Glossary of terms - Grants

Accountable authority

See subsection 12(2) of the PGPA Act

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Activity

Means the activity described in the Grant Details and includes the provisions of the Reporting Material

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Activity Completion Date

Means the date or event specified in the Grant Details

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Activity Material

Means any Material, other than Reporting Material, created or developed by the Grantee as a result of the Activity and includes any Existing Material that is incorporated in or supplied with the Activity Material

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Administering entity

When an entity that is not responsible for the policy, is responsible for the administration of part or all of the grant administration processes

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Agreement

Means the Grant Details, Supplementary Terms (if any), the Commonwealth Standard Grant Conditions and any other document referenced or incorporated in the Grant Details

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Agreement End Date

Means the date or event specified in the Grant Details

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Application process

Refers to the steps that must be by followed potential grantees to be considered for a grant. It includes the forms, and written documentation, which contain eligibility and any assessment criteria to be satisfied

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Arrangement

Includes a contract, agreement, deed or understanding (see subsection 23(2).

Assessment criteria

The specified principles or standards, against which applications will be judged. These criteria are also used to assess the merits of proposals and, in the case of a competitive grant opportunity, to determine application rankings

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Australian Privacy Principle

has the same meaning as in the Privacy Act 1988

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Authority

Means the legal authority (whether expressed or implied) to exercise a power or function that can be given directly through legislation (e.g. accountable authorities’ powers under section 23 of the PGPA Act, section 32B of the Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Act 1997 or other specific legislation) or through a delegation or authorisation.

Beneficiaries

Include the individuals/organisations which directly or indirectly receive a gain or benefit from the grant activity

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Change in the Control

Means any change in any person(s) who directly exercise effective control over the Grantee

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Commencement date

Expected start date for the grant activity

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Commonwealth entity

Department of State, or a Parliamentary Department, or a listed entity or a body corporate established by a law of the Commonwealth. See subsections 10(1) and (2) of the PGPA Act

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Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines 2017 (CGRGs)

Establish the overarching Commonwealth grants policy framework and articulate the expectations for all non-corporate Commonwealth entities in relation to grants administration. Under this overarching framework, non-corporate Commonwealth entities undertake grants administration based on the mandatory requirements and key principles of grants administration. 

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Commonwealth Procurement Rules

CPRs) establish the Government’s policy framework under which entities govern and undertake their own procurement. The CPRs set down the rules for Australian Government procurement and articulate the requirements for officials performing duties in relation to procurement.

Commonwealth Purposes

 Includes the following:
a. the Commonwealth verifying and assessing grant proposals, including a grant application;
b. the Commonwealth administering, monitoring, reporting on, auditing, publicising and evaluating a grant program or exercising its rights under this Agreement;
c. the Commonwealth preparing, managing, reporting on, auditing and evaluating agreements, including this Agreement; and
d. the Commonwealth developing and publishing policies, programs, guidelines and reports, including Commonwealth annual reports;
but in all cases:
e. excludes the commercialisation (being for-profit use) of the Material by the Commonwealth.

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Completion date

Expected date that the grant activity must be completed and the grant spent by

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Co-sponsoring entity

Two or more entities are responsible for the policy and the appropriation for outcomes associated with it

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Cost shifting

Involves ‘substitution of effort’ by the Commonwealth for activities of another organisation or level of government. For example, cost shifting occurs where the Commonwealth provides a grant for an activity that would usually be paid for by a state, territory, or local government, such as municipal services.

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Date of effect

This will depend on the particular grant. It can be the date in which a grant agreement is signed or a specified starting date. Where there is no grant agreement, entities must publish information on individual grants as soon as practicable. CGRGs

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Decision maker

Person who makes a decision to award a grant

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Double dipping

Double dipping occurs where a grant recipient is able to obtain a grant for the same project or activity from more than one source.

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Eligibility criteria

The mandatory criteria which must be met to qualify for a grant. Assessment criteria may apply in addition to eligibility criteria

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Entity

A Commonwealth entity and includes a Department of State, a Parliamentary Department, a listed entity or a body corporate established by a law of the Commonwealth (see section 8 of the PGPA Act)

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Existing Material

Material developed independently of this Agreement that is incorporated in or supplied as part of Reporting Material or Activity Material

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External committee

Means anybody comprising external representation formed for the purposes of informing entities on the merits of applications in a grant opportunity. This may include advisory panels, expert committees, or technical advisers

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Finance law

The PGPA Act and Rule, an instrument made under the PGPA Act, or an Appropriation Act (see section 8 of the PGPA Act).

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Financial acquittal

The report of financial transactions relating to a grant. The report may require recipients to provide item by item expenditure information. It is generally certified and may sometimes be independently certified

Forecast opportunity

A notice published on GrantConnect that provides an indication to the public that there is a planned grant opportunity that may become available in the near future. All forecast opportunities are subject to revision, withdrawal or cancellation. Information about forecast opportunities is provided to alert potential grant applicants of upcoming opportunities and to assist in their application planning

Grant

Defined by CGRGs paragraph 2.3 as an arrangement for the provision of financial assistance by the Commonwealth or on behalf of the Commonwealth: (a) under which relevant money or other CRF money is to be paid to a recipient other than the Commonwealth; and (b) which is intended to assist the recipient achieve its objectives as well as to help achieve one or more of the Australian Government' policy outcomes. The money, or any part of it, payable by the Commonwealth to the Grantee for the Activity as specified in the Grant Details [and includes any interest earned by the Grantee on that money once the Grant has been paid to the Grantee]

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grant activity(ies)

The project /tasks /services that the grantee is required to undertake.

