Grant Application Assessment Procedure

Purpose. This procedure describes how grant applications are received, checked for eligibility, assessed against the published criteria, moderated, recommended and decided so that every funding decision is fair, consistent and recorded.

1.Receipt and registration

Applications are received through the grants portal by the closing date and time in the guidelines. Late applications must not be accepted unless the Director approves an exception in writing for a documented reason. Every application is registered in the grants register with a unique identifier, the program, the applicant and the amount requested.

2.Conflict of interest

Before an assessor receives any application, the assessor must complete a conflict of interest declaration covering every applicant in the round. An assessor with a conflict must not assess, discuss or have access to that application and the manager must reassign it and record the management plan.

3.Eligibility check

The grants officer must check each application against the eligibility rules in the guidelines: applicant type, incorporation, location, program fit, financial viability and any outstanding acquittals or compliance action. Ineligible applications must be recorded with the reason and the applicant notified in writing within ten business days.

• Applicant is an eligible organisation type
• Project is within the program scope and location
• Requested amount is within the program limits
• No overdue acquittal from a previous grant
• No current compliance action that excludes funding

4.Assessment and scoring

Two assessors must score each eligible application independently against the weighted criteria in the guidelines using the assessment report template, with written reasons for each score. Scores must be based only on the information in the application and any clarification obtained through the contact officer and recorded on the file.

5.Moderation and recommendation

A moderation panel chaired by the program manager reviews the scores, resolves differences greater than two points with recorded reasons and produces a ranked list. The recommendation report sets out the applications recommended for funding within the available budget, those not recommended and the reasons, and any conditions.

6.Decision and notification

The delegate identified in the delegations register decides on the recommendation report and records the decision. Successful applicants are issued a funding agreement; unsuccessful applicants receive written reasons and the offer of feedback. Decisions and reasons are recorded in the grants register and on the file.

7.Review and complaints

An applicant can ask for a review of the process, not the merits, within twenty business days of notification. Reviews are conducted by an officer not involved in the assessment. Complaints about the process are handled under the complaints handling procedure.