership, which requires that all projects be conducted in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Projects that would be conducted in the Torres Strait are out of scope for these grants. The Foundation does recognize the important cultural and spiritual connection that the Traditional Owners of the Eastern cluster of islands in the Torres Straits has with the Great Barrier Reef, so there may be projects that these Traditional Owner groups apply for that are relevant and in scope for these grants.

Yes they are eligible to apply, however the project must be undertaken in the GBR World Heritage Area. The Foundation does recognize the important cultural and spiritual connection that the Traditional Owners of the Eastern cluster of islands in the Torres Straits has with the GBR, so there may be projects that these Traditional Owner groups apply for that are relevant and in scope for these grants.

10% of the overall budget can be allocated for project administration.

You can find information about The Reef Trust Partnership components on the RTP website. There is also a good summary document about the Reef Trust Partnership, which provides more context on each of the RTP components that can be found below.

Your organization may be covered by the insurance held by the Landcare and Catchment Group, depending on the partnership that is explained in the grant application. However this grant provides the opportunity and time to get adequate insurance cover in place if you are awarded a grant.

Public liability insurance and a work cover policy will include workers compensation.

Yes, this grant provides the opportunity and time to get adequate insurance cover in place if you are successful.

Yes an NRM organization could sponsor an established Traditional Owner Association. However the Traditional Owner group would need to explain (in their application) why they prefer that arrangement, in order to help the assessment panel understand the advantages.

Yes, you can reference your existing WHS plan in the application (and state that it can be provided if shortlisted). Please attach the WHS cover/title page to your application as a supporting document. If there are any project specific risks not covered in the WHS plan, these should be addressed in a smaller risk management plan submitted with the application.

Yes the cost of producing a video is an eligible communication cost, as long as it will be used as a tool to communicate your project results to others, and assist in sharing lessons learned.

Yes, it is good to provide a letter of support and say who you are. The letter of support could be from the Board of Directors of your organization, or from an Elder, or a member of an established Steering Committee. It helps the assessors understand how the project is being developed and discussed with your Traditional Owner Group.

Yes, the $10,000 limit on plant and equipment is the standard limit for all size projects for this round of Healthy Waters and Stage 2 grants. We may consider revising the limit in future grant rounds.

The cost of hiring a project manager to work specifically on your project, could be funded through project funds, and not included in the 10% of funding allocated for administrative and project management costs.

Grant submissions should be emailed to applications@barrierreef.org.

No you do not.  Only successful grant applicants will be required to provide certificates of insurance after they are notified that their project will be funded.

The Foundation will assess each project for the types and levels of insurance cover that is needed to be in place before a project can be funded. At this time we are asking applicants to check that they are capable of having $1m in professional indemnity insurance and $20m in public liability.

Insurance costs should be included in the administrative costs.

Yes, the Traditional Owner group/s do need to be based on the Great Barrier Reef. The exception could be if a Traditional Owner group that has a registered business entity auspices a GBR Traditional Owner group.

No, the Foundation does not have guidelines for calculating Elder fees. We ask that groups consult with their elders and set the price point for Elder payments, as there is variation between Traditional Owner Groups.

A letter of support can be addressed "To Whom It May Concern", and the letter should be submitted by the applicant with their grant application.

The required insurances are listed in section 6.0 of the Stage 2 Grant application form and include:
• Workers compensation
• Public Liability (minimum required: $20m per occurrence)
• Professional Indemnity (minimum required: $1m per occurrence)
• Motor vehicles and plant and equipment insurance (if applicable)
• Other relevant policies (eg volunteer insurance if applicable).

All Insurances must be in the Applicant’s legal entity name. Copies of the insurance Certificates of Currency must be provided to the Foundation if the application is successful.

The GBRF are busy assessing the Traditional Owner Stage 2 Grants, but things are talking a little longer than expected. We are working really hard to ensure all applicants hear from us by Friday December 18th. Thank you for your patience and understanding.