The Mental Health and Wellbeing Program (Program) provides grants for partner organisations to deliver support services to South Australian small business owners to increase their awareness, capability and resilience when dealing with mental health challenges, including in supporting their employees.

The Office for Small and Family Business is now seeking applications that provide tailored supports to improve businesses access to existing mental health services and deliver new services that address specific gaps in metropolitan Adelaide and in South Australian regions.

The Program is open to proposals that include, but are not limited to:

• Advisory services (one-to-one)
• Mentoring and coaching programs (one-to-one or group)
• Workshops - one off, or a series
• Information sessions
• Regional, cohort or sector specific approaches
• Other approaches as proposed

A contextualised, targeted response, that can either be delivered in a workplace or coordinated with partners through a place-based solution, are preferred. Partner Organisations must ensure the right environments are created to best engage and support business owners.

The objectives of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Program include:

• To increase the skills, capability and capacity of small business owners to cope with mental health challenges directly or among their workforces
• Increased resilience of program participants to cope with stressors that impact on mental health
• Improved understanding/awareness of supports available to access when experiencing mental health challenges

To provide equitable access to programs that specifically meet the needs of people that face additional barriers to owning and running a business.

Applicants must have been in operation for more than one full financial year, and can be:

• Industry/business associations and peak bodies
• Business Enterprise Centres (BECs)
• Regional Development Australia Boards (RDAs)
• Local governments (councils) in South Australia
• Co-operatives
• Corporations limited by guarantee (including Not-for-profit organisation)
• For profit enterprises on a case-by-case basis.

State and Commonwealth Government Agencies are not eligible to apply.

Partner organisations must hold an active ABN.

Services delivered through this program may include collaborations with and between local government, industry associations, small business groups and specialist businesses to deliver targeted support for business owners experiencing mental health challenges, and to better support their workers with mental health concerns.

Eligible organisations are not required to deliver the entire initiative and may use the grant to pay a third-party provider(s), including for-profit businesses, not-for-profit organisations, research organisations, or professionals from industry and academia, to deliver the proposed initiative(s). Applications must include details of any third parties that will be engaged to deliver the initiative including organisation name, details of previous experience with similar work, key personnel, explanation of dispute resolution processes, evidence of costs and financial co-contributions.

Program funding can only be used to cover costs directly associated with the delivery of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Program - these include:

• Salaries and consumables
• Hire of facilities to deliver the services
• Fees to professional/expert service providers
• Costs associated with the development and production of resources directly related to the delivery of this program
• Program administration
• Promotional activities and business engagement (directly associated with the initiative)
• Other costs outlined in the proposal document if approved by the OSFB.

The following expenditures are explicitly excluded:

• Costs for catering and alcohol
• The purchase of capital equipment
• Costs for accredited training or course delivery
• Core business operations or business-as-usual activities

Any activities not directly and wholly related to the delivery of services under this program.

Grant funding of up to $150,000 is available per application.

Funding will only be awarded for proposals that are a minimum of twelve (12) months, and up to a maximum delivery duration to June 2025.

Funding contributions from the applicant will be viewed favourably in the value for money assessment criteria.

Applicants are invited to apply through our grant management platform, SmartyGrants, available through the Office for Small and Family Business website.

Applications will be assessed by a panel of representatives from the Department of State Development and subject matter experts against the Assessment Criteria established in the guidelines. Applications must outline how many small businesses are expected to participate in the proposed initiative, and explain any assumptions made.

Decisions to approve funding for proposals is at the sole discretion of the Minister or delegated representative. The Department and Minister reserve the right to offer funding at a different level than that sought. Information received in connection with an application may be used and communicated outside the Government of South Australia for due diligence, monitoring, reporting and evaluation purposes. Applicants must identify payment milestones in the grant application, including milestones attached to the establishment of the program, and promotional activity, and its delivery. This may be negotiated with successful applicants prior to contract execution.

Applications will not be considered where:

• Retrospective funding is sought
• Other funding sources are deemed better suited (e.g. funding under existing programs or services in the nominated region and/or for the nominated industry sector)
• The applicant has already received a grant from the South Australian Government for the same activity
• The application does not contribute to achieving the Program Objectives
• The application is for an initiative that directly duplicates an existing initiative or service, without demonstrated demand for increased capacity

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Manager with any questions regarding the eligibility of a proposed initiative.

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

• delivers outcomes that achieve the objectives of the program
• Demonstrates demand for the initiative, including describing the target audience
• Demonstrates value for money, including financial co-contributions
• Achieves geographic diversity in delivery of support
• Demonstrates the capacity and capability of the applicant (and any third party if applicable) to deliver the initiative and achieve the outcomes it has committed to in its application. This includes consideration of the applicant's financial position, and prior experience of the applicant and any third-party provider engaged.

Collaborative proposals that improve access to quality services will be viewed favourably.

The assessment panel may also consider other aspects of the proposal it regards as relevant when assessing applications and may request additional information if required to undertake the assessment.

To access grant funding, successful applicants from eligible organisations will be required to sign an agreement in the form of a formal written contract with the South Australian Government which stipulates the obligations of the partner organsiation and the conditions under which assistance is given. No approval of an application, nor any notification to an applicant that their application is successful, nor any invitation to negotiate will be effective to constitute a contract or to create any legitimate expectation unless the agreement is executed by both parties.

The applicant will be required to repay the funding where there is breach of the agreement.

Successful applicants will be advised of the process regarding funding agreements, payment of invoices and submission of acquittals, when notified of the grant outcome.

Contracted partner organisations will be required to report on the initiative’s progress and performance at appropriate intervals throughout the initiative. KPIs will be negotiated for each specific successful proposal.

A final report must be submitted at the completion of the program, including the outcomes achieved, activities undertaken, total expenditure, lessons learned, case studies, business impacts, other materials and/or approaches developed for continuing the support for small businesses beyond the funding period.

Project details estimated and actual economic outcomes, the amount of funding, and other pertinent information may be made public, subject to the Government’s consideration of any commercial and public interest factors.

The Department of State Development (Department) reserves the right to amend these guidelines and application terms as required.

Decisions on all matters relating to the awarding of grant funding under this program is at the absolute discretion of the Minister for Small and Family Business (Minister) and/or the Department. This includes the right not to award any grant funding, award a lesser amount, or to only award one grant if the Minister and/or Department deems appropriate.

Information received in connection with a proposal/application may be used and communicated outside the Government of South Australia for due diligence, monitoring, reporting and evaluation purposes.

Any information contained in, or relating to, a proposal/application, including information identified by an applicant as confidential information for the purposes of applying for funding may be disclosed by the Department:

• to employees, advisers or third parties in order to manage the program (including but not limited to, for the purposes of evaluating and assessing the application);
• within the Government of South Australia where this serves the legitimate interest of the Department;
• in response to a request by a House or Committee of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia or South Australia;
• where information is authorised or required by law to be disclosed; and
• where the information is already in the public domain.