Archived Grant Opportunity View - GO2479

The Australian Government is inviting applications through a targeted, non-competitive process to apply to deliver services under the Assistance and Other Compensation for Veterans and Dependants Program – Payments to Ex-Service Organisations (ESOs) sub-program – Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) Activity. 

The BEST program (the program) forms part of the Government’s commitment to support the role of ex-service organisation (ESO) pension and welfare practitioners and advocates, who provide advice and assistance to the veteran and defence communities. It also links closely to the Advocacy Training and Development Program (ATDP), which provides the essential skills for claims, advocacy and welfare work.

BEST is intended to assist the veteran and defence communities by providing support and resources to ESO practitioners for pensions, advocacy and/or welfare work. It assists ESOs by providing a contribution to the work of these practitioners. It does not fully fund an organisation.

The objectives of the program are to assist ESOs to:

• improve the quality of claims received by DVA at the primary determining level

• reduce the rate of appeals to the Veterans’ Review Board (VRB) and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)

• promote the provision of welfare services to the veteran and defence community.

To be eligible you must be an incorporated and bona fide ex-service organisation (ESO).

To be considered for a grant, you must meet the following criteria:

• the organisational eligibility criteria

• the amount requested must be for eligible grant activities and items as outlined at Sections 5.1, 5.2 and Appendix A of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines

• all identified workload is undertaken by practitioners with up-to-date Training and Information Program (TIP) / Advocacy Training and Development Program (ATDP) training

• all previous grants have been acquitted (if applicable).

To be eligible, an ESO must be one of the following entity types as stated in the dropdown list in the application form:

• Company

• Cooperative

• Corporate State or Territory Entity

• Indigenous Corporation

• Incorporated Association

• Partnership

• Statutory Entity

• Trustee on behalf of a Trust

ESOs can choose to apply as one of two applicant types:

1. An ESO applying in their own right for funding for their own organisation.

2. An ESO applying for funding as a sponsor on behalf of one or more ESOs that may or may not be incorporated.

You are not eligible to apply if you:

• are not incorporated

• are not a bona fide ESO

• are not an eligible entity as per the list above

• receive funding from another government source for the same purpose as the project proposed under this grant opportunity.

You are also not eligible to apply if you are:

• Corporate Commonwealth Entity

• Non-Corporate Commonwealth Entity

• Non-Corporate Commonwealth Statutory Authority

• Commonwealth Company

• Non-corporate State or Territory Entity

• Non-corporate State or Territory Statutory Authority

• Local Government

• International Entity

• Sole Trader

• Person

• Unincorporated Association

We cannot fund applications from an organisation that has outstanding acquittals for any previous BEST funding. 

To apply go to the application form here