FAQs

A Grant Reference Number is a unique identifying number created by the Grants Database at the State Service Centre at Sydney Olympic Park.

It references all stakeholders, including the application Formation and Region with Property information against the Funder criteria.

All new grants require a Grant Reference Number or GRN regardless of value.

This data enables the Grants Team to accurately report to Senior Management and the Board.

YES – A Grant Reference Number joins a Funding Body and Program to a Formation and is grant specific.

If the grant is approved, the Grants Team will continually monitor the status of the grant over its life cycle.

Grant Reference Number requests over $9999 require approval from your Region Commissioner and Scouts NSW CEO or CEO Delegate prior to starting a draft application.

Approvals are instigated and managed by the Grants Team.

Important: Do NOT start your grant application until the GRN has been fully approved.

This approval process ensures transparency across all Scouts NSW stakeholders, including:

• Groups
• Regions
• State Service Centre
• Board of Directors.

The Scouts NSW Grant Finder – SmartySearch.

This is a grants search tool which is embedded into the Scouts NSW website.

In Keywords you can insert “Capital Works”, in Region insert “NSW” and click SEARCH.

All current capital works funding opportunities in NSW will appear and it is a matter of searching the appropriate grant for your project.

The Grants Policy states that only Formations that have submitted current audited Annual Report Presentation (ARP) documents are eligible to obtain grants. This includes:

• ARP1 – Annual Income and Expenditure Form
• ARP2 – Annual Reconciliation Reports
• ARP3 – Fundraising Form
• P10 – Property Hazard Report

Yes, you can.

All new grants require a Grant Reference Number – GRN.

A Grant Reference Number (GRN) is a unique identifier that:

• Provides a standardised naming convention
• Helps the Grant Team track active grants in the Scouts NSW Grant Portfolio
• Ensures applicants acquit grants on time and within budget
• Enhances transparency for all stakeholders.

To apply for a Grant Reference Number (GRN), complete the GRN Request Form available here. Responses are received by the Grants Team for processing.

Applicant and Application Requirements

• Only active members may apply for a Grant Reference Number
• Only Grant Reference Number requests from a Scouts email address (@nsw.scouts.com.au) will be accepted
• When requesting a GRN, Groups must submit a Business Case outlining:
  • Project Description
  • Implementation Plan
  • Proposed Timeline
  • Proposed Budget
• A GRN is mandatory for all new grant applications.

Grant Reference Number (GRN) Request Requirements

To be eligible for a Grant Reference Number (GRN), your Group must have submitted the following current documents:

• ARP1 – Audited Annual Report
• ARP2 – Audited Reconciliations
• ARP3 – Audited Fundraising Report
• P10 – WHS Scout Hall Inspection Checklist.

There must be no outstanding invoices to Scouts NSW.

Please refer to Clause 41.4.2 of the Scouts Organisation and Information Handbook to understand what an “Auditor” might look like:

41.4.2 Auditing Accounts (a) The Act requires that a registered company Auditor or qualified Accountant audit all accounts where available. Should such a person not be available, then the audit may be carried out by a person with suitable accounting experience, who has no direct personal association with any member of the Group Support Committee and ahs been approved by the supervising Commissioner.

These documents will be requested in the GRN Request Form and can be emailed directly to [email protected]

Note: Submission of these documents is mandatory for all GRN requests.

1. Build a scope of work

Use the “Scope of Work” format provided by the Grants Team and transfer this concise, essential information to your Grant Application, Landowner Consent, Suppliers/Contractor brief/quote, Funding Agreement, and Acquittal ensuring consistency of information across your project.

2. Grant Finder

The next step is to find a suitable grant to support your initiatives through Grant Finder.

Grant Finder provides free and unlimited grant searches for all active members. This tool help you identify funding opportunities that align with your project needs. Be sure to explore the available grants and choose the one that best fits your Group’s objectives.

3. Quotes

Obtain quotes from licenced contractors as per the Scouts NSW Grants Policy.

4. Obtain a Grant Reference Number – GRN

Apply for a Grant Reference Number via the Grant Reference Number Request Form.

5. Property/Landowners Consent

Property/Landowners Consent must be obtained for capital works or infrastructure projects.

6. Development Application (DA) or Complying Development Certificate (CDC) determination

Funders require supporting documents as proof of approval or exemption at the application stage of the grant.

7. Letters of Support

Gather Letters of Support from community members who are aligned to your project.

8. Grant Application

Write a compelling grant application using the resources we have provided throughout the website.

Yes – when the grant is more than $9999 a second approval is required at application stage – this is to ensure the project scope originally sought is the same as the application.

