This week's announcement by the Victorian Government of the $100 million Community Infrastructure Loans Scheme, will provide councils with access to low interest rate loans of between $500,000 and $10 million. The loans will apply to community centres and hubs, cultural facilities, public libraries, kindergartens and early learning facilities, heritage building restorations for community use and public spaces like parks, reserves and trails.
The funding will be very competitive and so it will be important to demonstrate how your proposal will not only provide functional benefit to the community but will also deliver real, long-term community outcomes as well. We call it Outcomes-Based Infrastructure and it is a process that sets up social infrastructure projects so they can make a measurable difference to people's lives, particularly where pockets of disadvantage exist. Brimbank City Council is leading the way with their 'Brimbank Hub' development, which will bring together a world-class leisure centre with a rigorous approach to addressing real social and health inequalities. Let us know if you would like to talk about how your application for infrastructure funding could become an outcomes-based community infrastructure proposal. _________ Link to the Premier's announcement Guidelines for a previous, similar, program Dale Renner & Russ Wood are excited to announce that Gemma Tovey will be joining Latitude Network from September 2019. Most recently, Gemma was Strategy & Growth Manager at Melbourne City Mission’s Hester Hornbrook Academy. Prior to this role Gemma managed Melbourne City Mission’s Social Enterprise portfolio where she founded and subsequently managed MCM’s ‘CQ Cultural Consulting’ business, among other achievements. Gemma has qualifications in Law and and is a graduate of Leadership Victoria’s Williamson Community Leadership Program and of the Australian Institute of Management’s Project Management program. Gemma brings an incredible commitment and passion along with a unique set of skills and experience to Latitude Network as we work with like-minded organisations to understand and interpret the future world of outcomes-driven social and community services delivery. Like Latitude Network’s two founders, Gemma is passionate about redesigning systems to improve the delivery of services that support disadvantaged communities. From day one, Gemma will be involved with:
Gemma can be reached on: e: gemma@latitude.network Welcome Gemma! South AustraliaThe South Australian Government opened its second round of Social Impact Investments, with a focus on better outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care, and after leaving guardianship. This follows South Australia's first social impact investment in the Aspire homelessness program delivered by The Hutt St Centre. Interestingly, the Commonwealth Government is providing $5m as partner with the South Australian Treasury Department, as an early foray into learning and engaging in the social impact investment space. Latitude Network is assisting with the preparation and development of an application focusing on improved outcomes from the residential care context. New South WalesThe NSW Office of Social Impact Investment (OSII) is reviewing proposals from three organisations focusing on Indigenous employment and empowerment. Latitude Network was been supporting one Indigenous organisation through the 'co-development phase' where OSII collaborated with the social organisation to advise and develop a proposal together. The intent is to support organisations to prepare robust proposals that are more likely to meet Treasury's requirements and be successful through what can sometimes be an arduous 'Joint Development Phase' of financial and contract negotiations to conclude a social benefit (impact) bond legal agreement. VictoriaThe Victorian Treasury is a long way through negotiations with two organisations in the 'Joint Development Phase' for its next round of social impact bond investments. This round focuses on primary and secondary school aged children who have become disengaged from school and have a variety of other complexities in their lives. Latitude Network is supporting Melbourne City Mission and the Hester Hornbrook Academy in the negotiations.
The NSW Government's Office for Social Impact Investment (OSII) has been busy. While they are about to close a tender round for a formal social impact investment based on homelessness, they have also kicked off an exciting new funding process called 'Social Impact Investment - Evolve' (SII Evolve). The SII Evolve process invites social organisations to propose an outcomes-based project based on any cohort and social policy area. This is a significant step forward for outcomes-based funding in Australia as it is, essentially, an open invitation for organisations to come forward with great ideas about how to address social disadvantage and lowers the barriers to apply. This advance is important because it recognises that social organisations (and their clients) need to be the initiators of progress and innovation - and often are. But not every idea or initiative with promise can fit into either the narrow criteria of a large funding round nor the complexity of a formal social impact investment (think 'Social Impact Bonds'). This funding round is different because it simplifies the first step; by requiring only a 5 page submission, rather than the 30+ pages that are behind a social impact bond-type application that is typical of the Australian funding rounds so far. The OSII understands that the complexity of preparing an outcomes-based project proposal is higher than a standard tender and can therefore be a barrier for smaller social organisations (and even larger ones) to spend the time developing the proposal. While we aren't, yet, at the stage where social organisations have strong incentives to invest in new, outcomes-focused service delivery, initiatives such as SII Evolve mark the start of what could become a structural change in our system which recognises and rewards social organisations that invest in testing and building new models that are proven to work to shift disadvantage. Latitude Network is supporting social organisations and communities to develop proposals for the 'Evolve' funding round in NSW as well as current social impact investment rounds in Victoria. In our experience, most social organisations are excited by the opportunity to build new or adapt existing systems free from the output-focused shackles which currently hold them and their staff back. We would encourage organisations to start working on suitable proposals now, whether for this round or future rounds of funding. The proposals are due by 12 October 2018, so now is the time to develop an application. Find out more from the Office of Social Impact Investment's announcement here. |
Filter by:
All
Archives
April 2024
|