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Community Fund Grant Application

Application Pack for Projects Seeking

Infrastructure Grants

Closing Date for Applications:

14 September 2018

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APPLICATION SUMMARY

Overview

White Rock Wind Farm Community Fund aims to share the benefits of White Rock Wind Farm by

investing in the communities around the wind farm. The Funds are intended to provide financial

support for community-based initiatives, projects and events that produce lasting community

benefit and reflect local priorities.

The Community Fund targets a range of community needs including health and social welfare,

safety, environment, education and youth, sport and recreation, culture and heritage, arts and

economic development.

Who Can Apply

Applications are open to any not for profit or incorporated community-based organisations.

Project Duration

Projects receiving grant funding for Infrastructure Projects are required to be completed within 2

years from signing the funding agreement.

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed on their merits, based on their benefit to the community, perceived

suitability, the background of the applicant, etc. Projects will also be weighted according to their

proximity to White Rock Wind Farm with closer projects carrying more weight. Please submit

plans and a detailed proposal, as outlined in Part C and D for the project.

How to Apply

Applicants should complete the application form and complete and sign the checklist. For all

enquiries please phone Anna Watt on 02 6730 2317.

Post to: Deliver by hand to:

Attention: Glen Innes Severn Council

WRWF Community Fund Application

c/- Glen Innes Severn Council

P.O Box 61

GLEN INNES NSW 2370

Glen Innes Severn Council

WRWF Community Fund Application

265 Grey Street

GLEN INNES NSW 2370

Email to:

council@gisc.nsw.gov.au

Subject: WRWF Community Fund Application

All applicants will be notified of their success, or otherwise, after the closing date. Funds will be

issued by cheque to the contact details provided on the application form.

Please Note: Applications received after 4:30pm on 14 September 2018 will

not be accepted under any circumstances.

mailto:council@gisc.nsw.gov.au

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APPLICATION FORM FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

Before completing this form, please read the guidelines attached to this document. Please write legibly when completing this application form.

A: ORGANISATIONAL DETAILS

1. Name____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

2. Postal Address_____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

3. ABN: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

4. Are you registered for GST? Yes No

5. What do you do? (brief description of who you are and what you do)

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

B: WHO DO WE TALK TO REGARDING THIS APPLICATION?

1. Name of Contact for this Application_____________________________________________

2. Position of Contact within the Organisation_______________________________________

3. Contact Details Work Phone__________________________________________________

Mobile Phone_________________________________________________

Email Address________________________________________________

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C: PROPOSAL DETAILS

The aim of Infrastructure Grants is to support larger projects which require a greater amount of

organisation, time and money to complete. Projects of this scale have no upper funding limit as

long as it falls within the annual amount of money available from the Community Fund. Projects

cannot be allocated funds from succeeding years.

Due to the scale of these projects, this application should be supported with detailed

supplementary information to demonstrate the capabilities of the applicant in justifying and

carrying out the project.

It is expected this supplementary information would contain, but not be limited to:

1. Name of Project.

2. Summary of the Project.

3. Outcomes of the Project.

4. Referring to the Eligibility Criteria and General Principles in the Guidelines, please describe

how your Project benefits the Community?

5. Does your Application require Development / Landowner Consent, and have you discussed

your Project Plans with Council? If so please attach a copy of the Plans / Reference No.

6. How much funding are you seeking?

7. A Detailed Budget including all Income and Expense items, GST inclusive.

8. Do you have or need any match-funding, or equivalent, which is required to carry out the

Project?

9. Provide recent verifiable, quotes for carrying out the Project.

10. Proposed Timeline for the Project (noting the work must be completed within 2 years).

11. How will the contribution from the WRWF Community Fund be acknowledged?

12. In what Zone is the Project located (see map in Guidelines)? A B C D E

13. Any additional information in support of your Grant application (letters of support, media

releases, historical information, etc).

Projects approved for funding but which require Development / Landowner Consent will not have

funds released until such consents are in place.

The committee may seek clarification or request further information about the Project in order to

help make its decision. Failure to provide the information in a reasonable timeframe will result in

the application being rejected.

