Multicultural Media Stimulus Program

It is important that your organisation meets all eligibility criteria.

Multicultural and multilingual community media organisations operating in Victoria may apply for funding under this program. Mainstream media organisations are not eligible to apply.

Your organisation must be one of the following entity types:

• incorporated associations (incorporated under state legislation, commonly have 'Association' or 'Incorporated' or 'Inc.' in their legal name)
• incorporated cooperatives (also incorporated under state legislation, commonly have ‘Cooperative' in their legal name)
• a not-for-profit entity registered under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) or the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic)
• a company incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001
• Discretionary trust as defined in the ITAA 1997

To be eligible, all organisations must:

• be a Multilingual or Multicultural media organisation operating in Victoria
• have a current Australian Business Number (ABN) registered as one of the above eligible entity types
• have been operating in the multicultural media space for more than 12 months
• have no outstanding accountability reports or final reports for any Multicultural Affairs grants

Please email multicultural.community.grants@dffh.vic.gov.au if you are unsure if your organisation has an outstanding accountability report.

Both for profit and not for profit organisations are eligible to apply for funding.

Please note: We will only consider one application per organisation.

What are the responsibilities of an auspice organisation?

Applicants such as sole-traders and those that do not have an eligible ABN as per the above may apply if they are supported by an eligible auspice organisation that has agreed to manage the grant on their behalf.

An organisation may auspice more than one application if they wish to support multiple organisations.

Program funding can be used for the following:

to support operating costs (including salaries of up to 13 weeks)

production costs (including printing)

equipment, and/or

training and development costs to assist the organisation to manage the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and set them up for recovery.

Funds must be fully expended prior to 31 October 2021.

Applicants must demonstrate that equipment to be purchased through this grant is to sustain the organisation through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic recovery.

Eligible equipment may include (but is not limited to):

• office equipment
• webcasting or audio streaming equipment
• satellite, portable recorders and camera equipment
• video editing suites
• sound and software programs
• computers and computer hardware
• digital radio studio equipment
• blogging, vlogging and podcast equipment
• production equipment
• printers, microphones and headphones

What cannot be funded?

Funding cannot be used to pay for:

• equipment that has already been purchased
• advertising
• projects supporting political activities
• cash prizes or commercial gifts
• activities already funded by the Victorian Government
• equipment already funded by another grants program administered by the Multicultural Affairs.

Applications will be assessed against the program objectives, eligibility requirements and assessment criteria. EOI’s will be assessed by a panel that includes representatives from the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) and DFFH.

The Minister for Multicultural Affairs approves successful recipients based on recommendations provided by DFFH and the assessment panel. Once a decision has been made, applicants will be advised of the outcome.

Eligible applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

• downturn in revenue due to impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
• size of organisation, as determined by number of full-time equivalent staff (FTE) employed and/or the organisations average annual turnover
• increased demand in service or operating costs due to the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
• reach or circulation within multicultural audiences in Victoria, and
• ability to deliver within the 2020-21 financial year.

Successful organisations will be published on this webpage.

Applicants must attach and submit all supporting documentation with their application, or it will be considered ineligible and not assessed.

Required documents to be submitted must include:

• evidence of your audience and/or circulation numbers
• evidence of the financial impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had on your business. E.g. profit and loss statements, BAS from before and after the 21 March 2020.
• the organisations most recent Annual Report and financial statement, clearly showing annual revenue and expenses
• evidence of the number of FTE employed at the organisation and/or regular hours contributed by volunteers
• at least one quote per item costing under $10,000 and three quotes per item costing over $10,000 (internet quotes are acceptable)
• evidence of your media work, e.g. a program guide showing the content that is produced, a copy of your organisation’s most recent publication; or a link to your website

All applications must be submitted by 4pm on Monday 26 April 2021.

Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

For more information or help with your application, contact Multicultural Affairs, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH).

• Phone 1300 112 755
• Email multicultural.community.grants@dfhh.vic.gov.au