Flexible Funds - program consolidation
Aged Care Service Improvement and Healthy Ageing Grants Fund
The second open competitive funding round under the Aged Care Service Improvement and Healthy Ageing Grants Fund has now closed.
The Fund consolidates the activities of a range of initiatives and grant programs, and provides a large, flexible funding pool for initiatives aimed at aged care service improvement and promoting healthy and active ageing.
The establishment of the Fund enables the Australian Government to better support activities that promote healthy and active ageing, to better respond to existing and emerging challenges including dementia care and to better support those services targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from diverse backgrounds.
The second funding round of the Fund also includes initiatives introduced as part of the Living Longer Living Better aged care reform package, announced in April 2012. The aged care reform package includes additional funding for activities that increase support for people with dementia, support the uptake of evidence based better practice in aged care, and greater recognition of and support for older people from diverse backgrounds. Applications were also sought from eligible organisations to undertake activities for Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Services (DBMAS).
The Fund Guidelines, which have been updated to include the initiatives introduced as part of the Living Longer Living Better aged care reform package, are available for downloading here.
A PDF version of the Fund Guidelines and HTML version of the Fund Guidelines.
Queries on the Fund may be made in writing to the Fund email inbox: Aged Care Funds.
Outcomes of the second funding round under the Fund
A list of shortlisted applicants under Round 2 of the Aged Care Service Improvement and Healthy Ageing Grants Fund process (Invitation to Apply DoHA/116/1213) for DBMAS and research into the quality use of medicines is available here.A HTML version of the list of shortlisted applicants and projects.
Further outcomes of this funding round will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Feedback information for unsuccessful applicants for Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Services (DBMAS) and Research translation: Quality use of Medicines projects
The Department encourages Applicants to review this information in conjunction with their application, the Invitation to Apply (ITA) and the Fund Guidelines.The ITA provided information on the process for the assessment of applications against the assessment criteria and selection of shortlisted Applicants.
The application assessment process ensured compliance with the requirements of the ITA and the Commonwealth Grant Guidelines, including promoting fairness and impartiality in the assessment of applications; efficient, effective, economical and ethical conduct; consistency and transparency; and identification and resolution of conflicts of interest.
All applications were checked for eligibility and compliance against the ITA requirements. No applications were deemed to be ineligible or non-compliant, and applications proceeded to be assessed against the Threshold Criteria.
Application overview
Part A of the ITA provided information for Applicants, including what will not be funded. Projects and activities that will not be funded under this funding round include:- Activities that are more appropriately funded under the priorities of another flexible Fund;
- Activities and services that are the responsibility of another Australian Government Department or another sphere of government or would be more appropriately funded by another source, such as disability, education, or one-on-one counselling;
- Projects that duplicate service delivery activities delivered through other initiatives, for example respite services delivered under the National Respite for Carers Program or aged care services delivered through the Residential Aged Care Program or the Home and Community Care Program;
- Funding solely for planning, studies or research. Projects must be fully thought out, researched and be ready to be implemented into everyday practice and actual care delivery;
- Core funding for non-government organisations to sustain the ongoing operations or related activities that are normally funded from another source;
- Projects that do not provide a direct benefit to older people, for example projects that target youth;
- Projects that are dependent on the funding of other projects; and
- Projects that would not be sustainable beyond the current application funding period.
- Capital purchases and construction work;
- Major equipment purchases, such as motor vehicles, office equipment and furniture;
- Overseas travel, relocation costs;
- Costs associated with activities not directly and specifically related to the project; and
- Retrospective items or activities.
Assessment of applications
All Applicants were required to provide a response to the Threshold Criteria. Only responses rated at least Good Quality or higher were eligible for the next stage of the assessment process, which included assessment of the remaining assessment criteria.Applicants who were not shortlisted did not submit responses to the assessment criteria that met expectations and the application(s) were assessed as lacking in detail and/ or information, which may also have affected the assessment panel’s ability to make a reasonable determination as to whether the application represents overall value with public monies.
In addressing the threshold criteria, Applicants could have strengthened their response by providing more details and a thorough description of:
- The organisation’s capacity to implement the project on time and within budget, including information on personnel, their role and the amount of time they would commit to the project.
- Financial, project and risk management practices used within the organisation.
- Staff management strategies, including information about recruitment and retention, performance development, staff training and education.
- Project governance arrangements.
- The need for the project – in responding to this criterion, details including evidence on how the need was identified, information about the unmet need, how the project would address the problems and the long term benefits it would produce may have been insufficient and/or not convincing.
- Links to other projects and/or organisations/services, including evidence on how the project may complement other activities.
- Implementation strategies, engagement with stakeholders, collaboration, communication approach, project management, management of risks, and information/resource dissemination methods.
- Service models, including details about intake and referral processes and timeframes.
- Milestones, project outcomes and performance measures, for example targets and key performance indicators.
- A detailed and numerically correct project budget, which supports the project activities.
Individual Feedback
Applicants not shortlisted to deliver DBMAS activities or Research translation: Quality use of Medicines projects may register to receive feedback by emailing: Agedcarefunds@health.gov.auRegistrations for feedback must be received by Friday 29 March 2013. Feedback will not be provided to any Applicant to the Aged Care Service Improvement and Healthy Ageing Grants Fund that does not register to the above mailbox by midnight 29 March 2013.
In registering to receive feedback, Applicants must provide the following information:
- The Fund applied under
- The organisation’s name
- The project title(s)
- A contact name
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Postal address
Feedback will be provided in writing to registered applicants by the end of April 2013.
Outcomes of the first funding round under the Fund
A list of successful applicants from Round 1 of the Aged Care Service Improvement and Healthy Ageing Grants Fund process (Invitation to Apply DoHA/095/1112) is available here.
A HTML version of the list of successful applicants and projects.
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