SEDI First Nations Grants
The answers below are specific to the SEDI First Nations Grants program and may differ from the SEDI Grants program.
What are SEDI First Nations Grants?
SEDI First Nations Grants support eligible First Nations enterprises that are Indigenous-owned or controlled organisations with a social benefit, to build capability and grow their impact. Grant funds are to be used to purchase capability services from Capability Providers and other businesses, such as financial services, evaluation and impact measurement, business consulting and legal advice. Up to 20% of grant funds can be used to cover internal costs that are necessary to purchase and manage these services.
How much is a SEDI First Nations Grant worth?
The amount awarded will be determined by the capability services your enterprise requires, the Capability Provider costs and your organisation’s internal costs to purchase those services.
A grant will not be valued at more than your annual revenue. The maximum value of a grant is $120,000 and the minimum value is $50,000.
When are SEDI First Nations Grant applications due?
The SEDI First Nations Grant applications are considered on a rolling basis, so you are welcome to submit your grant application at any time. Your application will then be assessed at an upcoming SEDI First Nations Grants Assessment Panel meeting.
We anticipate the SEDI First Nations Grant applications will remain open through to early 2027. Updates to timeframe will be published on IIA website.
Are SEDI First Nations Grants repayable?
In general, SEDI First Nations Grants are not repayable. However, funds not spent in accordance with the Grant Agreement will be repayable.
Under special circumstances, a Grant Agreement may include conditions where part of the grant is repayable if defined performance thresholds are not met. These conditions would be negotiated between the SEDI First Nations Grants team at Impact Investing Australia (IIA) and the enterprise. Details are determined on a case-by-case basis.
Do I need to partner with a Capability Provider before applying?
Yes. It is important that you start engaging with your preferred Capability Provider/s early – before submitting your grant application. You will need to identify in your application the providers that you would engage if you receive a grant. An applicant can have up to three providers.
There are no ‘approved’ SEDI First Nations Grant Capability Providers. The Capability Providers listed on IIA’s website have not been pre-qualified by IIA. We strongly recommend you carry out your own research on the suitability of any provider.
How can I find and engage with a Capability Provider?
Finding the right Capability Provider who understands your social enterprise and can offer the services and support you need is essential. Capability Providers should have prior experience with capability services. For services outside a provider’s expertise, you can subcontract a second or third provider.
For example, your lead Capability Provider might help you develop an Impact Measurement Framework, while you subcontract an accounting firm to support your financial management and reporting requirements.
By the time you apply, you will be required to describe what services you require to build capability and grow your impact and who your Capability Providers will be. These can be reviewed and changed after you receive a grant. Any changes need to be discussed with IIA.
Who can be a Capability Provider?
Capability Providers can be organisations or individuals that offer capability services, such as financial advice, evaluation and impact measurement, business consulting or legal advice, that will help your enterprise build capability and grow your impact.
Can I receive a SEDI First Nations Grant and also act as a provider for another organisation receiving a SEDI First Nations Grant?
Generally, no. Organisations with the same control or ownership cannot receive a SEDI First Nations Grant and act as a provider to another SEDI-funded organisation.
If you have previously received a SEDI Grant and have concluded your grant activities, then yes, you can act as a Capability Provider to another SEDI-funded organisation. However, in order to be a Capability Provider, you must be operating as a Capability Provider.
In special circumstances where there is common ownership but separate companies operating independently, exemptions may be considered.
What is an Expression of Interest (EOI)?
An EOI is an online questionnaire to indicate your interest in applying for a SEDI First Nations Grant and complete the eligibility assessment.
The EOI process helps the SEDI First Nations Grants Team determine whether you are eligible for a grant. Once you submit your EOI, you will be prompted to book a phone call with a team member to discuss your eligibility and ask questions. If eligible, an online grant application form will be shared with you.
What is the difference between an EOI and an application?
An EOI is used to assess your eligibility for a SEDI First Nations Grant. It is not a grant application. A grant application is a comprehensive and detailed proposal outlining your enterprise’s activities, areas of impact and overall purpose. You only complete a grant application after passing the EOI stage.
