Jewish Community Security Infrastructure Program guidelines

A Jewish community organisation is defined as an organisation owned and managed by the Jewish community which services Jewish community member needs, customs and traditions. The organisation will exist to support people from the Jewish cultural and faith groups.

Jewish community facilities eligible to apply include synagogues, Chabad houses, community centres and halls and hubs, youth centres and camp facilities, sports facilities, museums, theatres and galleries. School and health facilities are not eligible.

Security infrastructure eligible for funding support is defined as physical infrastructure which is intended to deter and/or reduce the risk of crime and violence against both the building and its immediate surrounds and the community members using the building and its immediate surrounds.

To support organisations to prepare their applications, the department will hold an online information session.
All details, including the date and time, will be available at the JCSIP webpage.

• Maximum funding of up to $200,000 is available for each project.
• Only one application per organisation.
• A maximum of $20,000 of grant funding can be requested for security "service" activities such as security risk assessments, security related design or planning for facilities.
• No matched funding is required.

Grant Amount Requested: $100,000

Total Project Cost: $125,000

Gap funding: $25,000

The applicant organisation has opted to contribute towards project costs – this improves the “value for money” assessment score.

Rationale: The youth centre regularly hosts 90 attendees across the week, the weekend and Wednesday and Thursday nights. Access to the youth centre is via a dark laneway, the entrance area is not well lit, and the existing fencing can be stepped over. A threat assessment has been conducted and indicates a low-moderate risk level.

Activities to be funded by the grant: Purchase and installation of new gate and fencing, security cameras, doors with electronic locks, and entrance laneway lighting and other external lighting.

• Three contractors will undertake the works and so three quotes will be provided with the application totalling $125,000 excluding GST.
• The gate and fencing contractor – the largest single quote cost – will provide an email stating that no planning approval or building permit is required to undertake the gate and fencing works.
• The new gate and fencing works will be scheduled first over three weeks in September, followed by the doors and cameras over one week in October and finally the lighting over two weeks in October.

Project Outcome: The youth centre now feels more secure – particularly for night-time access and events. As a result, a new group meeting for younger girls has been started and the group has 8 new female members.

Grant Amount Requested: $57,000

Total Project Cost: $57,000

Gap funding: $0

Rationale: The Community Hall is located on a busy street, setback from the pavement by 8 metres. A large window facing the street was damaged and needed replacing in both 2019 and 2022 by an object thrown from a passing car and a threat assessment has indicated that it would be possible for a vehicle to ram the building. The threat assessment indicates a moderate-high risk level.

Activities to be funded by the grant: Purchase and installation of a higher standard toughened glass, security window to replace the existing large street-facing window and purchase and installation of four bollards to physically separate the driveway from the open area in front of the hall.

• Two contractors will undertake the works and so two quotes will be provided with the application totalling $125,000 excluding GST.
• The bollards require planning approval from council and the planning approval (both the planning permit and the endorsed plans) is attached to the application.
• The bollards work is scheduled first in September, followed by the window replacement in October.

Project Outcome: The community hall now has a low threat assessment rating.

Organisation eligibility

• Your organisation must be an incorporated legal entity registered under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) or the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic) or incorporated through an Act of Parliament

and

• Your organisation must have a current Australian Business Number (ABN) matching the applicant organisation’s name

and

• Your organisation must be a not-for-profit Jewish Community Organisation which you must confirm by showing that your organisation is either:
• registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission

or

• registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria as an incorporated association

or

• a social enterprise with a clearly stated purpose or mission related to supporting Jewish communities in Victoria (Social enterprises must attach their constitution, rules or governance documents with their application).
• Your organisation must have no outstanding project reports from previous Multicultural Affairs portfolio grants.

Organisations that are not eligible for JCSIP program funding include:

• unincorporated legal entities
• individuals and sole traders
• organisations that:
  • are commercial or set up to make a profit (except social enterprises)
  • have not complied with the terms and conditions of previous Multicultural Affairs grants
  • cannot show their ability to meet their project’s ongoing maintenance and running costs
• groups whose projects sit in another ministerial portfolio (such as health, education or sport and recreation)
• public companies limited by shares (unless a foundational document can prove not-for-profit status)
  commercial enterprises
• local governments (councils) including council-managed, operated, administered and regulated trusts
• TAFE institutes and universities
• registered pre-, primary and secondary schools, health care facilities.

The following documents are mandatory for applications with a requested grant amount and total project cost of $75,000 (excluding GST) or less. They must be included for your application to be eligible.

Note: you may still be asked to provide a Planning Approval waiver from your contractor as part of the assessment process.

