Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour Grant Program

We assess your application against other applications, the amount of funding available, and how the project:

• conserves and maintains the historic fabric and significance of the community war memorial, honour roll or avenue of honour
• improves the experience for people attending commemorative services and visitors to the memorial
• increases community knowledge and appreciation of the local history and purpose of the memorial or avenue of honour
• partners and consults with ex-service organisations, local councils, local businesses, schools and other bodies.

Note:

• Applications are assessed during the 2 months after the closing date.
• We may contact you if we need more information.
• We notify successful and unsuccessful grant applicants in writing.
• Successful grant applicants are required to enter into a Victorian Common Funding Agreement (VCFA) with the department.
• Project deliverables, milestone dates and payments are included in the VCFA.

You should not have any expectation of receiving ongoing annual funding.

All decisions are final. This includes decisions about:

• any aspect of the funding application
• eligibility and assessment process
• withdrawing or cancelling the offer or award of a grant agreement under Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour.

Merit assessment

The department assesses applications on merit. We use the following assessment criteria:

How the project:

• conserves the significance of the memorial
• improves visitor experience
• increases community knowledge of a memorial.

We will ask ‘what, why, how and who’ to determine the benefits the project provides to veterans and the wider Victorian community.

• What is the project?
  • Describe the project and what it achieves.
• Why is there a need for the activity?
  • Tell us who benefits from your project
  • Explain how your project achieves its goals
  • Explain why your project is necessary.
• How is the project planned and what steps are you taking?
  • When do you expect the project to start?
  • How will the project be delivered?
  • What is the budget for your project?
  • Have you acquired all required permits and endorsements.
• Who manages the project?
  • Do staff or volunteers manage the project?
  • Where relevant, list any other organisations or agencies that will work with you on the project and attach support letters
  • Do you have the capacity to complete the project in 6 months if a Stage 1 project, or 18 months if a Stage 2 project?
  • Do you need to consult with others for this project?

Funding is available under 2 categories:

Stage 1 – Planning:

• Grants of up to $10,000 (excluding GST) are available for eligible organisations to plan and get all the required documentation and approvals before applying under Stage 2 in a future round. Receiving a Stage 1 grant does not guarantee receiving a Stage 2 grant.
• Funding is available to:
  • plan for your Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour project
  • contract a heritage professional to assess your project
  • obtain accurate costings
  • develop clear timelines to complete a project.
  • You must complete planning grants within 6 months of receiving funding.

Stage 2 – Implementation:

• Grants of up to $30,000 (excluding GST) are available for eligible organisation to carry out their project.
• You must complete implementation grants within 18 months of receiving funding.
• You don’t need to have received a Stage 1 grant to be eligible for a Stage 2 grant. However, your application is more likely to be successful if, before submitting your Stage 2 application, you have:
  • considered all requirements
  • permits and approvals in place.
• If we regard your Stage 2 application as incomplete, we may recategorise your application to a Stage 1 grant. You may need to resubmit more information before receiving funding.

What the grant money can be used for

Stage 1 funds may be used for:

• site analysis
• preliminary research
• appointing a heritage contractor, consultant or arborist to undertake a heritage assessment or develop a management plan – see Find a heritage consultant on the Heritage Consultant website
• concept designs
• required permits from local councils or Heritage Victoria
• trade assessments and quotations
• preparation and full scoping of proposed works and their impact on the significance of the memorial to be undertaken by a qualified heritage advisor, consultant, conservator, arborist.

Stage 2 funds may be used for:

• re-painting the brickwork or stone of a memorial
• repairs to broken statues or plinths that form part of a memorial
• repairs to barriers and fences that surround and protect a memorial
• rectification of sinking foundations or lifting paving around a memorial
• re-lettering and re-gilding honour boards and memorials
• treatment of rusted original memorial gates or fences
• installation of additional plaques at the site of the existing memorial or additional names on the memorial or honour board
• installation of explanatory walls or interpretation panels
• restoration of commemorative plaques that form part of an integral part of an avenue of honour
• provision of seating, paving or lighting to allow better access to a commemorative site
• relocation of a memorial to:
  • its original position
  • to a new position if the current location poses safety or heritage risks.

Note:

• The department will assess all costs associated with your project.
• The department will not support any changes or increases after submitting your application.

We recommend factoring a contingency amount into your project. The amount must not exceed, the maximum value of the grant.

What cannot be funded

Projects the program cannot fund include:

• projects with applications from individuals
• memorials for individuals other than Victoria Cross recipients
• works that detract from or harm the historical significance of the original memorial. For example, inappropriate signage
• projects covered by another government grant program.

For example:

• flag poles – see Saluting Their Service on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website
• restoration of war graves – see War Graves on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website
• creating new memorials, honour roles or avenues of honour. This is funded via the Victoria Remembers grant program on the Victorian Government website
• restoration, preservation and display of wartime heritage that is not an integral part of the war memorial or avenue of honour, such as driveways, paving or walkways
• projects that have already started or are completed
• projects that are the clear responsibility of another state or Australian government program
• internal operational, management or wage costs (fees for hiring skilled or professional labour for specialist restoration work are acceptable as a project cost)
• equipment, like vehicles or computers (including software).

Also, the program does not support activities that:

• are funded primarily under another state, Australian government or local government program
• are within the responsibility of:
  • another state
  • Australian Government
  • local government program
• have already started or have been completed (including any activities undertaken before the notification of the application outcome)
• are private sector projects undertaken because of a Victorian government contract.

Note:

• If you’re not sure if a cost is supported under the Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour program, contact the Office for Veterans before submitting your application.
• You may be offered a smaller funding amount than you applied for. We may ask for a revised project plan and budget.

