Tiny Towns Fund frequently asked questions

Detailed information including Program Guidelines and application process is available at Tiny Towns Fund.

Eligibility

What projects and activities are eligible?

To be eligible for this Fund your organisation must:

hold an Australian Business Number (ABN)
be an eligible legal entity type as listed below; and
operate from a Victorian location

Eligible applicant legal entity type:

an incorporated not-for-profit association
a Victorian local government
a Crown land Committee of Management
a Victorian Alpine Resort
Australian public companies limited by guarantee whose governing rules demonstrate a not-for-profit purpose
an indigenous organisation incorporated under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006
an industry association or business chambers; or
a co-operative, registered in Victoria under the Co-operatives National Law.

Organisations that operate from a Victorian location who are not incorporated entities and/or do not have an ABN, may apply using an auspice arrangement.

For more information on the types of projects that are eligible, refer to the Program Guidelines.

I am not an eligible organisation, can I still apply?

Organisations that operate from a location in Victoria that are not incorporated association and/or do not have a valid current ABN, may apply using an auspice.

An auspice arrangement is when another eligible organisation (‘auspicor’) agrees to assist the applicant (‘auspicee’) with the management and acquittal of grant funds. However, the applicant (‘auspicee’) is still responsible for the delivery and implementation of the grant project.

Only Victorian local governments may act as auspicors for applicants in their jurisdiction. The auspicor accepts responsibility for the project and will agree to comply with all obligations under the grant agreement entered into to receive the grant.

How do I know if my town/location is eligible?

The project must be located in one of the eligible 48 rural and regional Victorian council areas, or Alpine Resorts, or within one of the 10 interface councils of Casey City Council, Cardinia Shire Council, Hume City Council, Melton City Council, Mitchell Shire Council, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, Nillumbik Shire Council, Whittlesea City Council, Wyndham City Council and the Yarra Ranges Shire Council (refer to the Fund guidelines for a full list).

The project must be located in an eligible location with a population up to 5,000 people. The project location cannot be a ‘suburb’ of a regional city or interface cities (e.g., Sebastopol, Geelong West) or other larger regional towns (e.g., Colac West).

You are encouraged to look at the ABS Census Population Data 2021 and you can contact your local RDV office if you're unclear on location eligibility.

Applications with cross-border implications for Victorian communities will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The department makes final decision on what is considered to be an eligible project location under the Tiny Towns Fund.

How can I find out the population of my town?

You are encouraged to look at the ABS Census Population Data 2021 to find the population of your town. When you click on the link under ‘search by area function’, type in the town name, select the town name under the ‘Suburbs and Localities’ heading, then scroll down the page to Search Results heading and click on the View QuickStats ‘All persons’ button. This will show a summary of the town and the population number.

You can also contact your local RDV office if you're unclear on your location eligibility.

Do I need to be registered for GST to apply for the Fund?

Applicants can apply even if they are not registered for GST. Applicants not registered for GST can apply for a maximum grant of $50,000 (inclusive of GST). Applicants not registered for GST must include any GST costs related to the project in the total funding requested. This means if project expenses are costed at $6,000 including $600 of GST, then the costs must reflect the included GST amount of $6,600.

For organisations that are registered for GST, the cost of the GST must be excluded from the proposed budget. This means if project expenses are costed at $6,600 including $600 of GST, then the costs must reflect the excluded GST amount of $6,000.

If I am not registered for GST what is the maximum grant funding that I can apply for?

Applicants who are not registered or exempt from GST can apply for a maximum grant funding of $50,000, inclusive of GST. If the approved funding is $50,000, the department will only process payments totalling $50,000. Applicants not registered for GST must include any GST costs related to the project in the total grant funding requested, the total grant funding requested cannot exceed $50,000.

What if I don’t know who owns the land that my proposed project is on?

You will need to contact your local council to find out who owns the land or do a search on LANDATA. A title search through LANDATA shows the information held in the Victorian Register of land at the time the search is made.

You can demonstrate the consent of the landowner by including a signed letter of consent from the landowner with your application. If you do not have this, you will need to demonstrate your plan to receive landowner consent in your application form.

Applications submitted without demonstrating the consent of the landowner or a plan to obtain landowner consent will be assessed as ineligible and will not be considered.

