Children’s Week grant

To be eligible for a grant, you must meet all the following criteria.

The organisation must be:

• a local government council or an eligible not-for-profit (NFP) organisation*
• covered by applicable insurance/s including Public Liability

The activity must:

• launch and/or occur within Children’s Week (22 October to 30 October 2022)
• be free of charge to Victorian families with children (0 to 12 years) and open to children from multiple early childhood services and/or schools
• demonstrate an educational outcome or benefit
• explore the 2022 Children’s Week theme
• not be intended to promote commercial interests.

* NFP organisations provide services to the community and do not operate to make a profit for its members (or shareholders, if applicable). A few examples are art centres, neighbourhood associations and sports clubs. Read more about NFPs.

Assessing your organisation’s not-for-profit status

To assess your NFP status we will check the following against the Australian Business Register:

• Type of organisation registered
• Deductible Gift Recipient status or entity type
• Incorporated or auspiced by another incorporated organisation (a letter of support will be required by the auspicing organisation).

Other indicators of your organisation's NFP status or particular community purposes are your organisation's:

• constitution or governing rules
• trust deed (if it is a trust)
• registration or association with other regulatory bodies that require not-for-profit status and/or the particular community purpose for registration.

For more information:

• NFP organisations – visit the Australian Taxation Office.
• Incorporated associations – visit Consumer Affairs Victoria.

Any for-profit or NFP organisation that operates the following is not eligible to apply for a grant. However, they are permitted to work in partnership with eligible organisations. The eligible organisation must submit the application.

The following organisation types are not eligible to apply independently:

• kindergarten
• long day care
• outside school hours care service
• family day care
• playgroup**
• schools
• individual / sole trader.

** Community or Neighbourhood Houses that deliver a playgroup as part of a suite of community services are eligible to apply if attendance to their Children’s Week event includes families and children from across their local community.

Organisations can only apply for one grant. If you are a large organisation, consider if any other teams within your organisation are also applying for a grant – for example, a local government council that operates multiple libraries.

To receive a grant, organisations must agree to:

• promote their activity through a range of media channels to encourage participation and generate community awareness of Children’s Week
• include the official Children’s Week and State Government logos and tagline “This Children’s Week event is presented by (organisation name) in partnership with the Department of Education and Training” on all promotional materials.

We will promote the official Children’s Week Calendar of Activities on our Children’s Week webpage and through communication channels with the Victorian early childhood and school sectors.

In-person events

Approved in-person events will be subject to any Victorian Government restrictions and guidelines in place at the time and will be required to have a COVID-Safe Plan.

Every organisation needs to ensure they comply with any relevant laws in delivering their activity, including relevant privacy laws and Child Safe Standards.

For example, if you are planning to run an in-person event, you need to consider how the privacy of children attending is protected, such as:

• If you take photos or videos of attending children, do you have appropriate written consent forms from the parent/carer of every attending child being photographed/videoed?
• If your activity involves receiving and subsequently displaying children’s work (artwork, stories, photographs, etc.), has personal or identifying information been removed (such as names, location, faces)?

Privacy and cyber-safety for online activities

Every organisation needs to ensure that they are compliant with any relevant laws in delivering their activity, including relevant privacy laws and Child Safe Standards.

For example, if you are planning to run an online activity, you need to consider how the privacy of children attending is protected, such as:

• In the case of online performances that are not interactive, is only the performer’s camera on?
• If the activity is interactive and involves attendees having their device’s camera on, is a parent/carer in attendance alongside their child?
• If attendees are invited to have their device’s camera on, and you intend to record, do you have appropriate written consent from the parent/carer of every attending child?
• If your activity involves receiving and subsequently displaying children’s work online (artwork, stories, photographs, etc), has personal or identifying information been removed (such as names, location, faces)?

For more information, visit https://www.esafety.gov.au.

Grants will be assessed according to the following criteria (250 to 350 word count suggestion):

1. Describe how your Children’s Week activity will support at least one of the Early Years Learning and Development Outcomes of the Victorian Early Years Learning And Development Framework (VEYLDF). The VEYLDF identifies the following 5 Outcomes for young children from birth to 8 years:
   • Children have a strong sense of identity (identity)
   • Children are connected with and contribute to their world (community)
   • Children have a strong sense of wellbeing (wellbeing)
   • Children are confident and involved learners (learning)
   • Children are effective communicators (communication).
     
2. How will your activity support the 2022 Children's Week theme "Children have the right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical and mental needs"?

3. How will your organisation promote your Children’s Week activity? Consider:

   • reach of the activity - number of families, children, early childhood services and schools that can participate, number of sessions offered, age groups targeted
   • strength of your organisation's communication strategy to promote participation in the activity.

Important reminder: This is a competitive grants process; there is no guarantee that every organisation that meets the eligibility criteria will be funded.

If a grant is approved, we will:

1. notify you by email
2. send you a Common Funding Agreement to complete and return
3. request an invoice to process payment once the Common Funding Agreement is finalised
4. email you to request information including:
   • bank details
   • ABN
   • trading name
   • GST registration
   • company contact to eftsure for independent verification
5. process your invoice once we verify your details.

More information on Supplier onboarding and data management.

Grant applications must clearly itemise anticipated expenditure. You must use the grant money solely for the costs associated with holding your Children’s Week activity, as detailed in your application.

Children’s Week grants may be used for costs such as:

• guest speakers, entertainment, performance or other artists
• learning or craft materials
• children’s prizes and certificates of participation or achievement
• additional administrative costs incurred such as travel or phone.

Organisations that receive a Children’s Week grant must provide online feedback post-event and complete an acquittal by 5 December 2022. You will need to include photos of the activity.

You should use the full value of your grant on the activity. Any unused funds must be returned to us by 30 December 2022.

Applications for 2022 are now closed.

Information will not be used for any other purpose unless otherwise required by law.

View our privacy policy.