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CHECKLIST

Have You

Yes

No

Completed Parts A & B of the Application?

Included a Detailed Proposal for the Project (Part C)?

If you have ticked “no” to any of the above please explain why.

I hereby confirm that Information contained in our application is correct and accurate at the time of submitting for approval.

Signed:

Name:

Position in Organisation:

Date:

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Page Intentionally Left Blank

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ACQUITTAL STATEMENT BY GRANT RECIPIENT

The Acquittal and Feedback Forms are to be completed and returned only once the project has been completed.

Organisation

Project

Amount Received

Certified by an authorised officer of the grant recipient organisation. I confirm that: An amount equal to the total Grant paid ($ ) has been expended on the Project in accordance with our original application and the WRWF Community Fund Guidelines. AND A complete set of financial records, or equivalent, relevant to the project have been maintained and are attached to this acquittal together with photos of the completed project. I hereby certify that I have the authority to sign this Acquittal Form on behalf of the recipient organisation.

Date:

Signature:

Name:

Position:

Please return the Acquittal and Feedback Forms to:

Post: Glen Innes Severn Council, WRWF Community Fund Acquittal Form, PO Box 61, GLEN

INNES NSW 2370

Email: council@gisc.nsw.gov.au (Subject: WRWF Community Fund Acquittal Form).

mailto:council@gisc.nsw.gov.au

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FEEDBACK FORM

Did you have any problems completing the project on time/budget?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Were there any unforeseen complications with the project?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Can you suggest any improvements to the process of applying for funds?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Were the applications forms and requested information too complex?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Any other comments or suggestions?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for any feedback you can provide, it is very helpful!

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Community Fund Guidelines

August 2018

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Introduction

The White Rock Wind Farm (‘WRWF’) Community Fund (‘the Fund’) has been established by

White Rock Wind Farm Pty Ltd. WRWF is committed to building and maintaining positive

relationships with the local community and aims to keep an open dialogue with local residents,

stakeholders and the wider community throughout all stages of the wind farm lifecycle. The Fund

is a key element of WRWF’s broader Stakeholder and Community Engagement Plan (the Plan).

The focus of the Plan is to successfully integrate the project into the local community and to work

towards equitably sharing the project benefits.

The annual allocation of funding is a voluntary contribution from WRWF and is based on $2,500

per commissioned wind turbine, per annum. An annual indexed increase of 2.5% is fixed for the

lifespan of the Fund.

These guidelines outline all details related to the role and function of the Fund. The guidelines

have been developed in collaboration with the WRWF Community Consultative Committee

(CCC).

Aim of the fund

The aim of the WRWF Community Fund is to financially support initiatives and projects that enrich

and enhance the local community.

Focus areas for the fund

Funding applications will be considered from all sectors, including but not limited to community

development, the arts, education and training (including scholarships through organisations),

health and wellbeing, sport, economic development, environment and sustainability.

Geographic area for the fund

Applications will be considered for projects located within a 50 km radius of WRWF as shown on

the map in Figure 1. Distance weighting will be applied to all projects according to the zone in

which the project is located e.g. zero to 10km from the windfarm (Zone A), 10km to 20km (Zone

B) etc. The applicant must list what zone the project will fall within.

Preference will be given to those projects closest to WRWF. This weighting will be considered

together with other selection criteria such as direct benefit to the community, demonstrated sound

financial management, etc. Further details on selection criteria are outlined in section 8.

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Figure 1 WRWF Distance Bands (0 – 50 km) and Zone Identifiers (A – E)

Funding amounts

The Fund has three (3) grant categories:

1. Minor Grants are for applications seeking less than or equal to $5,000 (including GST) with

no minimum limit.

2. Major Grants (not infrastructure) are for applications seeking more than $5,000 (including

GST).

3. Infrastructure Grants are for applications seeking improvements to an existing asset or for

the development of a new asset and have no funding amount limit.

For all categories, the amount requested in Grant applications must be inclusive of GST.

