Caring for our Country Business Plan 2010-11
How to apply
Opening dates
Well-planned proposals increase your likelihood of success. The Caring for our Country Business Plan 2010-11 provides you with all the information you need to begin planning your project now.
- Reef Rescue Research and Development Program » Expressions of interest have now closed
- Environmental Stewardship Program » Expressions of interest have now closed
- Indigenous Protected Areas » Application form available now
- Open call proposals » Online application available now
- Regional base-level funding expression of interest form » Online application available now
- Sustainable practices expression of interest form » Expression of interest form available now
- Community Action Grants » Available in July 2010
Submitting a proposal for investment
Caring for our Country offers a range of different funding opportunities to suit the various targets and outcomes we are seeking.
All proponents (except those applying as a delivery agent for the Environmental Stewardship Program) must register via the Caring for our Country website and then select from the list of funding opportunities.
Open call
For the majority of proposals an open call online application form will need to be completed. Applications close on Thursday 15 April 2010.
- Co-investment opportunities - Open call proposals are also specifically invited for projects with corporate and/or philanthropic matching cash co-investment.
- More about co-investment opportunities
Online application guidelines
To assist you when developing your proposal, a guide to completing the online application form and the questions contained in the open call online application form are provided for your information. Please note that these questions are for information and planning purposes only and that this document should not be submitted as part of a proposal for the 2010-11 business plan.
- Guide to the 2010-11 open call online application form (PDF - 95 KB) | (Word - 254 KB)
- Questions from the 2010-11 open call proposal form (PDF - 164 KB) | (Word - 214 KB)
Proposals must be submitted via the online application form, or on the official hard copy application form if you are unable to submit your proposal online. To obtain a hard copy application form, please contact the Caring for our Country information line on 1800 552 008.
Register and apply online
To access the online application form you are first required to register.
Once you have registered and identified a username and password, you may proceed to log on and access the open call application form from the log on page.
Regional base-level allocations
Regional natural resource management (NRM) organisations can submit an online expression of interest for their available base-level allocation. Regional NRM organisations will then be contacted by an Australian Government officer to negotiate the detail of their proposal (see below for further detail).
To apply you must submit the regional base-level expression of interest form. Note that for the Cape York NRM region base-level applications, proponents should contact Dr Geoff Dyne on (02) 6272 4561 or geoff.dyne@nrm.gov.au in the first instance to discuss options. All regional expressions of interest close Wednesday 31 March 2010.
Online application guidelines
To assist you when developing your proposal, a guide to completing the regional base-level online application form is provided for your information.
Proposals must be submitted via the online application form.
Register and apply online
To access the regional base-level online application form you are first required to register.
Once you have registered and identified a username and password, you may proceed to log on and access the open call application form from the log on page.
Reef Rescue Research and Development Program
The Expression of Interest process for the 2009-10 Caring for our Country Reef Rescue Research and Development Program has now closed. All Expressions of Interest submitted by 15 February 2010 will be assessed against the published assessment criteria. If you have further questions please email the Reef Rescue team at reef@nrm.gov.au.
Environmental Stewardship Program
Expressions of interest for the Environmental Stewardship Program have closed.
Sustainable practices
Open call proposals and expressions of interest are invited for the Sustainable practices activities.
- If the total value of your proposal is less than $300 000 you must complete and submit the open call application form on the Caring for our Country website. Applications close on Thursday 15 April 2010.
- If the total value of your proposal is greater than $300 000 you need to apply via the Sustainable practices expression of interest form. Applications close on Thursday 15 April 2010.
Register and apply online
To access the open call online application and Sustainable practices
expression of interest (EOI) online application you are first required
to register.
Once you have registered and identified a username and password, you may
proceed to log on and access the open call or expression of interest
application form from the log on page.
National Reserve System
To apply for more complex National Reserve System (NRS) proposals you first need to email nrs@environment.gov.au to arrange to discuss your proposal and be supplied with the relevant application form.
For less complex NRS proposals you must complete and submit the open call application form.
Applications for all NRS proposals close on 15 April 2010.
Community Action Grants
It is anticipated that the 2010 round of Community Action Grants will open in July 2010.
Closing dates
All proposals must be submitted by Thursday 15 April 2010 except for the following:
- Reef Rescue Research and Development Program - closed
- Environmental Stewardship Program - closed
- Regional base-level expressions of interest - 31 March 2010
Closing dates are at 5:00pm Australian Eastern Daylight (saving) Time and Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) as appropriate.
Proposal expectations
Caring for our Country proposals are expected to:
- clearly and logically explain how and why the project activities will deliver improvements against Caring for our Country targets, for example, have a program logic
- outline a strong governance structure for delivery of the project - including any partners, sub-contractors and interest groups engaged in the delivery
- involve effective partnerships where this adds value and more effectively delivers the outcomes sought; for example with relevant industry, community, including environmental Landcare and Coastcare groups, Indigenous groups, government and non-government organisations, research and development corporations and providers and on-ground facilitators
- consider the risks involved in the project delivery and how these can be managed and/or mitigated
- consider a communication strategy to disseminate information to the broader community where this is relevant
- provide detail of any project manager or facilitator costs (if required), why they are essential and how such services will demonstrably lead to improved on-ground outcomes for the project
- consider relevant past and current projects
- explore and address any opportunities for Indigenous people to participate in the delivery of the targets
- consider if and how community groups such as environmental, Landcare and Coastcare groups could be actively engaged in project planning and/or delivery.
