Grants

The Application and Assessment Process

The Industry Leaders Fund Inc (ILF) has an annual application cycle, opening for new applications by the end of January each year with applications closing on the last working day of May. Applications are closed outside of these times.

Applications are via an online system.

Decisions are made and advised by mid-August and announced publicly at an awards ceremony in late September.

Grants of up $50,000 may be offered to worthy applicants. Currently, grants are offered in the range of $4,000 to $25,000.

ILF grant funding will pay for part of the cost for the applicant to study or obtain experience that will pave the way for them to achieve their leadership capacity and ambition more quickly and more effectively than would otherwise be the case. The aim is to fund training or experiences that might otherwise not be accessible to the applicant.

The Industry Leaders Fund recognises that leadership potential is not restricted to those who have a university or other qualification, and applications are encouraged from anyone who has demonstrated that leadership potential. Demonstration of leadership capacity is likely to have been in the workplace but may have been shown in a volunteer capacity, for example in a sporting club, charity, school council or industry association.

Applications will be assessed in a three-stage process.

Online applications are required at the first two stages; please refer to the online application system.

Applicants whose initial applications are assessed as being competitive will be invited to submit a second more detailed application. Assessment at the first and second stages will be by a panel appointed by the Board of the ILF.

Applicants who are assessed as highly likely to be competitive may be invited to an interview with the selection panel at the third stage.

Decisions made on any application will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. The ILF reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to clarify any aspect of an application before finalising its assessment.

The ILF does not restrict the type of training or experience opportunity for which funding might be sought or the location in which it will be undertaken.

Preference will be given to those applicants who hold Australian citizenship and those who are residents of South Australia.

The ILF is intended to benefit South Australia, and candidates for a grant must explain how they will ensure that the knowledge or experience they gain through ILF funding will achieve this aim. It is the responsibility of all candidates to demonstrate that their proposal will cost effectively achieve the aims that ILF funding is intended to accomplish.

The objectives of the ILF are defined in the About Us tab, and applicants should read them carefully.

It is intended that recipients of grants from the ILF will become industry leaders who will generate wealth creating, world competitive, value adding opportunities and share the desire to create and re-establish a head office mentality in South Australia.

More can be learned about leadership and the aims for the fund from the statements by the Honorary Board members and the contributions from other eminent South Australians. Insights into the value and benefits of a grant can be seen in the narratives of the previous ILF grant recipients.

A written report will be required from all grant recipients explaining their learning. The report should be in a form suitable for publication on the ILF website and in newsletters. It should include details of the application objectives, an outline of the learning opportunity, and an explanation of the applicants learning – including how the applicant proposes to apply the new knowledge and how others might learn about, benefit from and apply the knowledge acquired.

In addition, recipients will be required to make themselves available for two speaking engagements of about five minutes at forums to be agreed with the ILF.

The ILF reserves the right to withhold up to the lesser of $2,000 or 10% of any grant amount until the report is received. The ILF will announce any call for funding applications at least a month before the closing date for initial applications. Applicants seeking help or clarification to complete an application are welcome to contact the CEO of the ILF.

The ILF recognises that a person does not necessarily become a leader overnight and some people will require more training and experience opportunities than others. It is expected that successful applicants will gain an insight into the benefits of personal leadership skills development and continue the journey, preferably funding it themselves as an investment in their future. While the ILF may offer further grants in special circumstances, there are multiple other grant sources. Unsuccessful applicants are free to reapply in any future calls for applications.

Before applying you should refer to the Are you eligible for a grant? section. If you remain unsure, please contact the ILF CEO on 0417 283 633 or richard.barrett@industryleaders.com.au

Application & Assessment Panel

Applications received by the cut-off time will be assessed by a panel comprising approximately four or five selected board members. External volunteers may also be co-opted from time to time. The ILF CEO is an invited observer and provides support and relevant information to the panel.

The names of the panel will be revealed to applicants who are invited to attend an interview.

Panel members should not be approached by applicants or third parties in relation to any application and panel members are not to be lobbied in respect of any application.

Any breach of this provision may result in disqualification of the application in question.