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The requested amount must be satisfactory to complete the proposed project. No additional

funding will be provided once funding is awarded.

Eligibility to apply for funding

The following groups are eligible to apply for funding:

Not-for-profit organisations, and

Incorporated community based organisations.

Projects where the core funding is the responsibility of government entities (including Federal, State and Local Government and their business entities) are not eligible to apply for funding. However, applicants of projects that have created partnerships with Local Government are eligible to apply. Additionally, applications seeking the following will not be eligible to apply:

1. Funding for ongoing operational costs (e.g. electricity),

2. Retrospective funding (e.g. costs incurred prior to award of funding), or

3. Components that have recurrent implications.

Individuals are not eligible to apply for funding.

Application process

Grant applications across the three categories can be applied for on an annual basis. The annual

application process will adhere to the following timeframes that align with each calendar year’s

Fund allocation:

16 August 2018 – Applications open and advertised through local media, social media and

websites.

14 September 2018 – Applications close at 4.30 pm, review process begins.

26 October 2018 – Notifications sent to successful and unsuccessful applicants. Funds

distributed to successful applicants.

Organisations are limited to one application per year where they are the principal applicant.

Different applications forms will be used for each of the Fund categories. A short application form

will be used for all Minor Grant applications, a standard application form will be used for all Major

Grant applications and a request for detailed supplementary information application will be used

for all Infrastructure Grant applications. The potential size and complexity of projects applying for

an Infrastructure Grant means detailed information (quotes, building approvals etc.) will be

required for the application to be considered.

All applications must be received within the designated application period and late applications

will not be accepted. The selection panel may request further details or supporting documentation

in order for the application to be assessed.

All applicants will be notified within six weeks of closure of the application period. Unsuccessful

applicants can request feedback from the Committee. Unsuccessful applicants will remain eligible

to apply for future rounds of funding.

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Successful applicants, the approved project and grant allocated will be advertised annually

through local media together with the total amount of applications received. Media on the progress

and outcome of the projects may also occur.

General principles for evaluating applications

The following general principles underpin the evaluation of all applications and may require

applicants to identify:

Purpose of the project.

Direct and indirect community benefits (including number of people benefitted).

Diversity of community demographics benefited.

Demonstrated viability of the project and the project proponent.

Duration of the project.

Current financial status of the project, e.g. other funding applications, prior and current

funding partners and demonstrated need for financial assistance.

Extent to which the project duplicates other programs/facilities in the area.

Demonstrated collaboration between organisations to maximise benefits e.g. partnership

with local government.

Where the project is situated within the 50 km geographic area criteria.

Reporting

Acquittal of project funds (including financial and project outcomes) must be completed within 12

months of receipt of funding or as agreed upon when funding is awarded.

Interim reporting may be required depending on complexity or scale of the project. This could

include quarterly reporting or reports following particular project milestones. The timing and form

of any required interim reporting will be determined in agreement with the applicant when funding

is awarded.

A final summary of the project must be provided to WRWF on completion of the project regardless

of the Grant category awarded. Unspent funds must be returned to WRWF for reallocation in the

next funding year.

Acknowledgement of White Rock Wind Farm

Successful applicants will be required to acknowledge the financial support provided by WRWF.

The specific requirements for acknowledgment will be agreed upon when funding is awarded.

These could include displaying logos in project material, acknowledgement in media releases,

newsletters or placement of plaques, signage etc. with costs covered in the project budget.

WRWF must approve the final wording and layout for any form of recognition to be used.

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Governance of the Fund

A committee governs the Fund and oversees the grant process and disbursement of funds.

Committee members include members based on a skills and experience criteria, representation

from local councils, and representation from WRWF. Membership on the Committee is voluntary.

Community members who are able to demonstrate relevant skills and experience are eligible to

apply when expressions of interest are called through the local media.

Review of these guidelines

These guidelines have been developed in collaboration with the WRWF Community Consultative

Committee. It is intended that the guidelines be a living document that may be modified after

regular reviews by WRWF and the committee to ensure that the Fund remains current and

focused on equitably sharing of the project benefits.