Funding a Community Language School
The NSW Government, through the Department of Education (DoE), provides funding for Community Language Schools that meet the requirements of this Program.
At any time of the year you can submit an Expression of Interest to apply for funding for your school, via the Department of Education's Portal.
To complete this EOI, you will need to provide these documents:
- Your organisation's constitution (which says that one object is to teach your heritage language and language to children and youth in your community)
- Certificate of Incorporation from NSW Fair Trading
ABN & GST registration - Public Liability Insurance Certificate of Currency
- Workers Compensation Insurance Certificate of Currency or, if you don't need this insurance for your workers, an exemption letter from a lawyer or accountant, or this Statutory Declaration
- Your organisation's bank details on the organisation's letterhead (you can't use a personal bank account - you must have one for your organisation)
- A Teaching Program
More details on some of these are below.
For help with writing a Teaching Program please do the course Planning: Writing a Teaching Program
To help you prepare
BECOMING INCORPORATED
You must set up an incorporated association before you can register with and be funded by the NSW Community Languages Schools Program (CLSP).
Under the terms and conditions of the CLSP, your incorporated association must be able to demonstrate close links with a community whose first/heritage language is a language other than English.
You can read more at NSW Fair Trading: Setting up your incorporated association.
Your first meeting will be the Annual General Meeting (AGM), when the committee members are voted in. The minutes (a transcript of the meeting) of this meeting are often needed for opening a bank account.
Minutes have to be written in English.
The on-going governance of your incorporated association is a big responsibility. Learn more about Governance here.
GETTING AN ABN NUMBER & REGISTERING FOR GST
Your Community Language School needs to have their own Australian Business Number (ABN). To apply for an ABN visit the Australian Business Register.
To apply for a CLSP grant, the DoE requires that you are registered for GST.
You can register for GST in your ABN application.
OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT FOR YOUR SCHOOL
Open up a bank account for your non-profitable organisation. To open a bank account you will need the minutes of your Annual General Meeting.
The Committee members who will be signatories have to go and meet at the bank together with their identification papers. Please ask your bank for further details about what is needed.
ORGANISING YOUR PUBLIC LIABILITY AND VOLUNTEERS' ACCIDENT INSURANCE
Your Community Language School needs to have Public Liability Insurance and insurance for your volunteers.
Members of Hunter Community Languages are able to purchase their Public Liability Insurance and Volunteers Insurance at a much reduced cost. Contact us for more information.
PLANNING YOUR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
If you are successful in your application for funding and you receive a grant, in the year following the grant payment you will need to acquit the grant. This means you fill in a grant acquittal form and tell the DoE how you spent the money. You must spend all of the money in the year that it is give to you, according to the terms and conditions of the grant, or you will be required to give the money back.
It is important that you plan and track your income and expenditure, this will make the grant acquittal much easier. You can learn how to do this in our Financial Management Courses, available in multiple languages.
