The Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC), and Tandem would like to announce that funding from the Department of Health and Human Services is available for organisations and small groups in culturally and linguistically diverse communities for work relating to mental wellbeing and mental ill-health in those communities.
The program will run between now and 31 December 2018. VMIAC and Tandem are co-ordinating the program on behalf of the Department. They are working in partnership with Victorian Transcultural Mental Health, and the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria. The 2016-17 State Budget provided funding of $1.013 million over two years for the grants program. The program closes at 31 December 2018.
Applications are now welcome and will close on 28 July 2017.
Tandem and VMIAC are calling for a range of proposals that will build capacity to support the mental health needs of culturally and linguistically diverse people, which includes immigrant and refugee communities.
The program aims to assist those experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, mental ill-health, their families and carers, and their wider community and aims to assist people of all ages within these communities, including those living in rural Victoria, to:
- Identify and build protective factors (things that increase resilience) and reduce risk factors for mental ill-health and trauma that are culturally responsive and safe. These can be at the individual, family or community level.
- Reduce stigma and discrimination associated with mental ill-health (taking into account cultural understandings of mental ill-health).
- Build capacity for: self-determination and management of a mental health condition; enhancing family and carer wellbeing; advocacy for individual and broader community needs; and understanding and navigating the mental health service system.
- Better understand mental wellbeing, mental ill-health and the impacts of trauma (often called ‘mental health literacy’).
Proposals can request a contribution from the program of up to $80,000.
Applications can be for smaller amounts.Non-governmental organisations, community organisations/groups, local government agencies, are welcome to apply. Applicants must possess the operational and financial ability to carry out the tasks that they propose.
Project applications that propose partnerships between community and other organisations, such as local government or NGOs, are welcomed. There can be multiple implementing partners and associates for a project.
VMIAC and Tandem are eager to ensure that these grants are accessible to all sections of Victoria’s community, and that no one is excluded by the difficulty of making a submission. For general enquiries, and assistance with applications, community members and organisations are welcome to be in contact before applying.
Please contact Neil Turton-Lane at VMIAC on neil.turton-lane@vmiac.org.au or 9380 3900, or Anne Finch at Tandem on anne.finch@tandemcarers.org.au or 8803 5511 for further information.
Submissions are now open. Guidelines and the application form are available at: tandemcarers.org.au/cald-grants