About the grants

In 2023 more than $100,000 worth of grants are being made available to help organisations across the state host Queensland Mental Health Week (QMHW) events that raise awareness of mental health, bolster belonging, and create connections.

Funded by the Queensland Government through the Queensland Mental Health Commission and administered by CheckUP, the Queensland Mental Health Week Community Events Grant Program provides the opportunity for eligible organisations to apply for up to $3,000 to assist with event costs.

Applications to the program opened on Wednesday 26 April 2023 and closed on Friday 26 May 2023.

The QMHW Community Events Grant Program is a competitive, application-based program. Grant applications will be assessed for their potential to contribute to the achievement of the QMHW objectives. Priority will be given to innovative events that provide a focal point for awareness, education, and understanding of mental health and wellbeing, help foster community connection, and enhance inclusivity and a sense of belonging for those living with mental health challenges, their families, carers and support people.

The Grant Program will consider the needs of groups vulnerable to greater risk, including:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
people living in rural and remote Queensland
people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning, asexual, or queer (LGBTIQA+)
other groups at risk of marginalisation (e.g. people with disability, young people, and older people).

Before applying for a grant, organisations must read the 2023 grant guidelines. The guidelines clearly stipulate what organisations are eligible and not eligible to apply for a grant and what the funding can and cannot be spent on.

For any further questions about the program, please contact CheckUP by emailing info@qldmentalhealthweek.org.au.

Download guide Application form

Do you have questions regarding the grant program? Below are answers that may assist.

What are the objectives of the QMHW Community Events Grant Program?

QMHW is an annual awareness initiative that aims to shine a spotlight on individual and community mental health and wellbeing, increase awareness of mental health challenges, and celebrate the contribution of the mental health and community sectors. The objectives of the QMHW Community Events Grant Program are to support the overall aims of QMHW, which are to:

raise awareness of the importance of mental health and wellbeing
increase understanding of mental illness and recovery
reduce stigma and discrimination.

What is the closing time and date for applications? If I want to submit my application after the due time and date, can I be granted an extension?

The program closes to applications at 5:00pm AEST on Friday 26 May 2023.

Please note that extensions will not be given.

The SmartyGrants application form will close off exactly at 5:00pm AEST, so if you are in the middle of your submission at this time, the system will not enable you to submit it. Therefore it is recommended that you submit your application form well before the closing time.

How much funding is available for this grant program? How much can I apply for?

A total funding pool of up to $100,000 (ex GST) is available for the delivery of events during QMHW in 2023. To maximise funding opportunities, the Grant Program will support a range of initiatives of varying amounts of funding. Consideration will be given to fund applications submitted from a breadth of geographical locations in Queensland to ensure support is provided for community events across urban, regional, rural and remote areas.

Eligible organisations can apply for the following amounts (GST exclusive):

$500
$1,000
$3,000.

You should carefully consider the grant amount that you are applying for, in consideration of the limited total amount of funding available for all events. The grant guidelines include a guide to help you select what event category your application falls under and the amount you should apply for.

Can my organisation apply for more than one grant?

An organisation may submit up to two grant applications. However, each application must be for a different initiative with different objectives and activities.

If an organisation would like to roll-out an event with the same objectives and activities, across more than one geographical location, they are able to apply for one of the higher grant amounts (i.e. $1,000 or $3,000). They should include in the event summary that they are proposing to host events in multiple locations.

Is the funding ongoing? Can I hold the event at another time?

No. The funded event/s must be held during QMHW (Saturday 7 October to Sunday 15 October 2023), or another time during the month of October 2023.

Funding is for one-off time-limited initiatives and is not intended for ongoing funding.

How do I apply?

All applications and acquittals are to be completed using SmartyGrants, an online grants management system. You can sign up for a free account or use an existing account to apply here: https://checkup.smartygrants.com.au/qmhw2023.

Please note that you should ensure that the email address you use to create a SmartyGrants account is the email address you want utilised in regard to all grant communications.

CheckUP will not provide application forms or accept application forms for this grant opportunity by fax, email, or mail.

What will I need to apply?

