2023-24 Return to Work Pathways Program

2023-24 Return to Work Pathways Program

This program funds NSW organisations to implement projects that support women from focus communities who are experiencing persistent barriers to employment.

Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: From $100,000 to $250,000
  • Application opened: 12 February 2024
  • Application closed: 11 March 2024

Program objective

The Return to Work Pathways Program (RTWPP) supports women from focus communities gain increased work readiness and to secure sustainable employment. The RTWPP delivers on NSW Government priorities including the NSW Women’s Strategy 2023 - 2026.

The primary objective of the RTWPP is to reduce barriers for women to enter or re-enter the workforce.  The RTWPP will address the needs of women experiencing complex and persistent barriers to employment, and support women to gain increased work readiness, confidence and employment.

A variety of bespoke and tailored projects will be funded to provide wraparound supports including training, mentoring and pathways to employment. Projects will be targeted to focus communities, responding to their specific needs, life stages and circumstances.

The 2024 RTWPP grant round targets seven focus communities which were less represented in the projects funded under the 2023 grant round.

This program is funded and administered by Women NSW.

Eligibility

Who can apply

Applicants must be a legally constituted Australian-based entity. This includes:

  • incorporated not-for-profit organisations, including community organisations
  • industry bodies and the private sector working in partnership with the community or government on projects directly supporting women and girls
  • local councils and shires, including regional organisations of councils and consortia of councils.
  • social enterprises, defined as a business that trades primarily for a defined social purpose consistent with a public and/or community benefit

Not-for-profit bodies are organisations that are registered and approved as not-for-profit bodies by NSW Fair Trading, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) or Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC). They can include:

  • charities, trusts, and cooperatives that are registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
  • organisations with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) or Public Benevolent Institution status
  • not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee and registered in NSW (these must have ACNC registration and or DGR status) 
  • associations (registered under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 and with NSW Fair Trading)
  • Local Aboriginal Land Councils
  • religious organisations
  • organisations established under an Act of Parliament.

Note: Organisations listed on the ACNC Register must have a current and up to date record.

An application must be made by a single organisation that will accept responsibility for the delivery of the project if the application is successful.

Section 355 committees must submit applications under the relevant local council name.

Who the grant is targeted towards

Focus Communities

The target group for the program is women who face enduring and complex barriers to enter or re-enter the workforce.

In addition, projects funded under the 2024 RTWPP need to specifically target and support one of the following focus communities:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls
  • lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer and/or asexual (LGBTIQA+) women and girls 
  • women and girls with disability 
  • women and girls with mental illness
  • women and girls living in regional, rural and remote areas
  • women veterans
  • women and girls in contact with the criminal justice system

Only one application for funding will be accepted per organisation per project.

Types of projects funded under this grant

The RTWPP will fund a variety of models and funding will vary according to the proposed model and corresponding extent of services to be provided, in response to focus community's needs.

Funding for projects will vary within the range of $100,000 - $250,000 depending on the project model, the number of participants to be supported, and the level and intensity of services and supports provided to participants.

Projects should provide a model delivering some or all the following components, with a minimum of two service components required.  Supports can include, but are not limited to the following: 

  • Tailored wraparound supports - Supported referrals to services, career coaching and guidance, other support activities, and programs to build confidence.  Time-limited support following participant’s employment.
  • Mentoring - Provide mentoring using a suitable mentoring model, this may include peer and volunteer mentoring.
  • Training - Provide appropriate training programs in a variety of formats responding to participants needs.  Supported referral to other training and education options as required.
  • Work readiness - Pre-employment training, work readiness skills training and coaching to build participants' capability and confidence.
  • Pathways to employment - Facilitated employment opportunities using models such as job placement, paid traineeships and other programs that offer established pipelines to employment.
  • Engagement of employers - Partnering with employers to facilitate employment options for participants and for employers to create supportive environments.

Who can’t apply

Funding will not be provided to:

  • individuals or groups of individuals, including sole traders
  • unincorporated organisations
  • for profit commercial organisations and entities
  • sub-contractors – either for program management or for project delivery on behalf of non-eligible organisations
  • NSW Government or Australian Government agencies or their entities (including public trusts).

