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Read these grant guidelines before you apply. The grant guidelines include important information about this grant category including what you can use the grant for and the criteria used by the General Grants Advisory Committee to assess your application.

1. What is the objective of the Planning Assistance grant category?

To assist community broadcasting organisations in Australia with financial sustainability planning, through grants toward the development of strategic, operational and/or business plans for long term organisation development.

This grant category aims to help community broadcasting organisations develop detailed plans toward future growth. This may include marketing plans, financial plans and detailed business development plans. Your organisation may already have a functional strategic plan outlining your organisation’s vision; this grant category is intended to assist with the development of operational or staged plans, activities to meet the aims identified in your strategic plan, and strategies or activities which will progress your plan to the next level.

You may wish to apply under other CBF grant categories (such as General grants and/or Sustainability & Development grants) to support implementation of your plan should you require salary subsidies, equipment, fundraising, promotional activities or other resources to carry out future plans.

2. Who is eligible to apply?

• a community broadcasting station with a long-term or a temporary licence
• state, regional and national community broadcasting associations

Applicants must be non-profit organisations that are incorporated.

A station with a temporary licence must have been on air for at least two years cumulatively prior to applying.

3. How much can you apply for?

Up to $8,000. Only one application per organisation will be accepted.

4. What are the priorities in this grant category?

We will prioritise:

• Organisations with an average income less than $300,000 per annum over the past three years. The CBF takes into account income from all sources, including other CBF grants;
• Organisations with cash reserves of less than $100,000;
• Applications where it is demonstrated that your organisation or project partners are contributing in cash or in kind, such as through fundraising or volunteer labour;
• Applications that describe a process for 3-5 year delivery of outcomes; and
• Applications which develop skills within your organisation to maintain planning processes for future revision.

5. What can you use the grant for?

To fund any part of the development of strategic, operational and business plans as required for your organisation. For example costs may include consultants and facilitators, meeting venues, software, references and resources, project management.

If you are considering using a facilitator, this list of suppliers might be helpful to find a consultant with some background knowledge of the community broadcasting and/or not for profit sector.

6. What can't you use the grant for?

• Grants more appropriately funded through other CBF grant opportunities
• Equipment you have already contracted to purchase
• Any portion of relocation costs, building purchase and capital works

7. What does the Grants Advisory Committee look at when assessing your application?

Applications will be competitively assessed and prioritised according to the following assessment criteria: 

8. What should you include in the application?

• Quotes from suppliers (if relevant).

• Most recent Annual Report with audited financial statements, even if you have previously supplied this information to the CBF in other grant applications.