What is a beneficiary?
A beneficiary is an individual, group, or community that benefits from the positive outcomes your enterprise creates.
How should a successful grant applicant measure and explain their social outcomes?
A successful grant applicant needs to be able to explain the social outcomes they create and demonstrate how those outcomes are achieved. Refer to the approved Department of Social Services outcome areas for guidance.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Grant recipients need to have a method and metrics in place that best suit their enterprise. Once approved, grant recipients must develop and submit an Impact Measurement Framework and a Business Plan as part of their grant-funded activities (if they do not already have one).
An Impact Measurement Framework will:
- Define the intended impacts of your enterprise’s activities
- Define the theory of change through which impact will be created
- Establish valid and reliable indicators to measure and report on impact
A Business Plan could include:
- Strategic objectives
- Operational goals
- Financial plans
- Risk assessment and approach
What if I already have an Impact Measurement Framework or Business Plan?
If you already have either or both of these documents, grant funds can be used to review and strengthen them if needed. Otherwise, you will need to identify other capability services you require in the grant application form.
If other capability services are required beyond the standard list, the SEDI First Nations Grants Assessment Panel will consider which services will be included in your Grant Agreement.
What are capability services?
Capability services are the services and support you will purchase from a Capability Provider/s using your grant funds to help your enterprise grow its impact. You must allocate a cost/budget to these services. The total budget should equal the grant amount you are requesting.
Services can include:
- Governance and board development
- Cultural governance and ICIP
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- Indigenous procurement readiness
- Workforce development
- Organisational strategy
- Systems implementation
- IT/HR/finance/inventory/accounting
- Financial management and reporting
- Marketing strategy and materials
- Social procurement strategies
- Investor or grant readiness
- Introductions to impact investors or philanthropists
- Operations support to help you grow your impact
- Other capability services to help you grow your impact
- Internal costs necessary to purchase capability-building services (up to a maximum of 20% of total grant funding)
This list is flexible. You can include services not listed if they will help you grow your impact. Services, providers and budget can be changed after a grant is awarded, subject to SEDI First Nations Grants Team approval. Note: No extra funding will be provided.
How will the grant funds be paid?
Grant funds are paid in two instalments:
- 90% upfront – paid once the Grant Agreement is signed, approximately 10 weeks after the application round closes
- 10% at the end (acquittal payment) – paid once grant activities have been successfully completed and acquitted
Can an enterprise use grant funds to pay internal costs?
Yes. Up to 20% of the total grant amount can be used to cover internal costs that are necessary to purchase capability services. For example, time spent by staff coordinating grant activities.
The remainder must be spent on purchasing capability services from your Capability Provider/s.
What is an acquittal payment?
The acquittal payment is the final 10% of your total grant. It is paid when your capability services are completed, and your Impact Measurement Framework, Business Plans and other acquittal documentation have been developed and then approved by the SEDI First Nations Grants Team.
For example: a social enterprise awarded a $90,000 grant receives $81,000 upfront and $9,000 at the end upon successful acquittal.
How does a successful grant recipient acquit the funds?
At the end of the project – which must be completed within six months of being awarded a grant – you will be required to acquit the funds and provide evidence of the mandatory outcomes in your Grant Agreement. This includes completing your capability services and developing an Impact Measurement Framework and Business Plan.
Am I eligible for a SEDI First Nations Grant?
To be eligible, your organisation must be at least 50–51% Indigenous owned and/or controlled (depending on your organisation type), operating in Australia and already trading with more than $35,000 in trading revenue per year.
There are three types of eligible organisations:
- Indigenous community-controlled organisation – at least 51% Indigenous owned and controlled, incorporated and not-for-profit
- Owned and operated Indigenous organisation – at least 51% Indigenous owned and controlled
- ‘Other’ Indigenous organisation – at least 50% Indigenous owned or controlled
Your organisation must also be a First Nations social enterprise – meaning you trade goods or services and direct your efforts and profits toward community benefit, whether through employment, training, delivering services, cultural outcomes, or re-investing back into community.