Most recent recipients

All recipients (8)

What your application needs to include

1

Prepare your application with this checklist

Download the full Program Guidelines

Make sure you have the following items at hand before you start your application:

  • proof of legal status as a not-for-profit organisation or a Section 355 committee under the Local Government Act 1993
  • relevant insurance documentation, including a valid Certificate of Currency for Public Liability Insurance with a minimum cover of $10 million in the name of the applicant.
  • evidence of income from other sources, including cash and in-kind.
2

Address the eligibility criteria

Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.

Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.

3

Address the assessment criteria

Eligibility

Your project must meet the eligibility criteria.

Eligible organisations must meet the following assessment criteria to be considered for funding:

Relevant and evidence-based

Your project must:

  • have a clear and well-refined problem statement, that identifies the needs of the nominated focus communities of women that will be addressed through your project
  • clearly outline how the project approach and service delivery model are supported by evidence or leading practice
  • provide a relevant, feasible and evidence-based proposal for how the project will respond to the needs of women experiencing complex barriers to employment

Effective service delivery model

Your project must:

  • have a well-developed service delivery model for the nominated focus community that set out the types, level, and intensity of supports to be provided to participants and provides a rationale and costings for the model

Project partnerships and engagement

Your project must:

  • outline the partnerships and community engagement required to support the project, and clearly outline partner contributions
  • demonstrate effective referral pathways with relevant services and community organisations
  • demonstrate an approach to engaging employers or existing partnerships with employers and businesses
  • demonstrate well-established connections with the nominated focus community

Project delivery and outcomes

The project must:

  • set out clearly defined outcomes and how they will be measured and evaluated
  • have an evaluation strategy with clear metrics for measuring success in achieving identified program outcomes
  • provide a clear plan for delivering the project which sets out key project activities and milestones 
  • provide specific timeframes and milestones for each activity or deliverable.

Organisational capacity

You must:

  • demonstrate that your organisation has the appropriate skills and expertise to deliver the project, including prior experience delivering similar project activities and outcomes
  • demonstrate capacity to provide ongoing value beyond the funding provided under the Return to Work Pathways Program

Value for money

  • Projects must represent value for money in terms of both overall costs, and the value of the outcomes and benefits that will be delivered. 
  • The proposal must outline how many women will benefit from the project and how the proposed service model represents value for money. 
  • Applications will receive a higher score for this criterion if your project delivers a benefit to a greater number of women compared to a project with similar delivery costs, that provides a similar level of benefit, but to a smaller number of women. 
  • Recognition of women with complex needs: Higher cost models for women with complex needs should be clearly outlined and costed, including evidence that supports the model.

Start the application

Key dates

  • Monday 12 February 2024 – Grant applications open
  • Monday 11 March 2024 (11:59pm AEST) – Grant applications close
  • May 2024 – Notification of outcome to all applicants
  • May / June 2024 – Contracting with successful applicants
  • May / June 2024 – Public announcement of grant recipients and feedback to all applicants
  • Mid June 2024 – Project implementation period commences

Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.


Apply now

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: NSW Minister for Women

The assessment process is competitive. Your application must clearly demonstrate how your project addresses the assessment criteria and compares to other applications. The assessment panel will consider all elements of your project equally.

Please note that there can be no assumed knowledge. The assessment panel can only consider the information provided in your application. Successful applications will be assessed based on a scoring system drawn from the assessment criteria in the program guidelines. Consideration is made based on a distribution of projects across focus communities and geographic spread.

All applications are assessed through the staged process as outlined below:

Stage 1

All submitted applications are initially reviewed to ensure compliance with mandatory eligibility criteria and required documentation.

All submitted grant applications will be assessed against eligibility criteria, prioritisation, and assessment criteria.

Stage 2

An assessment panel will assess all eligible applications against the assessment criteria. The panel consists of qualified and experienced representatives, and may include Women NSW staff, representatives of Government agencies, and representatives from the private sector.

Stage 3

The assessment panel makes their recommendations to the decision maker, the NSW Minister for Women, who then makes the final decision.

The Minister for Women is the final decision maker in determining the successful grant recipients.

Applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of the assessment process.

Support and contact

Please ensure you complete your application by 11:59pm on 11 March 2024 as the grant will close exactly at midnight.  Late applications will not be accepted.

Resources

The following resource is provided to applicants preparing an application for the 2024 Return to Work Pathways Program:

If you have any questions about these grants, please contact WNSWGrants@premiersdepartment.nsw.gov.au

For queries about the online grant management system, Smarty Grants, please contact the support team at: 

Available to help Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (Australian Eastern Standard time).

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