Australia-Japan Foundation Grant Program

Funding Guidelines

Australia-Japan Foundation grants are intended to provide seeding funds for innovative proposals relevant to the aims and objectives of the Foundation. This includes proposals which demonstrate the potential for the development of long-term links between individuals and institutions in Australia and their counterparts in Japan.

Eligibility

Both individuals and organisations may apply for grants. They should demonstrate an established record of achievement in the development and management of projects relevant to their proposed area of endeavour, and should provide evidence of this.

No person or organisation can hold more than one Australia-Japan Foundation grant at any given time. Grants may not be provided to organisations or individuals that have failed to provide a proper acquittal of an earlier grant provided by the AJF, or any other Foundation, Council or Institute of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Competition for grant money will be quite considerable, and the Foundation may decide not to award a new grant to an individual or organisation which has received a grant in the past.

As a government organisation, the Australia-Japan Foundation is committed to the principles of equal opportunity and encourages individuals and organisations from target groups to apply for grants under this scheme.

All applications are assessed against the Foundation's guidelines for grants. Applications for grants must therefore comply with these guidelines when submitting their proposals for consideration.

1. The project should be an initiative relevant to the Foundation's objectives of promoting a growing and deepening relationship between Australia and Japan. Such initiatives may promote new areas of contact between Australia and Japan or may serve to build on or develop existing contacts.
2. It should have a clearly defined benefit in terms of the Foundation's objectives.
3. Provision should be made in the application for publicity or promotion of the project.
4. Where projects are to be undertaken in conjunction with, or part funded by a Japanese/Australian organisation, applicants must demonstrate that sufficient support is available from the counterpart to ensure the success of the project. An example of such support might be accommodation and other services provided free of charge by host institutions. Copies of documentation to this effect should be provided. Where the support takes the form of guarantees by governmental or other agencies, documentary evidence of this should also be provided.
5. Foundation support should constitute seeding funds intended to encourage financial support from other sources, including corporate sponsorship. Preference will be given to projects which are able to demonstrate that they have obtained part of their funding from other sources.
6. The project should establish prospects for future independent activity as a result of initial Foundation funding.
7. Applicants should preferably have a substantial record of achievement in their proposed field of endeavour.

The Foundation assesses grant applications on the likely benefits a given project will bring, rather than the amount actually requested, and it therefore exercises considerable flexibility in the amounts disbursed as grants and the conditions attached to these grants.

While grants amount will be considered on a proposal basis for major grants, for smaller community type grants, it will generally be limited to a maximum of AUD 10,000.

Where a project is of high quality, but financially beyond the Foundation's resources, it may decide to award the applicant a grant conditional on funds being raised from other sources.

Foundation funding of international air fares is at the applicable economy excursion rate. The Foundation will not reimburse applicants for additional expenses incurred because of late bookings or other problems requiring tickets to be paid at a higher rate.

Foundation grants must normally be taken up in the financial year for which they were granted. This is usually the current year or immediately following the financial year. If a grant cannot be taken up within the specified period, it will be withdrawn in order to give other applicants an opportunity to carry out a project. Any likely delay should therefore be reported in good time to the Foundation, to allow it to consider the circumstances and take any appropriate action.

Activities Not Funded

The Australia-Japan Foundation has a policy of supporting innovative proposals in a broad range of areas. Grants are not normally available for the following purposes:

• Capital expenditure in real property, equipment or computer software.
• Conference travel. An exception to the general rule may be made for participants in conferences when the subject of the conference is of direct relevance to the Australia-Japan relationship and the applicant is a leader in the field. Applicants must also demonstrate that a substantial program will be arranged before and/or after the conference.
• Funding support to grant-giving organisations for activities mainly involving their own personnel.
• Activities that are properly the responsibility of other funding bodies or other government agencies (e.g. development assistance projects, activities under bilateral science and technology agreements, projects normally handled by Austrade, etc.).
• Activities that are properly the responsibility of the host institution, e.g., post graduate students applying for travel assistance to do field work as part of their thesis will not normally be considered.
• Activities that are commercially viable in their own right.
• Any project in which the Australia-Japan component is incidental to the main aims of the project.
• New applicants will receive preference over applicants who have received a grant or travel grant in the past 3 years.
• Activities undertaken by schools where travel by a significant number of students is the principal element of the proposal.
• Employment of research assistants, administrative staff, etc., or the payment of administrative charges levied by the applicant's organisation.
• Funding of completed projects, or recurrent funding of projects.
• Salaries and Honorariums.

How to Apply for a Grant

Applications should be made on the Foundation's Grant Application form and should preferably be typewritten, and sent to the Foundation's email address in Australia (ajf.australia@dfat.gov.au) and in Japan (ajf.japan@dfat.gov.au)

Facsimile transmissions are not acceptable. All relevant information should be in the body of the application, with attachments limited to documents essential to consideration of the application.

When preparing an application you should bear in mind the possibility that Foundation members may not be familiar with you or your organisation. Your application should therefore provide a clear and concise description of the project, as a basis for the Foundation's decisions.

