Defence Member and Family Support

Through the Family Support Funding Program (FSFP) community organisations can apply for a grant to deliver support and services of value to Defence families and the community they live in. Any not-for-profit, incorporated group can apply for an FSFP grant, provided they can demonstrate their commitment to and ability to deliver local community programs or projects with a strong focus on supporting Defence families and the Defence community.

FSFP provides funding to not-for-profit organisations to:

• Facilitate the coming together of Defence families for mutual support, education and connection with their community, and support for their overall personal and social wellbeing.
• Support Defence families to engage with each other and their local communities to minimise the challenges and enhance the opportunities that come with the unique military lifestyle.
• Empower Defence families to thrive by giving them the confidence they need to succeed in managing the Defence way of life.
• Support community capacity building by identifying and nurturing partnership opportunities to support the delivery of programs which provide a strengthened sense of community for Defence families and reduce the feeling of isolation that a posting can bring.

Funding and program guidelines

Application

Only one application per organisation will be assessed and will only be accepted by email via the FSFP group mailbox, defence.communitygrants@defence.gov.au. Applications will be prioritised according to how strongly they meet the program aims and selection criteria and will be automatically assessed based on the information provided in the application form.

All applications received into the grants mailbox will be acknowledged by return email. It is advisable for groups if a response to their application has not been received within five days of lodgement, please contact the Defence Member and Family Helpline on 1800 624 608.

Assessment

The Family Support Advisory Committee (FSAC) panel assesses and prioritises all applications received against the set criteria and recommends to the Minister for Defence Personnel, the amount of the grants and any terms and conditions under which they should be given.

If successful

Applicants will be advised as soon as approval is known. Groups may not receive exactly what they asked for and funds will not be released until:

• Acquittal is complete
• Letter of Agreement is returned
• Good governance is demonstrated.

Variations may be sought once funding is released and anytime during the funding cycle.

Variation requests should be submitted as soon as a change to the project is known and not be retrospective.

You can contact the team anytime for more information at defence.communitygrants@defence.gov.au or through the Defence Member and Family Helpline on 1800 624 608.

The FSFP Financial Year 2022-23 annual grant opportunity will open on Monday, 25 October 2021 and close 5PM on Friday, 03 December 2021 AEDT. Download: Family Support Funding Program Guidelines 2022.

All FSFP grant opportunities will be advertised on GrantConnect at https://www.grants.gov.au/.

Short-Term Grant Opportunity

In addition to the annual FSFP round, a short-term grant opportunity may be offered for projects that can be delivered in a maximum six month period. Suitable projects could include those that:

• link Defence families with the local community
• develop new services in response to changing community needs, that help Defence communities thrive.

The FSFP Short-Term Grant Opportunity is currently closed and is dependent on the funds available during the financial year.