International Women's Day Community Grants Program

All applicants must be primarily based in Greater Shepparton and be any of the following:

• Not-for-profits, incorporated bodies, co-operatives or associations.
• Registered charitable organisations.
• Unincorporated bodies with an auspice.
• Schools and learning institutions – only for activities that are not curriculum based and the primary benefit is for the wider community.
• Individual / Sole Traders (entity type with Australian Business Register).
• For profits, commercial entities, registered businesses.

Please review the Funding Guidelines (available for download below) for full eligibility details.

• Applicants that have received funding from this grant in the current financial year that are applying for more than one activity.
• Individuals without an ABN.
• Applicants with outstanding acquittals for grant funding from Greater Shepparton City Council (including auspices).
• Applicants with outstanding debts or arrears to Greater Shepparton City Council or in legal proceedings with Council.
• An organisation involved in legal proceedings relating to winding up its operations, or experiencing insolvency or bankruptcy.

Please review the Funding Guidelines (available for download below) for full eligibility details.

If you are a not-for-profit organisation, you can still make an application by using an auspice. An auspice is an organisation that meets our eligibility criteria and agrees to support your application.

If you’re successful, the auspice receives the grant money on your behalf so you can undertake the project work.

If you are intending to make an application using an auspice you must obtain written approval from your proposed auspice before you submit your application, and attach this to your application form.

Applicants must have Public Liability Insurance with a minimum amount of $20 million. The Certificate of Currency for this insurance will be required as part of the application process.

Applicants using an auspice would include a Certificate of Currency from the auspice organisation. A policy statement or receipt of payment is not an acceptable substitute for the certificate of currency.

Activities may require permits and approvals.  These processes are separate to the grant application process and require additional time and budget in the project plan. You do not need to secure permits or approvals before applying for the grant, however obtaining these approvals will be a condition of the funding.

You must also be able to demonstrate that you are aware of the necessary permits and approvals in your application.

If you are successful in obtaining a grant for your activity and it does not proceed, you must contact the Team Leader - Diversity at Greater Shepparton City Council within 5 working days of determining the activity will not proceed to discuss the circumstances of the activity not proceeding, and organise returning the grant funds provided.

Failure to notify Greater Shepparton City Council of your activity not proceeding within the required timelines detailed above, will deem future applications for all Council grant programs available ineligible.

The objectives of these grants are to provide funding to support International Women’s Day events ran by local community groups and organisations within the municipality that:

• recognise and value the achievements and community impact that local people who identify as women make in Greater Shepparton
• celebrate and promote the contribution of people who identify as women in Greater Shepparton.

Please review the Funding Guidelines (available for download below) for full explanation of the program objectives.

Events held between the period 1 March 2025 – 31 March 2025 to celebrate and acknowledge International Women’s Day within the municipality that:

• celebrate, educate and encourage community participation in International Women’s Day
• recognise, value, celebrate and promote the contribution of people that identify as women and/or female in Greater Shepparton
• provide a safe and accessible environment for people who identify as women and/or female in Greater Shepparton
• occur in Greater Shepparton between the timeframes outlined in these funding guidelines
• demonstrate effective partnerships with other groups and/or across interest groups
• develop new audiences or broaden and diversify the participation base, in an area of need
• deliver value for money
• be well developed and have reasonable indicators of success for the outcomes expected
• encourage reflection and discussion about issues regarding gender inequality.

• events and activities not accessible to people who identify as women and/or female in Greater Shepparton
• events and activities not held within the activity timeframes
• events and activities held outside the Greater Shepparton municipality
• applications received after the closing date
• applicants who have previously been funded by Council and have failed to comply with the financial, project monitoring and/or reporting requirements
• applications from or on behalf of individuals
• projects that are clearly a duplication of an existing service
• fundraising activities
• ongoing expenses or projects which have already commenced or have been completed
• projects and activities that are discriminatory in any way, or contravene any legislation.

The budget must include details on all income (all sources of funding which will be used to deliver the project, including the requested amount from this grant) and all expenditure (costs involved in the project).

Income and expenditure must be equal. A sample budget table is included in the complete guidelines document available for download below. 

Please provide a copy of quotes with your application for expenses exceeding $1,000.

If your organisation is registered for GST the budget item/s should be filled in with the GST exclusive amount. If your organisation is not registered for GST your budget item/s needs to be filled in with the GST inclusive amount. Please refer to the ato.gov.au  website for further details.

It is also necessary to detail the in-kind contributions, if any, that will be made to the activity in the in-kind section of the application form. Below is an example of this table within the application form.

If you have volunteers working on the project, include their contribution at the following values:

• $25 per hour for unskilled labour
• $40 per hour for qualified trades person
• $65 per hour for machinery hire, including driver.

All applications received will go through the following assessment process:

• eligibility checks against criteria for the funding of this program
• officer panel assessment with broad representation from Departments across the organisation

The Assessment Panel will consider the following:

• does the activity meet the objectives and activities of the program?
• does the activity have a broad community benefit?
• is the activity well planned and feasible within the timeframes provided?
• evidence that the activity will be well supported by the community
• evidence that the activity will be inclusive and accessible for the whole community
• is there are a financial or in-kind matching component?
• does the intended activity align with the following strategic documents:
  • Greater Shepparton City Council Plan 2021-2025
  • Greater Shepparton Women’s Charter Advisory Committee Action Plan
  • other Master Plan or Council Strategy.

