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This fund provides grants of up to $8000 to congregations for community development or social justice/human rights education projects in NSW and the ACT. Some grants are also made to other organisations. Useful initiatives are sometimes quite small.

We do not provide recurrent funding. However, we may fund successive phases of an educational or action campaign, or fund a single organisation for more than one project where the phases or projects are clearly identified, In exceptional circumstances we may fund more than one year of the establishment phase of a congregational or community development initiative.

Community development projects

To qualify for a grant, projects must involve working with people in the local community who are poor, disadvantaged or marginalised, with an emphasis on changing the situation. They usually involve:

• Providing opportunities and resources (e.g. information, skills) for disadvantaged people to work together to take control over their own lives; that is, disadvantaged people themselves must have some say in the project;
• Challenging the situations and policies that cause disadvantage and undermine human rights;
• Working with local community groups and/or ecumenically to address locally identified problems;
• The local sponsoring group making some contribution to the project. This may be financial or "in kind".

Social justice and human rights education

The focus of education projects will be on helping peopl understand the situation of people who are poor, marginalised or oppressed, the justice issues involved and what can be done to change the situation.

Eligible education projects

• Help people understand the nature of human rights abuses and the changes necessary to improve their situation;
• Focus on the situation of people whose human rights are violated in Australia, such as Indigenous people, people from non-English speaking backgrounds, people with disabilities, or people who are poor or unemployed;
• or focus on situations where Australian trade or other activity contributes to injustice overseas.

Some projects may include both community development and educational components.

Further information for Applicants

The 2% for Development fund focuses on relieving injustice and enhancing human rights. It is about facilitating the agenda of the poor and marginalised, rather than church-focused agenda. Applicants must provide the information requested in the application form so that we have all the information we need to understand and assess your project.

The committee meets four times a year. Closing dates for application in 2007 (which may be sent by email) will be:

• Tuesday 13 November

For further information or to apply contact:
Lyn Deutscher
UnitingCare NSW.ACT
PO Box A2178 Sydney South NSW 1235
Phone (02) 8267 4300 Fax (02) 9283 5658 email

See examples of projects that have received funding in the past

Download a copy of the application form

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