When a Formation is ready to submit its application, it should email the following documents to the Grants Team – [email protected] – and they will action this approval:

1. Draft copy of the application
2. Copy of all quotes
3. Copy of Landowners Consent – if an Infrastructure project
4. Copy of the DA Determination – if an Infrastructure project.

This approval can take up to 24 hours depending on workload.

The Grants Team will advise the Formation immediately thereafter via email.

Landowners Consent is when the legal landowner of the Scout property gives authority for a project to take place on its land.

Scout Halls may be Freehold (owned by Scouts NSW), leased from Council, or managed by Crown Lands. The Grants Team has an active database of property ownership and can provide this information on request.

Funders require Landowners Consent at the application stage of a grant.

This is a mandatory requirement for any capital works or infrastructure project.

Some Councils require a specific form to be filled out and may charge a fee (approx. $105) which cannot be covered by the grant as it is pre-approval.

When a Formation is seeking a grant for a capital works project, for example a kitchen renovation where the footprint is not changing, a “Development Application determination” confirming that the project is “DA EXEMPT” will be required in writing. This may take the form of an email from Council. It must include the project scope and state that it is Exempt from a Development Application.

The Grants Policy states that all new grants should add a minimum 5 per cent Project Management Fee to the budget of a grant proposal where the funder guidelines allow.

The Grants Team provides a quote for the Project Management Fee, which is calculated at 5 per cent of the project’s value (excluding GST) based on the quotes provided for the rest of the project, as per the Scouts NSW Grants Policy. This quote should be uploaded as a supporting document in your grant application.

Carolyn Campbell – Chief Executive Officer

The CEO or CEO Delegate signs off on all Funding Agreements.

Funders provide written notification of grant round outcomes. All approved grants exceeding $9999 must be managed by the State Service Centre.

The Grants Team prepares a Brief and a Funding Agreement linked to the Grant Reference Number for execution by the Scouts NSW CEO via DocuSign. Once executed, the Funding Agreement is uploaded to the funder’s portal for processing and fund disbursement.

This process is not immediate and may take time. The Grants Team will notify beneficiaries as soon as the funds are received, allowing them to commence their projects.

In the meantime, successful applications should:

1. Confirm and submit updated quotes – email a copy of the revised quotes for the approved project to [email protected]
2. Ensure the project end-date alignment – verify that the project end-date is included in the updated quotes and matches the Funder’s project end-date
3. Complete necessary contracts for larger projects – for projects approved for funding over $30,000, the contractor must complete the Scouts NSW Minor Works Contract before commencing work
4. Take “Before” photos and email to [email protected]

You can start your project when:

• The Grants Team has confirmed that grant funds have been received into the Scouts NSW bank account and not before
• Three quotes for each element of the work have been provided to the Grants Team
• “Before” photos have been provided to the Grants Team.

Only if you have approval from the Grants Team – contact [email protected]

Tax invoices relating to your grant must be made payable to:

• The Scout Association of Australia – NSW Branch or
• The Group that the grant or work relates to, for example, 1st Olympic Park Scout Group.

All grant-related tax invoices should be emailed to [email protected] for payment.

When the Grants Team receives an invoice form a new vendor, a “Vendor Verification” is required.

The Grants Team must contact the vendor and ask them to email a snapshot of their bank statement to [email protected]

This statement should include only:

• Bank Account Name
• BSB
• Account Number.

Invoices that are received by the close of business Wednesday at the State Service Centre will be included in the payment batch processed on Friday.

Any reimbursement must include the following:

1. Proof of payment, for example, a payment receipt, a copy of a bank statement or a remittance advice
2. The original tax invoice for this payment clearly defining:
   1. Supplier ABN
   2. Payment amount
   3. GST component.

If any changes to events, costs, or team members impact your project deliverables, notify the Grants Team as soon as possible. Significant changes to the project scope or timeline may require a contract variation under the terms of the Funding Deed.

Please inform the Grants Team via [email protected] and we will advise you.

What distinguishes a grant from a donation is the addition of a Completion Report or an Acquittal Report.

A Completion Report or Acquittal Report will be scheduled in a Funding Agreement to be delivered by the proposed finish date of your project. Usually, Funders will allow an extra month to complete this report and submit.

In these reports you are asked to demonstrate what you did during your project, what were the key achievements or results and prove that you spent all your grant funds.

If you do not submit a Completion Report or Acquittal Report for your project, the implication is that Scouts NSW will not be eligible for future funding from that organisation.

All grants managed by the Grants Team will be acquitted by the Grants Team.