Economic Development Fund Grant Program Guidelines
 |
Download Guidelines and Application Form - PDF |
Grants will be available from Cairns Regional Council for the development and delivery of projects that will result in demonstrated economic and community benefit to the Cairns Region.
All applicants are encouraged to refer to Council's Corporate Plan 2009-2014 and to the current Advance Cairns Business Plan prior to submitting an application, to obtain a sense of the strategic directions determined for the Local Government Area.
It is also expected that applicants will have explored all opportunities for State and Federal Government Funding before making a decision to approach Council for support.
Multiple applications are acceptable from eligible organisations in any given financial year.
Prospective applicants may find it useful to discuss their concepts with the Council contact officer prior to the lodgement of any application to ensure that their project fits within the scope of the Economic Development Fund.
2. Form and Type of Application
The form of application will be dependent upon the total amount of financial support being sought.
Support may however be in the form of a cash grant or in-kind assistance from Council or a combination of the two. In general, in-kind assistance means that Council provides materials or services in support of the requested project or event from within Council’s core business at no direct charge to the applicant.
Applicants seeking in-kind assistance will need to have a pre-lodgement discussion with the Council contact officer in order to obtain a quote from Council for the provision of the in-kind assistance sought. The details of this quote can then be used in completing the application to this Fund.
Applications can be made at any time throughout the year using the Economic Development Fund Grant Application Form together with a covering letter. The Application Form is available electronically in MS Word format for use as the basis for an application.
 |
Applications can be made at any time throughout the year in the form of a letter to Council outlining
• organisation details including appropriate contacts,
• the opportunity, its objectives and proposed dates,
• the level of support sought and the proposed timing of the grant payments in the event of the application being successful,
• the expected benefit to the regional economy and/or community, and
• attaching any material in support of the proposal, including any support letters from overarching bodies.
Alternatively, applicants can use the application form at the end of these Guidelines as the basis for an application should they so wish. Back to top
As set out in the attachment to these Guidelines, all applications for support over $30,000 should provide statements addressing the following. However, please note that it will not necessarily be a requirement of funding that all criteria be met (applicants should state where the criteria is not relevant).
• Potential of the project to deliver immediate economic benefit
• Estimated size of the expected boost to the local and/or regional economy through direct and indirect expenditure generated
• Potential for project outcomes to provide a lasting legacy for the economy
• Potential for the funded activity to grow in size over time and to become sustainable (without ongoing government support)
• Potential for attracting more visitors to the region (tourism marketing potential)
• Potential to impact the diversity of the local economy
• The significance of Council's support in the applicant's decision to proceed with the project
• Capacity to generate favourable media coverage for the community or region
• Demonstrated feasibility in responding to an identified need or opportunity of economic benefit to the community (show links to strategic directions identified by Council and/or Advance Cairns if relevant)
• Demonstrated success with previous projects of this type
• Requirement for direct support from or involvement of staff from Council or Advance Cairns in delivering the project or event
• Level of financial support from partners, other sources and from the organisation itself (ie the greater the leveraging of other funds, the better the application will be viewed)
• Level of potentially negative impacts on surrounds, environment, others
• Letters or statements of support from relevant Government Departments
• Compliance with general eligibility criteria outlined below. Back to top
4. General Eligibility criteria
Groups/organisations are required to:
• be either a properly constituted not-for profit organisation or a group sponsored by an incorporated organisation or a for-profit group where the funded project is not projected to return a profit in the short term (includes industry associations, chambers of commerce, industry clusters)
• have a majority of members of the group/organisation resident in the Cairns Regional Council area
• operate within Cairns Regional Council boundaries
• have acquitted any previous Cairns Regional Council grant satisfactorily
• be free of debt with Cairns Regional Council
• have a valid public liability certificate to cover any proposed program/project/event
• submit a detailed budget for the program/project/event
• submit the organisation's most current financial statement (as submitted to the Office of Fair Trading) or the latest treasurer's report covering previous 12 months. Back to top
5. Some examples of projects that are expected to qualify for the funding are
• National and/or State level sporting games and/or events in the Cairns Region
• New industry feasibility studies
• New events of national appeal
• Tourism marketing campaigns
• Existing industry innovation or re-direction studies
• Support for Festivals Back to top
Applications will be decided by the full Council. Some applications may be referred to Advance Cairns for review and comment as part of the assessment process, prior to consideration by Council. It could be expected that this process may take up to two months to complete.
In addition to the above, applications seeking support of festivals will first be submitted to Council's Festivals Advisory Committee for review and comment.
While acknowledging the above intent, Council will manage its response to applications to ensure that there is a minimum balance of $100,000 left in the Fund at 31 December each year (half way through the financial year) and a minimum of $50,000 left at 31 March each year. This is to ensure that Council retains some capacity to respond to opportunities that arise at any time across the whole of the financial year. Back to top
• Council will have a finite level of funding available for this grants program in any given financial year, determined through its annual budget process
• Ideally all grants are to be expended in a 12 month period (and acquitted within 3 months of the project completion); however this aspect may be negotiable around the specifics of particular applications.
• Successful applicants will be required to publicly acknowledge Council’s support in a manner acceptable to Council (to be determined taking into account the nature of the funded project)
• Applications will need to detail proposed timings for the receipt of grant payments from Council; it will be possible to seek commitments beyond the current financial year
• Grant acquittal arrangements will include a requirement for a detailed report to Council demonstrating the success or otherwise of the project relative to its initial objectives Back to top
8. Ineligible items: The following will not be considered for funding
• Ongoing salaries/wages for staff (a position created for the length of a project may be considered)
• Recurrent costs associated with day-to-day operations of the organisation/group
• Retrospective funding
• Items/programs that are the core business of a Government Department
• Business/commercial ventures solely benefiting a single business or a narrow collective of interests
• Projects that do not involve the Cairns Regional Council community
• Projects involving the construction of infrastructure or purchase of capital equipment Back to top
• Assistance in the application of these Guidelines may be obtained from Council’s Economic Development Officer – Tel: 40443044; 1 800 070 444
• Organisations seeking support may also find it advantageous to discuss their proposals with Advance Cairns in the first instance – Tel: 40802900
10. Applications must be addressed to the attention of:
General Manager, Community, Sport and Cultural Services, and
Either mail to:
Cairns Regional Council
PO Box 359
Cairns Qld 4870
or hand deliver to:
Council Chambers
119-145 Spence St
Cairns Qld 4870
or Fax to: 07 4044 3022
or Email to: council@cairns.qld.gov.au