Tasmanian Association of Community Houses

BACKGROUND

The Everyday Literacy for Local Communities Program is a grants program to fund Neighbourhood Houses for literacy projects in their local communities.  The Program has been funded by a grant to TACH from the Tasmanian Community Fund.

The Aims of the Everyday Literacy for Local Communities Program are to offer support for a person’s literacy development through two broad approaches:

• Provide a non-threatening entry for people through practical projects that seamlessly build literacy into the process
• Target support for people who have already identified or begun addressing their literacy needs

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY LITERACY?

In summary, literacy means more than just reading and writing.  Literacy involves listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information.  It includes more than the technical skills of communication; it also has personal, social and economic dimensions.  It is about personal development and building confidence as well as technical skills.

The Everyday Literacy Program is focussed on funding projects that are aimed at improving adult and family literacy levels.  For the purposes of the Program:

•  Adult literacy refers to working with people past the age of compulsory education.
• Family literacy refers to working with parents and children together, developing stronger relationships between parents and their children and getting parents involved in their children’s education.

WHAT SORT OF PROJECTS?

To be eligible for funding, projects should contribute to improving adult and family literacy in one or more of these six key literacy areas:

•    Prose literacy
•    Document literacy
•    Numeracy
•    Problem solving
•    Health literacy
•    Technology and information literacy

Projects should respond to a real need or demand in the community and provide for maximum long-term benefit to the community and value for money.  Suitable projects should also contribute towards one or more of the following:

•    Developing social and cultural opportunities for community members
•    Contributing to healthier lifestyles
•    Increasing people’s life skills
•    Increasing people’s skills for gaining employment
•    Improving people’s work skills

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Each year, TACH will offer funding for literacy projects identified by Neighbourhood Houses.

The funds will be made available through a simple application process. Houses can identify projects that respond to local adult or family literacy needs and apply for funding to address them.

Applicants must be Neighbourhood Houses that are financial members of the Tasmanian Association of Community Houses Inc.  Joint applications by Neighbourhood Houses are welcome, as are applications that partner with other organisations.

FUNDING ROUND FIVE NOW OPEN (16 APRIL  TO 14 MAY 2012)

Funding applications are now invited from Neighbourhood Houses that are current financial members of the Tasmanian Association of Community Houses.  In this funding round approximately $80,000 will be available for funding adult or family literacy projects.  Applicants can now apply for either a Minor Grant of up to $5,000 or a Major Grant of up to $15,000 per House.  Applicants can apply for either or both grant levels in the one funding round.

To apply, check the new Funding Guidelines which have been revised to cover the new arrangements for Minor Grants and Major Grants.  There are different application forms for each grant level so apply using the Minor Grant Funding Application Form if you are applying for funding up to $5,000 or the Major Grant Funding Application Form if you are applying for funding up to $15,000.  If you save the relevant Funding Application forms to your computer, you can then complete the application in Microsoft Word, save it, and apply by email.  Postal applications are also welcome.

Refer to the various comments made by the Assessment Panel on previous applications (see section below) to make sure your application takes account of their advice.  If you would like to discuss you project ideas further, please ring John or Ron at the TACH office on 6228 6515.

If you are successful, you will be required to sign a Funding Agreement and provide a Minor Grant Final Project Report or a Major Grant Final Project Report at the completion of the project.

FINAL PROJECT REPORT FORM FOR EARLIER FUNDING ROUNDS

If you are reporting on a previous funding round grant (Rounds 1, 2, 3, or 4), please use this Final Project Report at the completion of the project.

PROJECTS FUNDED AND COMMENTS ON APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

For a list of projects funded in Funding Round 1 (November 2009), and a brief description of the projects, refer to Funding Round One Summary.  For the comments by the Assessment Panel on the applications received, refer to Advice from Assessment Panel.

For a list of projects funded in Funding Round 2 (April/May 2010), and a brief description of the projects, refer to Funding Round Two Summary.  For the comments by the Assessment Panel on the applications received, refer to Feedback and Observations Round 2 .

For a list of projects funded in Funding Round 3 (March/April 2011), and a brief description of the projects, refer to Funding Round Three Summary.  For the comments by the Assessment Panel on the applications received, refer to Feedback and Observations Round 3.

For a list of projects funded in Funding Round 4 (October 2011), and a brief description of the projects, refer to Funding Round Four Summary.  For the comments by the Assessment Panel on the applications received, refer to Feedback and Observations Round 4.

USEFUL RESOURCES

If you are considering a project in partnership with other adult literacy providers, these contacts could be useful.  For further information on literacy issues and research, refer to Everyday Literacy – Some Useful Resources

FIRST PROGRAM EVALUATION COMMENCES JULY 2011

The Everyday Literacy for Local Communities Program is funded by the Tasmanian Community Fund.  As a requirement of that funding, the program must be independently evaluated every two years.   The first in this series of external evaluations has now commenced, with a final report due in February 2012.

The evaluation is being undertaken by PDF Management Services Pty Ltd.  During the course of the evaluation, the evaluators will be contacting a selection of the Neighbourhood Houses that have been funded under the Program and also Houses that have not participated in the Program thus far.  The evaluators will also selectively be contacting participants in funded Projects and relevant external stakeholders.   If you wish to contact the evaluators directly, you can contact Michael Gordon on 1300 727 002.

A copy of the Evaluation Brief, under which the evaluation is being conducted, can be viewed here.

ANY QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions, you may find the answers here Frequently Asked Questions.   If you wish to provide feedback, you can use this Feedback Form.

Otherwise contact us at TACH (see below)

ENQUIRIES

Contact Ron Sutton or John Hooper at the TACH office on (03) 6228 6515

Generously supported by the
Tasmanian Community Fund