We encourage you to preview the application form to ensure you have all the information you need. Some of the information you will need includes:

your SmartyGrants login details. If you do not have an existing login, you can create a free account for your organisation by registering your details. Please note that you should ensure that the email address you use to create a SmartyGrants account is the email address you want utilised in regard to all grant communications.
a summary of your proposed event, the estimated number of participants and target audience.
your organisation’s Australian Business Number (ABN) or Australian Company Number (ACN).
an outline of your proposed budget for what you will spend the grant funding on.

Please note that Parents & Citizen associations applying for funding for an event hosted at a state primary or secondary school should ensure they provide the ABN for the P&C, not the school’s ABN.

We also recommend that you:

consider the selection criteria when completing the application
start filling in the application early to ensure you can submit it before the deadline
check the word limit on questions before preparing your answers
hit ‘save’ regularly on your application to ensure you don’t lose the information you have entered or copy over the information you have prepared earlier in a Word document to quicken the process.

Why are some applications not successful? How do I increase my chances of success? Can I receive feedback if my grant application is not successful?

Most grant programs, with the exception of a few, are competitive programs. This means you are competing against other applicants for the same pool of funds.

For this Grant Program, please note that only applications that meet all the eligibility criteria will be assessed. Those that meet the selection criteria (available in the grant guidelines) to the highest level will have the greatest chance of funding.

You can increase your chance of success by checking the below.

Have you assessed your eligibility before applying? It is critical that you read the grant guidelines before starting your application.
Is your explanation of your event clear?
Have you added items to the budget that will help create impact or show value for money? Or have you included items that are not permissible (e.g., staff wages, alcohol)? The grant guidelines state what the grant funding can and cannot go towards.

General advice for grant writing is available, via Business Queensland, here.

Applications submitted for the QMHW Community Events Grant Program are judged by Assessment Panels whose members are bound by confidentiality. The recommendations of the Assessment Panel are provided to the Queensland Mental Health Commission for approval as the final decision-maker. All decisions made by the Queensland Mental Health Commission are final.

Please note that individual feedback cannot be provided to applicants due to the volume of applications received. A feedback summary will be published on the QMHW website.

Why does my state school have to apply via our Parents and Citizen association or be auspiced by another non-government organisation?

Under this Grant Program, a state, territory or Australian Government agency/entity is ineligible to apply for funding.

Parents and Citizens associations are organisations set up to support schools. Many of them are registered charities. You can search the Charity Register to find out if your Parents and Citizens association is registered as a charity with the ACNC.

Therefore, state schools may choose to work with their Parents and Citizens association or another auspicing non-government organisation to organise an event and apply for this grant funding.

If you are a school staff member working with your Parents and Citizens association on the grant application, please ensure the name of the organisation and ABN listed in the application are for your Parents and Citizens association and you can get a Parents and Citizens association office bearer to sign the final certification page.

For schools who want to join together to host an event, please note that Parents and Citizens associations may also develop partnerships with other Parents and Citizens association and submit an application that reflects these arrangements. This type of collaboration is highly encouraged.

When will I know the outcome of my application?

You will be notified of the outcome of your application at the end of the selection and assessment process via email. For probity reasons, to treat all applicants fairly and equally, it is not possible to give you information about the status of individual applications during the selection and assessment process.

It is estimated that applicants will be notified of whether they are successful approximately 8-10 weeks from the application closing date.

How else can I fund my event?

If you are ineligible to apply for a grant, or your application for funding is declined, remember that other sources of funding may be available. Below are several ideas.

Sell tickets. Using an event-ticketing platform like Eventbrite you can start selling tickets long in advance of your planned event date.
Charge exhibition space. In the same way, you can sell tickets in advance of your event, you can also pre-sell exhibition stands and take deposits from exhibitors.
Seek sponsorship from local businesses.
Partner with another organisation to split the event costs.
Consider contra deals. For example, a newspaper that is organising a community event could offer a catering company free print advertising in exchange for providing light refreshments.
Host a fundraiser.
Choose a community-minded venue or free online platform. Some venues might be willing to discount or even donate their space to be associated with a good cause.
See if there is a Queensland Government grant you are eligible for with their Grants Finder.
Contact your local council to see what grants they offer.