An activity must be undertaken by two or more organisations. Each application must be submitted by one lead applicant. This is usually the organisation with the main coordinating role in the partnership.

Funded organisations must comply with all applicable laws and Departmental policies, including health directives.

All applications must demonstrate how international students will be involved in the design, delivery and/ or review of the activity. This could be achieved in a number of ways, for example by engaging with international students or student groups to obtain their views, by involving them in the oversight of the activity, or by establishing a partnership with student organisations or associations.

Who can apply?

To be eligible to apply for funding under the SMIP, the lead applicant must satisfy these three requirements:

• be a legal entity and operate in Victoria
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN) operating as a legal entity for at least three years.
• have appropriate insurance cover arranged for the activity being proposed.

Organisations that can apply include:

• student organisations and associations
• education providers
• not-for-profit organisations
• industry associations
• local government organisations
• businesses.

Who cannot apply?

• Individuals
• Sole traders
• An organisation involved in legal proceedings relating to winding up its operations in insolvency (this includes any legal bankruptcy‑related actions against the organisation’s directors or officers).

Partnership considerations

• An activity must be undertaken by two or more organisations. Applicants and their partner/s must be entirely separate entities. They must not be owned by the same parent company, share governance, or have common directors.
• All applications must provide evidence of the partnership arrangement between the organisations (which may be in the form of a partnership agreement and a letter of support), and include information about the roles and responsibilities of each of the organisations involved in the activity and any contribution to matched funding for the activity.
• Project partnerships that include at least one education provider and/or student group or association will be highly regarded.

What are we looking for?

To be eligible for funding, your proposed activity must satisfy these six requirements:

• promote the wellbeing of international students by supporting some or all of the aims of the SMIP
• support post-secondary international students studying on-shore and off-shore at Victorian based higher education institutions
• involve collaboration or engagement with international students living in Victoria
• offer genuine opportunities for international students to contribute to the design, delivery and review of funded activities
• increase awareness in the community and among support services about the needs of international students
• strengthen the capacity of service and education providers to respond to the needs of international students.

We also encourage applications for activities that:

• will reach a large number of students and be delivered across more than one education provider (for example, more than one university, college or registered training provider, or a combination of these providers)
• are innovative in their approach and/or extend the level of support available to international students
• are designed to reach students from a number of different cultural backgrounds
• respond to the language, cultural and geographic needs of international students (for example, by addressing specific issues for students living in regional Victoria)
• support greater inclusion of women, LGBTIQA+ communities, people of colour and all faiths, people with a disability, and those from a broad spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds
• increase participation by international students in programs that improve their leadership capability and address priority issues affecting the wellbeing of international students, such as mental and sexual health, safety, employment and accommodation
• include funding contributions from non-government sources.

What will NOT be funded by the SMIP?

This program will not fund:

• pre-existing staff and salaries
• activities designed to offset the costs of existing operations, to meet regulatory requirements, or that duplicate existing services that would best be funded by other government programs
• recurrent operating costs
• budget deficits
• capital expenditure
• competitions, commercial or fundraising activities
• expenses of overseas visitors
• alcohol purchased for functions or events
• religious or political activities
• research and applied research activities
• activities that already have been completed or are underway before the start of a funding agreement, other than in exceptional circumstances and with prior written approval from Study Melbourne.

Co-contribution requirements

All applications for SMIP funding must provide a minimum co-contribution of at least half of the value of the requested funding (e.g. applications for a $20,000 grant must include a co-contribution of at least $10,000). This can be made up of cash and/ or in-kind contributions from the applicant or the lead applicant and activity partner organisations.

In-kind (non-cash) services, equipment and facilities can form part of the total co-contribution the partners provide to the activity. These may include: salaried time, staff members, administration/ office costs, materials and promotional support. More information about what we accept as in-kind contributions and how to give them a dollar value is provided in the Activity Budget Forecast template that needs to be completed as part of the application process.

Applications that include co-contributions from other state or federal government funding programs will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Other funding considerations

• Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Please ensure that you upload all the required documents and your application addresses the program eligibility requirements
• Submitting an application does not guarantee your activity will be funded. This is a competitive application process and there is likely to be strong demand for funding. Study Melbourne will consider each application on its individual merits and also compare it with activities proposed by other applicants
• No application for funding will be approved and no activity can be undertaken unless two or more organisations have agreed to deliver the activity.
• A funded activity must be completed within 12 months, with project reporting to be submitted to the Department at its completion.
• Other than in exceptional circumstances, activities will take place in Victoria.
• From time to time, Study Melbourne may fund activities outside of funding rounds to address urgent priority issues affecting student wellbeing.
• Study Melbourne reserves the right to seek proposals from organisations that have not applied during formal funding rounds.
• The decisions Study Melbourne makes will depend on available funding.
• Study Melbourne reserves the right not to proceed with funding at any stage in the process.