Development & Operations Round 1 2017/18

About Development & Operations grants

Development & Operations grants aim to assist the ongoing development of community broadcasting throughout Australia. This grant category aims to maintain, expand and/or strengthen the operations and broadcast capabilities of community broadcasting stations through support for core operations, support for development projects and support for necessary infrastructure.

This year we are particularly looking to:

• support initiatives that build the governance, operational, technical and community engagement capacity of community broadcasting stations

Consideration of Development & Operations grants is the responsibility of the Development & Operations Grants Advisory Committee (DOGAC). You will receive early advice about the success of your application.

Links and downloads

You can preview the application form and grant guidelines by clicking the 'preview the form' icon above. Alternately you can download a PDF preview of the Development & Operations application summary and grant guidelines here.

If you would like to skip straight to the project details component of the application, which will be added to your Development & Operations Grant summary, you can download those sections of the application here:

Development Projects

Infrastructure

Please note that drop-down menu and links are not available for preview in PDF format. These files will show you the questions asked in the forms and the type of information you will be required to provide when the grant round opens on 2 January, 2017.

Talk to us

We strongly encourage you to discuss your project with a CBF Grants Administrator before submitting your application. They can provide advice on the types of projects funded in this category and what information you should include in your application.

For assistance in applying please see links to further information below. If you would prefer to apply for the grant using a word processing document, contact a CBF Grants Administrator by:

Telephone: (03) 8341 5900 
Email: grants@cbf.com.au

For further information see:

Frequently Asked Questions

Applying for the first time?

General information for all applicants

SmartyGrants Guide for Applicants

Return to CBF website

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This grant round has now closed.  While the grant guidelines for the next round may change, the guidelines for the last round are below for your reference. 

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Development & Operations Grant Guidelines

Please read these grant guidelines before you apply.  They include important information about this grant category as well as what purposes you can use this grant for and the criteria which will be used by the assessors to consider your application. Please note, funding for Development & Operations Grants is limited by the available funding levels.

1. What is the objective of the Development & Operations grant category?

Development & Operations grants aim to assist the ongoing development of community broadcasting throughout Australia. This grant category aims to maintain, expand and/or strengthen the operations and broadcast capabilities of community broadcasting stations through support for core operations, support for development projects and support for necessary infrastructure.

This year we are particularly looking to:

• support initiatives that build the governance, operational, technical and community engagement capacity of community broadcasting stations

1. Who is eligible to apply?

You can apply for a Development & Operations grant if you are:

• a community broadcasting station with a long term or temporary license
• a community television station
• a non-profit community broadcasting sector organisation
• a Remote Indigenous Media Organisation or Remote Indigenous Broadcasting Service

Community broadcasting sector organisations provide services and resources for the sector.

A station with a temporary licence must have been on air for at least two years cumulatively prior to applying.

1. What types of activities can you apply for?

You can apply for core operational support such as salary subsidies for key personnel, support to cover the costs of transmission, technical support and financial management.

You can also apply for any number of development activities and prioritise those activities within your application. This can include:

• Support for Infrastructure: purchase and installation of equipment for studio, mobile broadcasting, administration or transmission, shared equipment and infrastructure resources, transmission development.

• Organisation-based projects: business development, training delivery, organisational skills development, marketing and promotions, online development, any development proposal that impacts an individual station.

• Multi-organisation projects: conferences and events, leadership and mentoring, initiatives that strengthen station or sector sustainability and development, training delivery involving multiple stations, any development proposal that benefits a group of stations. Multi-organisation activities must be complementary to activities already undertaken by the CBAA.

Organisations seeking support for core operations should demonstrate how they will address the funding objective above, such as: 

• Building the governance, operational, technical and community engagement capacity of community broadcasting by:
• • engaging more broadly with your local community, through both direct involvement in broadcasting and through engagement with local community organisations and services
  • increasing the percentage of local content produced at your station
  • increasing the skill levels of volunteers and staff, particularly through training
  • progressing towards self-sustainability through increased revenue streams or reduced operational costs
  • improving infrastructure to enable the delivery of programming to the local community.

You may apply to be considered for multi-year funding support.  If your request is accepted, you will be required to provide additional information such as more detailed budgets and planning documentation.

For inspiration and examples of funded projects, see Success Stories on the CBF website.

1. How much can you apply for?

There is no limit to how much you can apply for, but applicants should note that assessors will take the value represented by your proposal into account in their assessment scores.