View the Council Plan and other Strategies

Once applications have been assessed by the panel, a recommendation of funding will be presented to the relevant Department Director to provide final award of the grant funding under delegated authority.

Successful applicants will be required to:

• enter into a funding agreement and adhere to the conditions of the agreement
• spend the grant money in accordance with the conditions stated in the funding agreement and provided for in the application
• return any unspent funds at the completion of the activity, or at the end of the agreement unless prior written approval has been obtained to expend the funds in another way
• complete in full detail an acquittal form.

Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing and provided with an opportunity to discuss the outcome with the Program Coordinator and Grants Coordinator.

In some cases the assessment panel may consider your application more suited to one of Council’s other grant programs. If your application is more aligned with another funding program, Council will contact you and let you know.

If an application is made to an alternative funding stream within Council, only one funding application may be considered per financial year for the same activity.

If there are funds remaining in the grant pool, we may choose to offer a second round of funding. Whilst unsuccessful applicants are eligible to reapply, we would recommend revising the application prior to ensure it fits the objectives of the program and assessment criteria before doing so.

Successful grant applicants must acknowledge Greater Shepparton City Council as a sponsor of the event.

This will include providing logo recognition for Greater Shepparton City Council on all your promotional material relating to the event including, but not limited to posters, apparel, event programs and any other reasonably requested intellectual property.

To access the current branding guidelines, please contact the Diversity Team on (03) 5832 9700.

Council also require the opportunity to provide signage to be displayed at high profile locations at the event. This could include fence banners and/or tear drop flags. Event organisers will be responsible for the collection of items from Council, installation at the event and then return to Council.

Event organisers are strongly encouraged to promote their events on our Calendar of Events pages (both Council and Shepparton & Goulburn Valley).  Please ensure you provide as much information as possible as this is a major promotional tool for you at no charge.

You will be required to report back to Council when your project is completed. The acquittal process is important because it enables Council to continuously evaluate the success of your event and our grant program.

You will be required to report back to Council within 30 days of the agreed completion date for the project. The financial acquittal is an income and expenditure statement for the grant confirming funding has been spent on the activity in accordance with the funding agreement.

Council officers may request meetings with the applicant to check the progress or undertake an independent audit of the records of the applicant as they relate directly to the grant.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to maintain accurate financial records for the grant and make them available in the event of an audit by the Council into the use of the grant.

An organisation which fails to submit their acquittal documents is ineligible to apply for any future funding from Council until their acquittal is completed and approved by Council.

All applicants intending to apply for an event grant regarding First Nations Peoples must provide confirmation of engagement with Local First Nations Community members and/or Traditional Owners (Yorta Yorta Nations).

Council strongly supports events that recognise and celebrate First Nations People history and connection to land. It is highly recommended applicants are able to demonstrate consideration and respect for First Nations Peoples. This can include an Acknowledgement of Country or official Welcome to Country performed by a recognised local First Nations person.

Council is committed to providing dignified equitable access for all. It is important applicants are inclusive of people living with a disability, as well as their families and carers. This may include considerations to the following:

• accessible parking at the venue
• provision of accessible facilities such as toilets, ramp access and accessible seating
• consideration for assistance animals
• acceptance of Carer Cards and/or Companion Cards for carers
• information available in accessible format, such as large print and signage
• if required, use of interpreters, such as Auslan for people who are hearing impaired.

Council is committed to providing dignified equitable access for all. It is important applicants are inclusive of all. This may include considerations to the following:

• plan/partner your event with key local LGBTIQA+ partners, peak bodies, sponsors and ally organisations
• use inclusive event marketing and messaging.
• foster inclusively during the event registration process
• incorporate LGBTIQA+ topics into the programming.

Council strongly supports the cultural diversity within our municipality and ensuring our community is inclusive of all. It is therefore important applicants demonstrate consideration in their planning to create an inclusive, accessible and welcoming event environment. This can include demonstration of the following:

• advertising events in plain English
• ensuring the event is open to everyone
• availability of culturally appropriate foods
• ensuring all published materials avoids acronyms and jargon
• take religious and cultural occasions into consideration when planning events
• considerations of uniform alterations for religious dress wear practices
• availability of interpreters and translated information
• use pronoun name tags, badges, stickers and/or ribbons to express identity.

When planning your event, consideration should be given to how you can avoid negatively impacting on our environment and promote sustainability.

Sustainable event management (also known as event greening) is the process used to produce an event with particular concern for environmental, economic and social issues.  There are many areas where organisers can have a positive impact when hosting an event.

Greening practices are practical things that can be done to encourage sustainable living and Council encourages the following greening practices should be considered when planning or implementing your event:

• eco-procurement or green purchasing
• waste minimisation and management
• energy efficiency
• water conservation
• emissions reduction
• single-use plastics
• enforce the Victoria Government’s plastic ban where relevant
• align with Greater Shepparton City Council’s plastic policy.

Council has a duty to promote gender equality through the Gender Equality Act 2020.  Applicants to Council’s grant programs are encouraged to demonstrate evidence of how your organisation considers and promotes gender equality within their policies, programs and services.

Greater Shepparton City Council will consider the equitable reach of this funding program during the assessment and final decision-making processes.