C2006-35 Good Practice Grants Administration

This circular is to advise agencies that the Good Practice Guide to Grants Administration can be accessed at GrantsAdministration

Getting grants administration right is an essential part of ensuring that the relationship between the Government and non-government organisations works well for the benefit of the community. The Guide contains good practice, tools and resources for agencies to adopt to ensure a consistent cross-government approach to grants administration in NSW.

The guidelines are primarily aimed at agencies managing community grants programs, however, the principles, good practice and many of the process templates can be easily customised to meet the requirements of service funding programs.

The Guide is the product of the Grants Administration Review conducted by the Premier's Department in consultation with grant giving agencies and the Non-Government Sector. It provides an operating framework for NSW agencies to develop, document and publicise their grants administration practice for each step in the grants administration cycle to: plan and design a grants program; promote a grants program; receive and process grants applications; offer grants and enter into a funding agreement; monitor and acquit grants; and evaluate a grants program.

The model grants application form developed by the Grants Administration Review in 2004 and provided to the human services agencies for implementation has been updated consistent with the model templates now provided for project planning and monitoring and acquittal processes provided in the Guide.

The Good Practice Guide for Grants Administration also provides electronic links to information on types of grants, recipients of grants, available community grants programs, principles for the working and funding relationship between the Government and grants recipients and related Government polices and procedures.

Col Gellatly
Director-General