Project plan

You must use the Jewish Community Security Infrastructure Program’s project plan template

The detailed project plan must include all the items to be purchased and all activities to be completed with the grant funds.

All selected contractors must be confirmed and listed when you apply with their quotes attached.

If you intend to contract a professional project manager, this should be indicated in the project plan and the quote attached.

Applicants must clearly identify how the grant funding and your additional funding contribution (if applicable) will be applied against each contractor.

Quotes or cost estimates

Quote(s) from your Selected Contractor(s) must be supplied for all project activities – matching the Project plan.

Quotes must be no older than 60 days before the date of application and should be current at the date of application.

All project costs and quotes must exclude GST.

If quotes or costs do not clearly exclude GST, the department will assume these are GST inclusive, and will reduce your request by 10 per cent.

Timetable of activities, meetings and events

Include a timetable of community activities, meetings and events held at the project location for the two weeks before the date the JCSIP program applications close.

You must use the Jewish Community Security Infrastructure Program’s timetable of use template for this.

Land title or Lease agreement (and permission)

Include a copy of the current land title or signed lease agreement. If the property is leased, include written permission from the property owner or landlord consenting to the work.

Financial statement

Include your organisation’s financial statement for 2022–23. (You should have already provided these to Consumer Affairs Victoria [through myCAV] or to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.) If your financial statements are in another format, check with the department first.

Public liability insurance

Include evidence of your public liability insurance.

A certificate of currency for public liability insurance with a minimum cover of $10 million for any one incident is required.

The following documents are mandatory for applications with a requested grant amount or a total project cost more than $75,000 (excluding GST). They must be included for your application to be eligible.

Planning Approval “waiver”

All organisations must provide:

• appropriate “waiver” evidence from your local council, surveyor or lead contractor (such as an email or letter from the planning department, your surveyor or your lead contractor) that no Planning Approval is required for your project

OR

• A copy of the Planning Permit and Endorsed Plans if they are required for your project.

Note that any projects requiring Planning Approval which have not yet received the Planning Approval are not eligible to apply.

Note that any Projects which provide their Planning Approvals may be asked to provide a Building Permit before receiving funds.

Project plan

You must use the Jewish Community Security Infrastructure Program’s project plan template.

The detailed project plan must include all the items to be purchased and all activities to be completed with the grant funds.

All selected contractors must be confirmed and listed when you apply with their quotes attached.

If you intend to contract a professional project manager, this should be included in the project plan and the quote attached.

Applicants must clearly identify how the grant funding and your additional funding contribution (if applicable) will be applied against each contractor.

Quotes or cost estimates

Quote(s) from your Selected Contractor(s) must be supplied for all project activities – matching the Project plan. Note: For any individual project components over $100,000 you need to provide / attach at least two separate contractor quotes. Quotes must be no older than 60 days before the date of application and should be current at the date of application.

All project costs and quotes must exclude GST. If quotes or costs do not clearly exclude GST, the department will assume these are GST inclusive, and will reduce your request by 10 per cent.

Timetable of activities, meetings and events

Include a timetable of community activities, meetings and events held at the project location for the two weeks before the date the JCSIP program applications close.

You must use the Jewish Community Security Infrastructure Program’s timetable of use template for this.

Risk plan

You must use the Jewish Community Security Infrastructure Program’s risk plan template for this. The detailed risk plan must outline project risks and strategies for managing these risks.

Land title or Lease agreement (and permission)

Include a copy of the current land title or signed lease agreement. If the property is leased, include written permission from the property owner or landlord consenting to the work.

Evidence of additional funding (if applicable)

Acceptable evidence of your additional funding to meet the balance of any difference between the requested grant amount and the total project cost includes your organisation’s current bank statement at date of application showing a balance that at least meets the funding gap (account must be in the name of the applicant organisation).

Note: Statutory declarations are not an acceptable form of additional funding evidence.

Financial statements

Include your organisation’s financial statement for 2022–23. (You should have already provided these to Consumer Affairs Victoria [through myCAV] or to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.) If your financial statements are in another format, check with the department first.

Public liability insurance

Include evidence of your public liability insurance.

A certificate of currency for public liability insurance with a minimum cover of $10 million for any one incident is required.

The following documents are not mandatory but providing them will strengthen the application.

Threat Assessment and/or Police Incident Reports

If available, please attach any Threat Assessment document or Police Incident Report relating to the project facility. Relevant Insurance Claim records may also be attached.

These documents help to validate the “need” for the project and additional assessment scoring points will be allocated to applications providing these relevant documents.

