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Enquiries:

Anneke Jaspers

Project Coordinator

British Council

info@biggreenidea.com.au

(02) 9326 2022

OVERVIEW

As part of our International Climate Champions programme, the British Council is offering five (5) project grants of AU$10,000 each for visionary Australians who will make a real difference in the area of climate change.

Each grant will be for AU $10,000 towards implementing the proposed project.

The projects are expected to be delivered in partnership with the British Council. Joint delivery of the project will entail regular meetings and consultation with the British Council, and the involvement of British Council staff in the project throughout its various stages of development and implementation. The specifics of this relationship are flexible, and will be negotiated before the awards are granted in relation to each project’s requirements.

Awardees are expected to participate in the British Council’s online climate forums (particularly the ning site that connects our East Asia International Climate Champions climatecoolnetwork.ning.com/) and be prepared to undertake other professional development, advocacy and networking activities up to 31 March 2011.

CRITERIA & ELIGIBILITY

Applicant Eligibility

1. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of Australia and aged 18 or over.

2. Applications are open to “emerging leaders” who are in the early stages of their careers and well positioned to make a significant impact in their field. While there is no formal age limit, applicants must be able to demonstrate they are within the first 10 years of applied professional practice in their industry. It is at the discretion of the British Council to determine the eligibility of applicants for a grant.

3. Applications must be from individuals only. However, applicants and their projects may be affiliated with non-Government groups or organisations, and these organisations may auspice a grant on behalf of an individual.

4. Applicants may be from any from any professional sector and should have a track record in leadership and project management. Experience in undertaking climate-related activities is not essential, though this will be viewed favourably.

5. Applicant’s must be prepared to participate more broadly in the British Council’s climate-related programme of activities as an International Climate Champion.

Project Criteria

1. Projects should address one or more of the following issues in an urban context: waste and efficiency, travel, energy, water, sustainable design.

2. Projects must be able to demonstrate clear and practical objectives to produce behaviour change amongst the target audience with tangible outcomes. The grants are not intended for research-oriented projects, or projects with largely intangible outcomes, such as attitudinal change or access to information.

3. Projects should be targeted at a specific community – for instance, a neighbourhood or suburb, campus, professional sector, or cultural community.

4. The core target audience for projects (75% or above) must be 18-35 years in age.

5. Projects must be structured to allow for future development i.e. the capacity to be replicated and/or up-scaled over time independently of British Council funding.

6. Projects must be new, not existing initiatives. Development of significant new components within existing programme structures will be considered.

7. Projects must attract (or already have secured) matching resources to the value of AU$10,000 as cash funding or in-kind support. Applicants are not expected to have secured matched funding for their project at the time of applying; the British Council will provide support and guidance towards securing matched funding. See information on ‘Payment’ at the end of these guidelines for further details.

8. Projects must be likely to attract media attention, and have clear communications objectives.

9. Projects must be scheduled to begin on or after 1 January 2010. Project delivery must be initiated by 31 March 2010 and a progress report will be required at this time. Projects must be completed by 31 January 2011, and acquitted by 28 Feb 2011.

Assessment criteria

1. Applicant’s academic and professional background and achievement

2. Applicant’s demonstrated leadership and communication skills

3. Applicant’s motivation for undertaking the project

4. Applicant’s suitability and commitment to becoming a British Council International Climate Champion.

5. Social/environmental benefit of project objectives

6. Capacity to deliver, demonstrated by clearly defined scope and target audience, intended reach, and relationships with stakeholders

7. Strength of project framework, demonstrated in the schedule, media strategy, budget, evaluation plan

8. Sustainability of project concept – intentions for future development and self-sufficiency

Application and Acquittal Procedures

Applications

The deadline for applications is before midnight on Friday 4 December 2009. No late applications or supporting material will be accepted.

Applications must be submitted using the online application form, which can be access via the following web page: http://climate.podcastuk.org/climate2009/

The British Council accepts no responsibility for technical issues relating to the application submission procedure.

Applications will be assessed in the first instance by the British Council. Shortlisted applicants will then be asked to participate in an interview (in-person or by phone) conducted by a panel comprising British Council staff and industry experts.

Interviews will take place on Friday 11 December 2009.

All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by Friday 18 December 2009.

Acquittal

Grants must be acquitted by 28 February 2011. British Council will supply an acquittal template.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT YOU SHOULD READ AND UNDERSTAND BEFORE SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

Anyone applying for a Big Green Idea grant should be aware of the following Terms and Conditions in addition to those outlined above:

(i) Application

Your application (including anything you add in discussion afterwards) should be accurate, not omit any facts that are relevant and not be misleading. If we find that there were significant errors or omissions in the information you have supplied to us in the course of your application you will not be offered a grant or you will have your grant withdrawn or terminated.

(ii) Selection

The section process will be fair. No applicant will have, or should seek or accept, any unfair advantage. No member of the British Council will unfairly promote or disadvantage the interests of any applicant. If we find that you have secured an unfair advantage in the selection process we reserve the right not to offer you a grant, or withdraw or terminate your grant.

(iii) Payments

To receive a Big Green Idea grant, projects must attract (or already have secured) matching resources to the value of AU$10,000 as cash funding or in-kind support. Full release of the grant funds is conditional upon matched funding having been confirmed.

In-kind support that relates to personal contributions of the applicant, including wages, can account for up to 50% of the matched funding (25% of overall budget).

To initiate the project, a partial payment of AU$2,000 will be released by 31 January 2010. By 31 March 2010, a report detailing progress towards securing matched funding will be required. Matched resources must be confirmed in full no later than 31 May 2010. The remainder of the grant will be paid within 28 days of the total requirement for matched resources being confirmed.

The grant will be paid directly into the grant recipient’s personal bank account, or the bank account of the organisation officially auspicing the grant.

If you are GST-registered when you receive a Big Green Idea grant, the British Council will pay the grant amount plus GST (where required). The budget given in your application should be exclusive of GST. If you are not GST registered, your budget should include GST as this is part of the cost of the project.

In exceptional circumstances the British Council reserves the right to review these arrangements in ways which will not prejudice the awardee’s ability to pursue their project successfully. Under no circumstances will the project delivery period be extended beyond the period ending 28 Feb 2011. No additional payments, beyond those outlined above, will be made as part of this grant.

(iv) Changes of circumstances

If your circumstances change through an event or events which were genuinely beyond your control, or in ways that are generally unexpected, you should contact us immediately. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that you can take up your grant but we reserve the right to withdraw the offer of a grant if we feel that the circumstances are such that this is in the best interests of the applicant or the British Council.

(v) Contractual Agreement

Grant recipients will be required to sign a British Council contract/agreement outlining the project they are committed to delivering in conjunction with the grant.

Data protection

Thank you for providing us with information about yourself in the application form. We will look after the information carefully and use it to consider your suitability for a grant and to manage the application process. It will be made available to staff at the British Council and to members of any panel that considers the applications. If you are successful, we may ask you for permission to use the information in new ways that will become necessary as you proceed to take up your award. If you are unsuccessful the information will be held securely and destroyed in due course.

In submitting the application form for a Big Green Idea grant you accept that you will be bound by these conditions. You also accept that we will use the information you have given us in the ways we have described.