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Grant agreement

Sets out the relationship between the parties to the agreement, and specifies the details of the grant

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Grant Details

The document titled Grant Details that forms part of this Agreement.

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Grant lifecycle

Includes the: design of grant, opportunities and activities, assessment and selection of grantees establishment of grant agreements, ongoing management of grantees and grant activities, and evaluation of grant opportunities and activities

Grant opportunity

The specific grant round or process where a Commonwealth grant is made available to potential grantees. Grant opportunities may be open or targeted, and will reflect the relevant grant selection process

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Grant opportunity guidelines

Refers to a document(s) containing the relevant information required for potential grantees to understand: the purpose, outcomes and objectives of a grant; the application and assessment process; the governance arrangements (including roles and responsibilities); and the operation of the grant. Grant opportunity guidelines include related documents, such as the application guidelines and forms, invitations to apply, supporting documentation, frequently asked questions, draft grant agreements, and any templates for reporting or acquittals

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Grant program

Is a group of one or more grant opportunities under a single [entity] Portfolio Budget Statement Program. A ‘program’ carries its natural meaning and is intended to cover a potentially wide range of related activities aimed at achieving government policy outcomes. A grant program is a group of one or more grant opportunities under a single [entity] Portfolio Budget Statement Program.

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GrantConnect

Is the Australian Government’s whole-of-government grants information system, which centralises the publication and reporting of Commonwealth grants in accordance with the CGRGs

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Grantee

The individual/organisation which has been selected to receive a grant. The legal entity other than the Commonwealth specified in the Agreement and includes, where relevant, its officers, employees, contractors and agents.

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Grants administration

The processes that an entity undertakes to achieve Government policy outcomes through grants. It includes: planning and design; selection and decision-making; the making of a grant; the management of grant agreements; the ongoing relationship with grantees; reporting; and review and evaluation.

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Grants lifecycle

Includes the: design of grant opportunities and activities; assessment and selection of grantees; establishment of grants; ongoing management of grantees and grant activities; and evaluation of grant opportunities and activities

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Intellectual Property Rights

All copyright, patents, registered and unregistered trademarks (including service marks), registered designs, and other rights resulting from intellectual activity (other than moral rights under the Copyright Act 1968)

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Material

Documents, equipment, software (including source code and object code versions), goods, information and data stored by any means including all copies and extracts of them.

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Official Development Assistance (ODA)

Defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), available on their website http://www.oecd.org/.  The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) have responsibility for classifying payments as ODA. You should contact DFAT with questions regarding ODA

Officials

Officials of a Commonwealth entity. An official of a Commonwealth entity is an individual who is in, or forms part of the entity (see section 8 of the PGPA Act).

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One-off or ad hoc grants

Generally do not involve planned selection processes, but are instead designed to meet a specific need, often due to urgency or other circumstances. These grants are generally not available to a range of grantees or on an ongoing basis

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Ordinary and well-recognised functions of government

The administration and ordinary activities of an entity, with spending related to running costs such as the payment of staff salaries or building rental.  Generally, payments relating to the ordinary and well-recognised functions of government will come from departmental appropriations, however there can be situations where they are paid from administered appropriations.  Similarly, some payments from departmental appropriations may cover matters that are not ordinary and wellrecognised functions of government, and thus the arrangement needs to be authorised by specific legislation or under section 32B of the Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Act 1997 and listed in Schedule 1AA or Schedule 1AB to the Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Regulations 1997.

Other Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) money

Money that forms part of the CRF other than relevant money or any other money of a kind prescribed by the rules (see section 105 of the PGPA Act).

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Party

Means the Grantee or the Commonwealth

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PBS Program

Described within the entity’s Portfolio Budget Statement, PBS programs each link to a single outcome and provide transparency for funding decisions. These high level PBS programs often comprise a number of lower level, more publicly recognised programs, some of which will be Grant Programs. A PBS Program may have more than one Grant Program associated with it, and each of these may have one or more grant opportunities

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Personal Information

has the same meaning as in the Privacy Act 1988

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Proper

When used in relation to the use or management of public resources, means efficient, effective, economical and ethical (see section 8 of the PGPA Act).

Records

Includes documents, information and data stored by any means and all copies and extracts of the same

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Relevant money

Money standing to the credit of any bank account of the Commonwealth or a corporate Commonwealth entity or money that is held by the Commonwealth or a corporate Commonwealth entity (see section 8 of the PGPA Act)

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Relevant property

Means (a) property (other than relevant money) that is owned or held by the Commonwealth or a corporate Commonwealth entity; or (b) any other thing prescribed by the rules; (see section 8 of the PGPA Act).

Reporting Material

All Material which the Grantee is required to provide to the Commonwealth for reporting purposes as specified in the Grant Details and includes any Existing Material that is incorporated in or supplied with the Reporting Material

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Rule

The Rule made under section 101 of the PGPA Act (see section 8 of the PGPA Act).

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Selection criteria

Comprise eligibility criteria and assessment criteria.

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Selection process

The method used to select potential grantees. This process may involve comparative assessment of applications or the assessment of suitability against the eligibility criteria and/or the assessment criteria.

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Value with money

Value with money in this document refers to ‘value with relevant money’ which is a judgement based on the grant proposal representing an efficient, effective, economical and ethical use of public resources and determined from a variety of considerations.
When administering a grant opportunity, an official should consider the relevant financial and non-financial costs and benefits of each proposal including, but not limited to:
the quality of the project proposal and activities;
fitness for purpose of the proposal in contributing to government objectives;
that the absence of a grant is likely to prevent the grantee and government’s outcomes being achieved; and
the potential grantee’s relevant experience and performance history.

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