Photographs

To help assessors understand the project site and “need”, please include photographs of the existing site that your application relates to (for example, the unfenced area you want to fence or the existing fence you want to upgrade, the condition of existing door locks etc). Include no more than four photos, all pasted into one Word or pdf document, providing a description of each photo.

Project drawings / Schematics

To help assessors understand the layout of the project site and the activities being undertaken, simple drawings, diagrams or, if available, professional drawings or schematics can be helpful.

Other optional documents

You may submit other documents to support your application such as a Letter of Support from other organisations using the facility or other supporting local organisations.

The application and project plan should clearly describe the project.

It should validate the community “need” for the project by explaining and providing information on:

• the typical usage levels for the facility being upgraded and any use by other organisations
• the facility’s security related need, problem or issue (attaching any available threat assessment or supporting information such as police incident reports).
• the application must show strong alignment to the program objective and the extent to which the project will:
  • improve safety for Victorian Jewish community members and address the risk of crime and violence towards the community by securing their community facilities.

The program’s funding priorities and assessment process will prioritise applications when the proposed project specifically benefits:

• smaller facilities with high levels of Jewish community and public access, use and openness such as community halls, centres and hubs
• facilities which currently have no or very little security infrastructure in place

Value for money is assessed against the project budget and long-term benefit to the community and project sustainability.

The application must attach all quotes for all project activities.

The JCSIP grant program is competitive.

The funding request should match the scale of the project in terms of benefits and outcomes for the community. The department will consider a range of factors here including:

• previous funding provided to applicant organisations
• part or additional funding towards the Total Project Costs by the applicant organisation
• the relative financial stability of the applicant organisation through its financial statement.

The application shows that the project is well planned and can be delivered in a reasonable timeframe.

The application includes a detailed project plan that confirms:

• key activities and milestones
• the selected contractors that will do the work
• a breakdown of how the funding will be spent
• a list of any assets to be bought with the funding.
  The application shows the capability of the organisation to deliver the project by outlining:
  • relevant project management experience or evidence of the organisation’s plans to source expertise to deliver the project
  • evidence of financial viability, including ability to meet any funding gap to the Total Project Cost (bank statements and financial statements)
  • any relevant experience and evidence of managing government grant funding.

A building / facility run by a Jewish community organisation where members of the community may gather for group activities, education sessions, social support, and other purposes. The locations may or may not be open to broader groups of people.

Jewish community facilities eligible to apply include synagogues, Chabad houses, community centres and halls and hubs, youth centres and camp facilities, sports facilities, museums, theatres and galleries.

This is only the funding $ that you are applying for and that JCSIP may provide.

An organisation that is owned and managed by a Jewish faith, or language or cultural community which services Jewish community member needs, customs and traditions. The organisation will exist to support people from Jewish cultural, language and faith groups.

Clearly explaining your “need” or problem provides the assessor with the rationale for funding.

Your explanation should be objective and supported by data and/or other relevant resources that help to substantiate the need to fund the solution to your organisation’s concern.

Remember that assessors are reviewing competitive applications which are all from Jewish community organisations so take the opportunity in the application form to explain why your facility is different and make the case for your organisation’s relative need for funding.

This means both the Planning Permit and the Endorsed Plans. A Planning Permit alone is not a full Planning Approval.

Physical infrastructure which is intended to reduce the risk of crime and violence against both the building and its immediate surrounds and the community members using the building and its immediate surrounds.

Activities related to security infrastructure but undertaken by services contractors such as security related design or planning or security threat assessments which relate to a specific building and its immediate surrounds.

An organisation:
• being led by an economic, social, cultural or environmental mission that is consistent with a public or community benefit.
• deriving most of its income from trade.
• reinvesting most of its profit or surplus in fulfilling its mission (at least 50 per cent).

A threat assessment is a physical security evaluation usually carried out by a security expert. It is an inspection of your facility / building to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities in its physical security.

Threat assessments also involve discussing perceived/actual threats to you and your property to determine what you need to protect against. Examples of physical threats to buildings and their occupants include forced entry, burglary, vandalism, rioting and looting, threatening or abusive individuals, individuals with weapons.

A threat assessment will likely also point out what needs to be protected from these specific threats. This may include people, artefacts, equipment, documents and anything else inside your building that could be put at risk by security threats.

Declaring the Total Project Cost is important as the department must be able to understand if the security related project to be funded by JCSIP is only part of a bigger project for which your organisation must be able to show it has the required funds.

For example, are the secure doors and windows in the JCSIP security project only part of a much bigger building extension project.

Total Project Cost = both the Grant Amount Requested to pay only for the windows and doors + All Other Project Contractors Costs to build and fit-out the complete extension.