Each individual proposal requesting $50,000 or more within your overall application must demonstrate financial contributions from other funding sources such as other funding partners, sponsors, crowdfunding or financial contributions from your organisation’s own resources. The proportion of the co-contribution may be considered in assessment.  Such contributions are in addition to any in-kind or volunteer support.

1. What are the priorities in this grant category?

The Development & Operations Grants Advisory Committee (DOGAC) will apply the following priority weightings on assessment scores to applications from:

• regional organisations (+5%)
• low income organisations with limited capacity to fund initiatives (+5%)

These applicants will receive a weighting on their assessment score as described in section 8 below. An applicant may qualify for both weightings.

Stations delivering specialist programming content eligible for Specialist Radio Programming support through Content grants will receive special consideration due to dedicated funds being available to support stations carrying these programs.  There are also dedicated funds available to support the costs of transmission for community radio stations.

FAQ Link: How do the priority weightings work?

1. What can you use the grant for?

• Core operational support: salary subsidies for key personnel (such as Station Managers, Program Managers, Community Engagement Officers, Administration Officers), transmission site rental and equipment maintenance costs, studio to transmission site linking and other costs associated with transmission
• Infrastructure: studio equipment, administrative equipment, transmission equipment, installation, testing and research costs, transmission site improvements
• Project specific wage support: project management, technicians, trainer fees
• Project specific needs: materials, venue hire, phone/internet costs, website and streaming costs, travel, marketing and promotion expenses
• Administration costs for funded projects (up to $1,000 per project).

1. What can't you use the grant for?

• Content production, which can be applied for as part of a Content grant application
• Overseas travel
• Costs that could be met by an organisation’s in-kind contribution, such as studio hire fees
• Contingency costs
• Payment of membership fees
• Equipment you have already purchased or costs already incurred (projects are not funded retrospectively).

FAQ Link: What is meant by membership fees?

1. How will this application be assessed?

Your application will be competitively assessed on its merits.

Each part of your application will be read by panels of people drawn from the Development & Operations Grants Advisory Committee (DOGAC) and from our assessor pool.

You may suggest that assessors with a particular cultural background, gender or skill set [listed in the application form] that would be the most appropriate to read and score each of your proposals.

The DOGAC will consider assessment scores and comments for each part of your application on its merits and in the context of your overall proposal, and will make recommendations to the CBF Board. 

Your application may receive part support, i.e. some proposals within your application may be supported and some may not.  For a visual representation of the assessment process, click here [link to be provided].

This proposal will be assessed on the following basis:

Note: Supporting documents provided will also be considered against relevant grant criteria.

Your entire Development & Operations grant application will be considered by the DOGAC, on the basis of:

• aggregated assessment scores for each initiative
• priority weightings to be applied to the score for each initiative on the following basis (concurrent loadings may apply):
• • regional stations (+ 5%)
  • stations with an average annual income less than $100,000 over the past 3 years (+5%)
  • the level of specialist programming content produced
  • the number of activities funded per organisation
  • the total amount of CBF funding to the organisation in the last year
  • the overall financial position of your organisation
  • the diversity of activity funded each round
  • the total funding available in each round.

FAQ Link: How will the application be assessed?

1. What should you include in the application?

Applicants are required to provide your most recent Annual Report and financial statements, even if you have supplied this information to the CBF previously.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to include the following supporting documentation:

• A copy of your organisation’s Strategic and/or Business plans
• Clear and detailed Project Budgets for each proposal
• 3 current quotes for any equipment requested, identifying which quote is your preferred supplier and your reason(s) for that preference
• An organisational chart if applying for salary support.

1. How will you report on the grant if the application is successful?

• You will be required to submit a grant report. The grant report details what happened with the proposed activity (successes, learnings, outcomes) and includes any information required by the special conditions of your grant agreement.
• The grant report will show that the funds were expended as per the approved grant budget in your grant agreement. You will need to keep records of all grant expenditure.  An office holder at your organisation will be required to certify that the grant funds have been expended as per your grant report.
• We may require an Auditor to sign a form declaring that grant funds have been expended as per the approved grant budget in your grant agreement.
• Any variation to the approved grant budget required should be requested in writing during the funding period. Grant expenditure variations must be approved in writing before a grant report is submitted.
• You must acknowledge the CBF's financial support as detailed on the CBF website.

We acknowledge the traditional owners of Australia and their connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to them and their Elders, past and present.