In preparing your proposal you must carefully consider the information provided for the Priorities for investment.
Open call applications
This is the main avenue for Caring for our Country funding.
Caring for our County invites you to submit proposals that will either deliver against multiple targets in an integrated way, or proposals that deliver against a single target. An integrated proposal is only valuable where linking multiple targets makes sense and will deliver better outcomes than a single focussed project.
If you are applying through the open call you will be asked to nominate up to a maximum of three targets. These are the targets against which your proposal will be assessed. You should therefore carefully select those targets for which your proposal can achieve the greatest measurable difference. There may be circumstances where a proposal could feasibly address more than three targets. Successful proponents will have the opportunity to broadly describe contributions to other targets in the application form and at the contracting stage.
All proposals need to demonstrate ability to achieve against the nominated target(s). An integrated proposal which seeks to address multiple targets will need to identify and explain the linkages between the various selected targets and how the proposal delivers against each of them.
Additional details about your project deliverables will be asked of successful applicants and will be used in our contract with you, unless changes or conditions are required.
To submit an application for the open call you need to register and apply online.
Expressions of interest for regional NRM organisations' base-level allocations
In 2010-11 regional NRM organisations can submit a single online expression of interest for multiple-year proposals up to the maximum level of their available base-level allocation. Regional NRM organisations will then be contacted by an Australian Government regional liaison officer or facilitator to negotiate the detail and balance of investments to deliver Caring for our Country targets and outcomes. The Australian Government reserves the right to redirect investment at this negotiation stage.
In this business plan a number of the targets for investment are available specifically for regional NRM organisations. For example, regional NRM organisations can submit an expression of interest for their base-level allocation against a broader range of Ramsar wetlands, critical aquatic ecosystems and coastal hotspot sites than is available to other proponents through the open call.
This is to ensure that the Australian Government's investment in regional base-level allocations is cost-effective and applied against sites of national interest. Details of these opportunities are clearly identified for:
Expressions of interest for base-level allocations should demonstrate a clear commitment to delivering the Australian Government's outcomes, including coordinating projects at the regional and local levels to address the targets outlined in this business plan.
We expect that base-level allocation expressions of interest will incorporate community skills, knowledge and engagement activities. Indigenous communities should be involved in the delivery of regional programs to address the Caring for our Country targets. However, proposals which solely relate to community skills, knowledge and engagement activities will not be funded.
Non-statutory regional NRM organisations may also apply to use a portion of their base-level allocation to improve their governance arrangements. This is restricted to specific investments that will directly improve a non-statutory regional NRM organisation's core governance such as improving decision-making, fiscal accountability, organisational effectiveness, strategic planning, internal and external communications, or monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement (MERI).
A regional NRM organisation which already has some approvals in place over multiple years will need to take this into account if submitting an expression of interest in 2010-11. The focus is on those regions with funds not yet approved. Regional NRM organisations can submit proposals for investment for multiple years in accordance with the timeframe for each target.
Where regional NRM organisations have part or all of their base-level allocation for 2010-11 already approved, they can submit an expression of interest for future years.
In preparing expressions of interest, regional NRM organisations should use the principles of MERI to identify the monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements of the activities proposed. Regional NRM organisations will be required to revise their existing Caring for our Country MERI plans to take into account new targets and activities funded under the 2010-11 business plan. A MERI plan is not required to be submitted with an expression of interest. Further information on MERI plans can be found in Section 4.1.
In preparing an expression of interest for their base-level allocation, regional NRM organisations are encouraged to contact the Australian Government Land and Coasts team, regional liaison officers and Caring for our Country facilitators.
To submit an application for the regional base level you need to register and apply online.
Measures of success
Successful proponents will be required to meet high standards of accountability and to provide performance information on the results of their actions.
The Australian Government is taking a strategic approach to measuring achievement of Caring for our Country investment.
Funding deeds with proponents will clearly identify the results that the Australian Government is expecting to be delivered for its investment. All proponents with projects over $80 000 in value will be required to develop and implement a MERI plan as described in the Caring for our Country MERI strategy. Projects under $80 000 are required to develop a program logic.
Guides on how to develop a MERI plan and a program logic are available as a part of the MERI Toolkit. These documents explain the step-by-step processes for developing a MERI plan and program logic, including examples, in the context of natural resource management.
You will need to include costs for MERI activities as part of your project budget.
Communication activities
Successful proponents are required to incorporate communication activities to help promote the development and outcomes of their projects, in particular at key milestones.
Successful proponents with projects over $80 000 will be required to develop a communication plan (which will be listed as a milestone in the project) outlining activities and products undertaken to promote the development of the project and communicate its key milestones and outcomes.
Smaller scale projects under $80 000 should still incorporate communications activities in their project plan, but be proportionate to the size of the project. Opportunities to promote the project and how it contributes to Caring for Our Country should still be included, especially at key milestones.
Communications activities should be costed as part of the MERI budget for the project.
If you are successful
Contracts with proponents will clearly identify the results that the Australian Government is expecting to be achieved from its investment. There are also a number of grant conditions that successful proponents need to be aware of.
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