If successful, your organisation must sign a Victorian Common Funding Agreement (VCFA) with the department within a specified time frame. If a funding offer is not accepted during this period, the department may withdraw the grant.

The funding agreement outlines:

• the grant terms and conditions including use of funds
• key deliverables and due dates
• reporting requirements.

To request a variation to the VCFA or ask for a reporting extension, email the Office for Veterans veteransgrants@dffh.vic.gov.au.

Payment of grant funds and reporting requirements

If you are successful, we pay your organisation when you complete the project milestones and deliverables you agreed to in the VCFA.

The department makes milestone payments via electronic funds transfer (EFT) once deliverables are met, as set out in the VCFA.

You must:

• use all funds during the activity period, as outlined in the VCFA
• return any unspent funds to the Office for Veterans.

Goods and Services Tax (GST)

• GST is paid if the grant is funding a good or service, and if the recipient organisation is registered for GST.
• GST is not paid if the recipient organisation is not registered for GST.
• GST is not paid if the recipient organisation is a government entity (for example, school, local council).
• GST is not paid if the grant is not funding a good and service.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) considers grants and sponsorships as taxable income. The ATO can help with information on tax, including GST. Call 13 28 66 or visit the ATO[1] website.

Reports

Successful applicants must fill out reports in line with their funding agreement.

A final report is required to acquit the grant and issue final payment (if applicable).

If you have any outstanding final (acquittal) or progress reports for any Fairer Victoria funded program, you need to submit your report to receive new funding.

For any enquiries or to submit a report, email the Office for Veterans veteransgrants@dffh.vic.gov.au.

When undertaking project reporting, please use the Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour final report template, available on Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour[2] page of the Victorian government website.

Grant recipients are requested to upload images and descriptions of their final project outcomes on the Victorian Heritage Register[3] website.

Funding acknowledgement

Successful applicants must acknowledge funding from the Victorian Government.

The VCFA sets out guidelines around promotion. These include a requirement that all activities must acknowledge support from Victorian Government.

You must include the appropriate logos on any activity-related:

• publications
• websites
• media releases
• promotional materials
• project hardware
• formal event invitations.

You must formally invite the Victorian Government to attend any official events related to the project (for example, a project launch or exhibition). We send you the acknowledgement requirements if we fund your project.

Legal responsibilities

If you apply for a grant, you must ensure the project activity follows relevant:

• legislation
• regulations
• by-laws
• codes.

It must also meet the requirements of any Commonwealth, state, territory or local authority. It is your responsibility to know the laws and protocols that regulate your work.

The program guidelines include further information about the objectives of the Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour Grant Program, eligibility and assessment criteria and activities that can and cannot be funded.

Download the program guidelines before you apply:

Step 1 – Prepare supporting documents:

Your application is more likely to be successful if you provide a high level of detail to support your request.

Before beginning your online application for Stage 1 (planning) or Stage 2 (implementation) grants, consider getting the following information, where relevant:

• Show that you understand the history and significance of your memorial. Research background information by searching the Victorian Heritage Database or other sites like Monument Australia.
• Get advice from a relevant heritage professional. They can help you understand which type of report is best suited to your memorial (Applicants for Stage 1 (planning)
• High resolution photos showing the damage, deterioration and work needed. Include close-up and long-distance images and any draft designs.
• A letter from the owner of the land, approving the project if the memorial or avenue of honour is on private land. This is not applicable for applications from local councils.
• If adding plaques, signage or seating, provide measured drawings and annotated aerial maps (where possible), The maps should show the location of these in respect to the war memorial or avenue of honour.
• If relocating a memorial, include measured drawings and annotated aerial maps showing the original and new location.
• A letter of support from the local RSL Sub-Branch or other local ex-service organisation. The letter should state the community significance of the memorial. Note: general letters of support such as those from members of parliament or state-based organisations are not required and are not considered.

Specific to Stage 2 (implementation) applications, consider obtaining the following, where relevant:

• For applications relating to memorials, provide itemised quote(s) and detailed scope of works from a stonemason or builder experienced with heritage memorials.
• For applications relating to avenues of honour, provide documents from a qualified conservator or arborist, including condition and treatment reports.
• An assessment report (for more detail, see Applying and reporting veterans grants on the Victorian Government website. The report to support your project can be by:
  • your local council’s heritage advisor
  • a qualified heritage advisor, arborist or consultant.
• If the memorial, honour board or avenue of honour is on the Victorian Heritage Database, include an approved Heritage Victoria permit. Note: Applications that do not relate to Victorian Heritage Register-listed memorials should not contact Heritage Victoria.
• If the memorial or avenue of honour has a heritage overlay, include an approved council permit.

For more information on what you need for Stage 1 (planning) and Stage 2 (implementation) grants, see Applying and reporting veterans grants on the Victorian government website.

The guide also helps you to consider the:

• heritage values and material aspects of your memorial
• appropriate approaches to its conservation and maintenance when developing your application.

Step two – Apply online:

Program close date: 5:00 pm 03 February 2025

Submit applications via the Grants Gateway website.

If you are having trouble registering at the Grants Gateway, email grantspolicy@dffh.vic.gov.au or download How to register for the Grants Gateway:

Note: Late or incomplete applications are not considered.

If you experience any difficulties, please contact us prior to the program closing date and time.

To find other Victorian government funding opportunities, log into the Grants Gateway and search for grants under the ‘Available Grants’ or visit Grants and program on the Victorian government website.

If you are returning to view a submitted Office for Veterans application, log in via the Grants Gateway and find applications under ‘My Submitted Applications’.