Veteran Wellbeing Grants Program

The VWG program is a targeted competitive program that accepts applications annually, and is an amalgamation of the Veteran and Community Grants (V&CG) program and Supporting Younger Veterans (SYV) grants program.

For the objectives and outcomes of the VWG program, it aims to benefit all veterans and families. However, consideration will be applied for activities that specifically benefit the younger veteran cohort.

The objectives of the program are to:

• maintain and improve the independence and quality of life for members of the veteran community by providing funding for projects that sustain or enhance health and social wellbeing
• deliver services to the veteran community that build community capacity for the future that is not already provided by Commonwealth or state funding
• expand on existing services offered to veterans in new regions within Australia or in the development of new services that will be offered in more than one location
• raise awareness of the important issues faced by the veteran community.

The intended outcomes of the program are to deliver projects that:

• fund organisations that can sustainably deliver services to the veteran community now and into the future
• increase opportunities for members of the veteran community to engage in social and community activities and/or improve health behaviours and support healthy places
• support the development of well-researched and tailored services for veterans, with a particular focus on services supporting those at risk of experiencing poor mental health
• increase collaboration amongst organisations to expand services and harness existing expertise for the benefit of the veteran community
• increase awareness of veterans’ issues and/or services within the veteran community.

The program will consist of one annual grant opportunity offering 2 streams of grants:

• Stream A Small Grants - Up to $50,000 - local and community-based practical projects and activities that support safe, accessible environments for veterans and their families to enable social connection and positive engagement to improve wellbeing are encouraged.
• Stream B Large Grants - $50,001 to $150,000, large projects that deliver practical wellbeing support services and activities of broad-scale benefit to veterans and families in the community are encouraged.

For Stream B grants of $100,000 or higher, measurable targets to meet the objectives and outcomes will be included as an expectation in reporting requirements. This will include targets such as the achievement of:

• >85% of project goals achieved
• >75% of participants completed the whole activity
• >50% of feedback sought from veteran participants, with 95% positive feedback
• >50% of participating veteran participants with demonstrated improvements against program objectives as appropriate. Note: a benchmark measurement will need to be taken at the start of the activity
• <10% variance on forecast costs.

For this grant opportunity, applicants may apply for up to 2 grants for 2 separate projects. Only one application, per stream, per applicant is allowed. Applicants cannot apply for a project in their own right and as the lead member of a consortium for the same or different project, whether delivered in the same location or different locations. Funding will not be provided under more than one stream for any single project.

Previously funded activities are eligible under VWG; however, it is an expectation of DVA that significant enhancements to the original application will be required for an application to be competitive.