How do I demonstrate the consent of the landowner where the land is not owned or managed by our organisation?

Applications submitted without demonstrating the consent of the landowner or a plan to obtain landowner consent will be assessed as ineligible and will not be considered.

I received a Living Local grant, can I apply for this one?

If you received a Living Local Community, Regional or Suburban grant, you can apply for the Tiny Towns Fund but not for the same project which was funded under the Living Local grant.

Can I submit multiple applications for different projects under the Tiny Towns Fund?

You can submit multiple applications. Each project is required to have its own application (no 'multi-town' applications). The department may request that these be prioritised by the applicant.

I am a Crown Land Committee of Management, how can I find my DEECA ID?

If you are a Crown Land Committee of Management, you can find our 4-5 digit DEECA ID through contacting voluntary.committees@delwp.vic.gov.au.

I don’t know if my organisation is an incorporated association or what our incorporated association number is?

To find out more about incorporated associations visit Incorporated associations - Consumer Affairs Victoria. If you're unsure of your incorporated association status or number, you can search for your organisation on the Consumer Affairs Victoria incorporated association search to retrieve this information Search for an incorporated association - Consumer Affairs Victoria.

Funding

How much funding can I apply for?

The applicants can apply for a minimum grant of $5,000 and up to a maximum amount of $50,000 (not including GST) per project.

What financial commitment is required?

Applicants are expected to make a co-contribution. The co-contribution may come from the applicant or from other sources but must not be from other Victorian Government programs or sources. The co-contribution ratios required for applicants are listed below:

All applicants other than local government across all eligible locations (e.g. not-for profit community groups, incorporated associations, Crown land committees of management) require a 20% contribution with up to half (50%) of this amount permitted as an in-kind contribution (meaning these applicants could potentially apply with a 10% cash contribution)
Rural Councils and Alpine resort applicants: 25% cash contribution
Regional Cities and Interface Council applicants: 50% cash contribution.

What does in-kind contribution mean?

An in-kind contribution is a contribution of a good or a service rather than money. Local government and Alpine Resort applicants are not eligible to claim in-kind contributions.

The in-kind contribution may be up to 50% of the applicant’s total contribution and at the following rates:

professionals costed at $80-$150 per hour
skilled labour costed at $45 per hour
unskilled labour costed at $20 per hour
equipment costed at standard commercial hire rates.

Which funding ratio applies if my local council is the auspice for my project?

Regardless of auspicing arrangement, all applicants other than local government and Alpine resorts across all eligible locations are required to make a 20% co-contribution of the total proposed project budget. The co-contribution can be 50% in-kind and 50% cash. This means applicants could potentially apply with an overall 10% cash contribution towards a project.

What size project do I need to receive the maximum grant of $50,000?

For all other applicants other than local government – a project of size $62,500 would be eligible for a Tiny Towns Fund grant of $50,000 on the basis of an applicant contribution of 20% ($12,500) – of which half of this could be an in-kind contribution, and half cash.

For Rural Councils and Alpine resorts – a project of size $66,667 would be eligible for a Tiny Towns Fund grant of $50,000 on the basis of an applicant contribution of 25% ($16,667).

For Regional Cities and Interface local governments – a project of size $100,000 would be eligible for a Tiny Towns Fund grant of $50,000 on the basis of an applicant contribution of 50% ($50,000).

When and how will the grant be paid?

Payment for successful applications will be staggered at key milestones throughout the project to ensure that the project progresses in line with the grant agreement. For most projects the grant milestones will be at either one or two payment milestones, however, this may be different for projects on a case-by-case basis.

Applications and outcomes

How do I apply for the Tiny Towns Fund?

To apply, submit an online application via the ‘Apply now’ button on the Tiny Towns Fund webpage.

Before applying, ensure you have read and understand the information on Program Guidelines and have all the required documentation on hand.

When will I be notified of the outcome?

Applicants should expect to learn the outcome of their application by approximately May 2024.

Is there a different application form for the eligible interface and regional applicants?

No, the same application form is applicable for all applicants. Refer to the online application form on the Tiny Towns Fund page under Application Process - Tiny Towns Fund.

My application was unsuccessful. Can I appeal this?

There is no right of appeal for unsuccessful applications.