In accordance with these guidelines, the application form asks applicants to provide the following:

1. A title for the project/proposal along with starting and finishing dates.
2. A summary of the proposed activity, including strategies for publicity. If the travel is a stage in a multi-stage project, briefly outline subsequent stages and proposed timing.
3. The applicant's Australian Business Number (ABN) and also whether the applicant is registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Where the applicant does not have an ABN, an original Statement by the Supplier (ATO) or a letter of exemption from the ATO will need to be provided at the time of acceptance of the grant. The Statement by the Supplier can be found on http://www.ato.gov.au/forms. This advice is necessary to clarify funding implications. If appropriate, the Foundation's funding maybe grossed up to allow for GST.
4. Identifying the funding from the applicant, the applicant's host organisation, counterpart organisations and other supporters.
   1. The Foundation favours applications that have secured financial and in-kind support from other sources. This provides some indication of sufficient groundwork. Support at the Japanese/Australian end is viewed very positively by the Foundation. The Foundation gives preference to those proposals that have undergone sufficient preparation to maximise the outcomes of the intended visit.
   2. The budget should make adequate provision for all likely expenses. The Foundation will not normally consider requests for supplementary funding where the initial estimate turns out to be too low. Equally, the Foundation reserves the right to revise estimates or to disallow items included in the estimate.
5. Evidence of qualifications or experience which enable the applicant to carry out the project.
6. The names, addresses, telephone and facsimile numbers of two referees who can comment on the viability and value of the project. It is the applicant's responsibility to contact the referees and provide them with a copy of the grant application. The Foundation reserves the right to seek advice on the application from other persons as appropriate.
7. Details of any previous AJF funding assistance of any activities. Applicants must provide details of any grants received in the previous five years from any other funding sources.
8. The applicant must sign a declaration to the effect that the information provided is accurate.
9. The Foundation handles any personal information collected in relation to your grant application in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Information Privacy Principles. The personal information you provide is collected for the purpose of assessing your application and may be disclosed to other persons, bodies or agencies in the process of this assessment as appropriate. In particular, the information you provide in your application may be disclosed to the following: the Australian Embassy in Tokyo, including attached Australian Government agencies, DFAT Canberra and State/Territory Offices, and other relevant Australian Government departments.

GST Obligations

The Foundation requires written advice about the applicant's Australian Business Number (ABN) status. If the applicant is registered for an ABN, the Foundation also requires written confirmation as to whether the applicant is registered for GST.

Under the new Pay as You Go (PAYG) obligations, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is required to withhold tax (at the rate of 48.5%) and remit it to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in certain circumstances. This applies if the applicant does not have an ABN, or written advice providing exemption from the withholding tax.

The following categories are exempt from the No ABN withholding tax. If the applicant falls into one of the categories specified below you should copy the documentation confirming this status to us.

• If the payment is of a private or domestic nature;
• The applicant is not carrying on an enterprise;
• If the applicant is an income tax exempt body; or
• If the applicant has applied for an ABN and has been rejected by the ATO.

Timing of Grant Applications

Applications should normally be made well in advance of the starting date of the project, but only when the features of the project are sufficiently clear for the Foundation to make an informed decision. You should not seek in-principle approval for a tentative project, although the Foundation may request that a strong concept be further developed to be considered at a later date.

The starting date of the project should be in the relevant financial year.

Notification

Applicants for Foundation grants will be advised in writing of the Foundation's decision following the meeting at which their application was considered.

Successful applicants will also be advised at that time of any special conditions which the Foundation will attach to their activity. In addition, they will receive the Grant Acceptance and Acceptance Agreement forms. Payment of the grant will not be made until the applicant has signified acceptance of the grant conditions by initialling the Conditions of Grants, signing and returning the Acceptance Agreement form and Grant Acceptance form, providing a valid tax invoice (if applicable) and acknowledgment of any special conditions attached to the grant.

Responsibilities of Successful Applicants

Applicants are responsible for all administrative costs and arrangements associated with their activities, including visa and travel arrangements, visa charges, airport taxes, ground transport, travel and health insurance and accommodation.

Grant recipients are also responsible for making their own arrangements regarding any taxation liabilities which may arise from the award of a grant.

All grant recipients must abide by the Conditions of Grant attached to these guidelines. Otherwise the grant may be withdrawn. Applicants should therefore read these conditions carefully before submitting an application.

Publicity

The Foundation sees it as very important that the project comprise a publicity and promotion component, both to acknowledge the role of the Foundation in strengthening and deepening Australia-Japan relations, and, more importantly, to increase Japan's profile in Australia and Australia's profile in Japan. The Foundation requires that it be acknowledged as a major sponsor in all publicity material related to the project and that the Foundation logo be included where appropriate.

Reports on Completion of Project

All grant recipients must provide the Foundation with a report within four weeks of the completion of a project funded by it.

The report should be structured in terms of the objectives of the activity, and include details of:

1. The principal activities and an assessment of their value.
2. Any difficulties encountered in carrying out these activities.
3. Participation numbers and degree of publicity.
4. Future activities expected to arise from the completed project.
5. A financial statement authorised by a certified accountant, including receipts and used air tickets, to enable an informed assessment to be made of the effectiveness of the expenditure.
6. Details of individuals/organisations who have received or will receive a copy of that report.
7. A further two-page summary report, suitable for up-load onto the Foundation's web site, should also be provided at the same time.

An interim report is required where a project extends over more than six months.

Grant Recipients

View all grant recipients in 2009 - 2010

View all grant recipients in 2008 - 2009

Enquires

Australia

Tel: 02-6261-3898 Fax: 02-6261-2143 Email: ajf.australia@dfat.gov.au

Japan

Tel: 03-5232-4065 Fax: 03-5232-4064 Email: ajf.japan@dfat.gov.au