If your organisation does not meet these definitions, you will need to consider the SEDI Grants program open to all types of social enterprises (rather than the SEDI First Nations Grants First Nations program).
What is the difference between the two grants?
There are two different types of SEDI Grants: (1) SEDI Grants and (2) SEDI First Nations Grants.
SEDI Grants are open to all eligible social enterprises, including non-Indigenous organisations.
Key difference:
- The minimum trading revenue for this grant is $50,000 per year.
- Government contracts awarded through competitive tenders or procurements cannot be considered as trade.
SEDI First Nations Grants are specifically for Indigenous-owned and/or controlled social enterprises. These grants have been designed with First Nations ways of working in mind, with First Nations expertise embedded in the assessment process.
Key difference:
- The minimum trading revenue for this program is $35,000 per year, and the total minimum annual revenue is $50,000.
- Government contracts awarded through competitive tenders or procurements can be considered as trading revenue.
Both types of grants are valued at between $50,000 and $120,000.
Should I apply for a SEDI First Nations Grant or a SEDI Grant?
If your organisation is at least 50–51% Indigenous owned and/or controlled and meets the SEDI First Nations Grants eligibility criteria, we encourage you to apply for that grant.
If you are unsure which grant is right for you, reach out to the SEDI First Nations Grants Team at SEDIgrants@impactinvestingaustralia.com. We are happy to discuss this with you before you submit your Expression of Interest (EOI).
How will my application be assessed and who will assess it?
Applications are assessed by an Assessment Panel against the eligibility criteria and the strength of your Capability Plan. The panel includes people with experience in First Nations organisations, social enterprises, businesses, governance and finance. 50% or more of the panel members will be First Nations people, bringing a range of lived experience, professional expertise and community perspectives to the assessment process.
This is a competitive process. Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee you will receive a grant.
What is considered as trading revenue?
Trading revenue is money your enterprise earns from selling goods or services to customers in a repeatable way.
Trading revenue includes:
- Sales of products or services to customers
- Government contracts won through competitive tender or procurement
Trading revenue does not include:
- Donations
- Philanthropic grants
- Gifts
- Short-term government grants
To be eligible for a SEDI First Nations Grant, your trading revenue must be at least $35,000 per year.
How is trading revenue different from turnover?
Turnover is the total income your organisation receives from grants, donations, government funding and trading revenue.
Trading revenue is the portion earned through selling goods or services – a subset of your total turnover.
For example: if you receive $80,000 in total ($50,000 from a government grant and $30,000 from product sales) your turnover is $80,000 but your trading revenue is $30,000. For a SEDI First Nations Grant, your trading revenue must exceed $35,000.
How do I choose a Capability Provider that is First Nations-led and/or has experience working with First Nations enterprises?
Choosing the right Capability Provider is one of the most important decisions you will make. When looking for a provider, we encourage you to consider:
- Do they have experience working with First Nations enterprises or communities
- Do they understand your community context and cultural ways of working
- Are they First Nations-led or do they have strong First Nations partnerships
- Can they show you examples of similar work they’ve done
- What are the combined skills needed I.e understanding of delivering impact, how to operate in the context of a social enterprise that has to balance running a sustainable business with delivering impact.
- Are they available and able to work within your timeframe
You can have up to three Capability Providers and they can subcontract specialists for specific services. There are no pre-approved Capability Providers for SEDI Grants and SEDI First Nations Grants. You should choose who is right for you.
How will my data be used and will I benefit from it?
Your information will be used to assess applications, manage grants and help improve future grant rounds. Information shared after each grant round may include common strengths, areas for improvement and lessons learned, without identifying individual organisations or applications.
How will my Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDS) and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) be protected?
We recognise the importance of protecting Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDS) and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP).
Your ICIP always remains your own. It is not transferred to IIA, the Department of Social Services or other program partners. Information and project materials are only used to deliver, administer, monitor and evaluate the program, and cannot be commercialised.
Any ICIP and culturally sensitive information will be handled in line with relevant ICIP principles and cultural protocols, including respecting cultural ownership and the appropriate use of Indigenous knowledge.