The Funding Programs Policy was endorsed by Council on Tuesday 11 June 22024. Changed were made to the draft Policy based on the feedback received during consultation on the draft.

The amendments were as follows:

1. Incorporated a definition of ‘value for money’, explaining this is informed by a variety of factors, including:
   • the quality of the project proposal and activities
   • the fit for purpose nature of the proposal in contributing to CoA’s objectives
   • the benefit of the proposal to the city community
   • the co-contribution of the applicant in the form of cash, volunteer time, donated materials, other funding sources, including fundraising
   • the applicant’s relevant experience, performance history and financial capacity to deliver.
2. Amended the eligibility criteria to enable applicants to apply for multiple grants in the same financial year providing only one of the grants requested is for an amount greater than $10,000. This supports organisations that access small grants or incentives of between $2,000 and $5,000 to apply for larger funding opportunities when they arise. This also supports organisations that only apply for one or two small grants in a year, totalling less than $10,000.
3. Clarified the term ‘core business activities’, being the normal activities and costs of a business that are necessary to maintain its operations including customer service, accounting, rent and utilities, maintenance, stock management, and permanent salary costs, regardless of whether the proposed project would go ahead.
4. Amended wording in relation to the equitable distribution of funding to give more weighting to organisations that have not received funding of $40,000 or more from CoA or its subsidiaries in the same or previous financial year. This supports smaller organisations that apply for several projects per year compared to large organisations delivering major projects in the city.

The final endorsed version of the policy can be found here.

Council requested a review of its current program and development of an overarching Funding Programs Policy applicable to all areas of Council and its subsidiaries, distributing funding through grants, sponsorships, incentives or strategic partnerships.

The development of a Funding Programs Policy ensures a more consistent approach to the management and distribution of funding across Council programs, enabling improved communication, reporting, streamlining, and aligning of approval pathways.

The draft Policy provides a unifying framework for the provision and management of multiple Funding Programs across the City of Adelaide and its subsidiaries. It informs a collaborative and integrated approach to the development of Operating Guidelines for all City of Adelaide Funding Programs by clarifying the alignment with Council’s strategic priorities and establishing a general eligibility framework for applicants. This is outlined in the draft policy through the following sections:

• Funding Priorities

• Funding Program Principles

• Eligibility Framework

• Funding Programs Management Process

The purpose of this engagement was to:

• Inform key stakeholders of Council’s new draft Funding Programs Policy.

• Seek feedback on the proposed Policy to ensure it is in line with the needs and expectations of the community.