Submit your GCBF application
Follow these steps to complete and submit your application for a Gambling Community Benefit Fund (GCBF) grant. The tutorial videos explain the process of applying through the GCBF online grants portal.
Your application must be detailed and accurate. You don’t need to hire a grants writer—just make sure you read the GCBF guidelines and tell us your story in your own words.
Note: You can’t use grant funds to hire a grant writer. You must pay them out of your organisation's funds.
Don't leave your application to the last minute. The GCBF online grants portal closes at 11.59pm on the closing day of each round. You can't apply after the closing date, even if your application is in draft form.
Step 1—Plan your application
Planning is essential to your application’s success. Take the time to read and understand the GCBF guidelines. Review the information below to help you gather what you'll need to complete the questions on the application form correctly.
You must seek multiple quotes to ensure the goods are a competitive price. Don’t upload the quotes with your application—we may request them later.
Choose 3 referees who can confirm your organisation’s suitability for the grant.
In some instances, you may also need to understand:
- how GST affects your application
- the application requirements for upgrades to facilities, buildings or grounds.
Log in to the GCBF online grants portal to start your application.
Watch this video for an overview of the GCBF online grants portal.
How often you can apply
You can't apply while waiting for the outcome of an existing application.
If your application isn't successful, you can apply in the next funding round.
If your application is successful, you must observe a 1-round exclusion period. This means you must wait for the current round to close after you have acquitted your grant and received notification from us that your application is closed. You can then apply in the next funding round.
Applications submitted that do not meet the 1-round exclusion period will be ineligible.
Step 2—Complete the application form
On the ‘Applications’ page, click ‘Create new application’, then click ‘Save’ to create your draft.
You can exit the process at any time—just click ‘Save’ and then ‘Sign out’.
Note: Information may be lost if you exit the GCBF online grants portal without signing out correctly. If the ‘Sign out’ button isn’t visible, click ‘Application’ above your application number, which will take you to the ‘Sign out’ tab.
You can return to your draft application to complete and submit it later.
Take your time and check the information you provide is correct in each field of the form.
Application contact person
We will contact your accountable officer with any questions related to your application. If we can’t contact them, we will contact the person listed on the form as the application contact and other contacts listed. Make sure these contacts are kept up-to-date.
Note: If you provide an email address to us, personal information included in our communications with you will be stored on our email service provider’s servers, which may be outside Australia. By giving us your email address, you are consenting to the personal information within these emails being transferred outside Australia.
Contribution
If you are contributing to the items in your application with in-kind or other financial support, you will need to exclude your financial contribution towards the items from your application. For example, if you want to buy a vehicle for $35,000 and intend to contribute $10,000 towards it, request $25,000.
If you receive funding from another source for items we approve, you must notify us as soon as possible. If we identify this during acquittal, we may ask you to return the funding.
Requested items from fund
List each item separately (including facility improvements) along with the requested amount—including or excluding GST—as required.
If your legal entity is registered for GST, apply for the GST-exclusive amount for each item. If your legal entity is not registered for GST, apply for the GST-inclusive amount.
In the item description, explain clearly and concisely what you want to buy with the grant funds. You don’t have to include brand names.
If you have more than 15 invoices when acquitting your grant—or if you’re funded more than $35,000 in a super round—you’ll need to engage an external financial auditor to check expenditure against the guidelines.
Applying for event funding
The proposed event date must come after the outcome of the funding round is announced. Events dated before the expected funding round announcement will be ineligible.
Funding approval can take up to 4 to 5 months from the closing date and no deposits or contracts can be entered into before the outcome of the grant application has been advised.
Read about ineligible items for more information.
Applying for facility improvements
If you’re applying for facility improvements, you must either own the building or land or meet the requirements for land that you don’t own.
Read more about applying for facility improvements.
Application description
The application form asks you, ‘How will the application benefit the organisation and the community?’. Keep your description clear and relevant. Don’t include general information about your organisation; you’ve already done that during registration. Just include information relevant to why you need the grant funds, including:
- what you will use the funding for
- why you need the grant
- how the organisation and/or the community will benefit if funding is approved
- how much funding you need.
Be aware of character limits; question 1 is limited to 2,000 characters, other questions are limited to 1,000 characters. If you go over these limits, you won’t be able to save the form.
Applying for natural disaster recovery
If you select a natural disaster category, the items you request must have been lost, damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster within the last 2 years. If they were not directly affected, the items or the application may not qualify for priority 1 funding.
Members
Tell us how many members are in your organisation, including non-paying members, unpaid volunteers, staff or committee members.
Referees
We may contact your 3 referees at any time, so let them know you have included them in your application before submitting it.
Referees can’t be members of your organisation’s management committee, family members of the management committee, or people or businesses who will receive payment if the grant is approved.
Supporting documents
Unless we request them, you don’t need to upload supporting documents, such as references, letters of support, photos, quotes, budgets or financial reports.
Your organisation should keep supporting documents for 7 years.
Watch this video to find out how to complete your application.
Step 3—Submit your application
Once you click ‘Submit’, your accountable officer will get an email confirming we received your application and listing the application number.
Your application’s status will change from ‘Draft’ to ‘Under review’ in the applications section of the portal.
Step 4—Wait for outcome and provide more information
Funding approval can take up to 4 to 5 months to process from the closing date. We will notify you of the outcome in writing.
We check all applications against the GCBF guidelines to ensure the organisation, application and requested items are eligible.
We may
- contact anyone listed on your application
- ask you to confirm information you’ve provided
- ask for more information.
When we ask for it, you must provide any additional information by the requested date or the application may not be eligible.
Check the status of your application at any time using the GCBF online grants portal.
Next steps
- Read the GCBF guidelines to find out what to do if your application is approved.