Veterans' and Families' Hubs Program Expression of Interest and Business Case – Bendigo

⁠⁠⁠This grant opportunity forms part of the Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs Program. The Australian Government has committed $5 million to establish a new Veterans’ and Families’ Hub in the Bendigo region of Victoria.

Since 2019, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) has provided funding to a number of organisations to establish a national network of Veterans’ and Families’ Hubs (Hubs), with the locations selected by the Australian Government. The network has continued to expand as a result of further Australian Government commitments and funding tranches since the inception of the Program.

Hubs focus on coordinating services and support to improve or help maintain the wellbeing of veterans and their families. Hubs facilitate access to integrated, coordinated wellbeing services tailored to the unique needs of the veterans and families living in the Hubs’ regions.

This grant opportunity is intended to be delivered with a grant to a single lead organisation to develop and operate a ‘full-service’ Hub in the Bendigo region. This grant opportunity is not intended to fund multiple smaller projects or ‘hub like’ facilities.

You can find out more information about Hubs on the DVA website at dva.gov.au/vfhubs or via the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply, you must meet the criteria set out at sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

Section 4.1 requirements

An organisation must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN);
• be registered for the purposes of GST;
• have an account with an Australian financial institution;
• be one of the following entity types;
• a company incorporated in Australia;
• an incorporated association;
• an Australian local government body;
• a body corporate established by legislation;
• an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006.

If you are applying as a Trustee on behalf of a Trust, the Trustee must have an eligible entity type as listed above (in section 4.1).

Section 4.2 requirements

An organisation must:

• be an ex-service organisation (ESO) or a veteran-aware community organisation; and
• have existing infrastructure and/or relationships with the veteran community, ESOs, community organisations and local businesses, to support the grant activity; or
• be able to demonstrate that your organisation will be able to develop the above capabilities or relationships prior to service commencement.

Refer to section 4.2 for further information on these organisational requirements.

Grant Activity Timeframe:

The total grant amount of $5.0 million (GST exclusive) is available over a four-year period from 2025-26 to 2028-29. No further funding will be available.

Total Amount Available (AUD):

$5,000,000.00

Instructions for Application Submission:

This grant opportunity is being delivered via two stages:

1. An open competitive Expression of Interest (EOI) process; and
2. A targeted, non-competitive Business Case process.

All eligible organisations (or consortiums) wishing to apply must submit an EOI by the closing date. Following the assessment of EOIs, one organisation (or consortium) will be invited to develop a Business Case for establishment and delivery of the Bendigo Hub.

Refer to the Grant Opportunity Guidelines for the requirements for an EOI. A template for EOI submissions is available at Appendix A. EOIs are to be submitted via email to VeteransAndFamiliesHubs@dva.gov.au.

Other Instructions:

Instructions on how to submit a Business Case will be provided directly to the organisation (or consortium) invited to develop a Business Case.