Elevate Learning Grants Program

Activities and opportunities that will be supported may include (but are not limited to);

• Coaching Accreditation
• Sport/discipline-specific learning courses
• Structured mentoring and training with peers (within and/or across disciplines)
• Attending conferences relevant to the performance pathway strategic pillars
• Participation in formal network activities (e.g. attending an AIS conferences)
• University or other educational based qualification relevant to the performance pathway strategic pillars
• Travel, accommodation or incidental costs associated with the above activities
  • The AIS will consider the following criteria in determining whether or not the travel and travel-related expenses are supported:
    • the travel is necessary to fulfill the objective of the activity and it directly benefits the activity, and;
    • the cost for travel is reasonable and represents efficient use of the grant.

What can the grant money not be used for?

• Purchase of any sporting equipment, resource or asset, or
• Activities that fall within the normal remit of the applicant’s role.

Funding is NOT available to support education and professional development opportunities that are already in progress.

The applicant must satisfy all of the following criteria:

1. Be either a coach or practitioner working with nationally categorised pathway athlete (Emerging, Developing or Podium Potential categories), or working directly in a performance pathway environment (i.e. SIS.SAS);
2. Be endorsed by their NSO (Performance Pathway lead) and/or an appropriate NIN Personnel from an AIS categorised sport;
3. Apply for grant support for an activity commencing in 2022 but has not been commenced at the time when the application is submitted; and
4. Currently not a full time AIS or Sport Australia employee.

An applicant can receive only one AIS Elevate Learning grant in 2022. If an applicant receives a grant in Round 1, the applicant is not eligible to apply again in Round 2 or Round 3.

Before applying for an AIS Elevate Learning Grant in 2022, individuals will need to ensure they have met all eligibility criteria and have received endorsement from their NSO and/or the appropriate NIN personnel.

Applications will be accepted from 11 February 2022 until 22 May 2022, or until the grant program funds are exhausted, whichever comes first. Applications are required to be submitted within the allocated timeframes for each round.

Individuals will be required to apply via an online form, linked at the top of this webpage.

The submission will require two 300-word summaries that answer the following;

1. What is your specific long term development goal connected with the intended learning/development activity/activities?
2. How will the learning/development experience impact the categorised performance pathway athletes (Emerging, Developing and Podium Potential)?

Individuals will need to upload a copy of the required endorsement from their NSO and/or the appropriate NIN personnel when submitting the application.

The endorsement must:

• Show the endorser's name and job title
• Show the endorser's organisation (e.g. NSO)
• Identify the applicant as being the applicant for this grant
• Express support for the specific project/course/activity you are proposing
• Demonstrate in the endorsement letter how the learning activity of the coach or performance support practitioner they are endorsing links to the sports pathway strategy.

Applicants will receive an automated email receipt if the application is submitted successfully. Participants are responsible for ensuring that the information within the application is complete and accurate. Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence under the Criminal Code 1995 and may result in your application being excluded from further consideration.

All applications will initially be assessed by a small internal AIS pre-Assessment Panel against the eligibility criteria. Eligible applications will then proceed to the Assessment Panel. The Assessment Panel is a group of individuals with significant Performance Pathways experience, including people capability development, pathways coaching and coach education, performance program management and performance service provision.

The Assessment Panel includes representatives from the Sports Strategy & Investment (SS&I) Team, AIS People, Development & Well-being (PD&W) team, NIN and an independent member.

To support applicants in better understanding the Moderation process, below is a list of considerations that will guide decision-making by the Assessment Panel. This is purely a framework of consideration (as opposed to mandatory requirements) and applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. No weighting will apply to the Assessment Considerations and each applicant will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If you have any questions, please contact PerformancePathways@ausport.gov.au.

The Assessment Panel will make recommendations to the AIS CEO who makes the final decision including:

• The approval of the grant
• The grant amount to be awarded
• The terms and conditions of the grant

There is no appeal mechanism for decisions to approve or not approve a grant.

Grant recipients are required to:

• Accept the grant agreement and abide by the Terms and Conditions of the agreement;
• Complete an acquittal and report (see below) using the templates provided by the AIS and return them to the AIS within 30 days of the completion of the supported activity;
• Return any unused grant funds to the AIS within 30 days of the completion of the supported activity; and
• Promptly notify and seek approval from the AIS if no longer involved in the supported activity, if the supported activity has been delayed/postponed due to circumstances, and/or there has been a change of activity type.

Participant Reflection Report

On completion, the participant is required to provide a 600-word reflection report and learning summary to their NSO and/or appropriate NIN Personnel (copying in the AIS). This reflection should specify how their named categorised athlete(s) or sport program (for practitioners) will benefit from the learning grant activities, how the learning grant activity was relevant to one of the four pathways pillars (identify, develop, support and progress), what is needed for their continued development, and what experiences from the learning grant will be shared with their organisation and whom will it be shared with.

If you need further guidance on the application process or wish to withdraw a submitted application, please contact:

Email: PerformancePathways@ausport.gov.au
Phone: 02 6214 1066

All applicants will be notified by email of the outcome of their application including:

• Any funding amount to be awarded; and
• The specific terms and conditions of any funding.

Successful applicants will enter into an agreement with the AIS in relation to the grant funding, which will be substantially based on the sample terms and conditions to these guidelines. This agreement will be made available to prospective applicants on request and will be supplied automatically to successful applicants.

The AIS will treat any personal information in accordance with the Privacy ACT 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles.

Personal information can only be disclosed to someone for the primary purpose for which it is collected unless an exemption applies.

Personal information submitted via the online application is collected by the AIS for the purpose of considering applications for and administering the Program.

The personal details of successful applicants (including name, home state, sport, the value of the grant awarded and a brief description of the purpose for the program) may be released by the AIS to the public and the media for the use of promotional and educational purposes.

View the AIS Privacy Policy.

Any conflicts of interest could affect the performance of the grant opportunity or Program. There may be a conflict of interest, or perceived conflict of interest, if AIS staff, any member of the Assessment Panel, a committee or advisor, and/or you or any of your personnel, for example:

• has a professional, commercial or personal relationship with a party who is able to influence the application selection process, such as a AIS officer, or a member of an external panel
• has a relationship with, or interest in, an organisation which is likely to interfere with or restrict the applicants from carrying out the proposed activities fairly and independently or
• has a relationship with, or interest in, an organisation from which they will receive personal gain because the organisation receives a grant under the grant Program.

Applicants will be asked to declare, as part of your application, any perceived or existing conflicts of interests or that, to the best of your knowledge, there is no conflict of interest. If you later identify an actual, apparent, or potential conflict of interest, AIS must be informed in writing immediately.
Conflicts of interest for AIS staff will be handled in accordance with AIS’s Conflict of Interest Policy. Assessment Moderation Panel members will also be required to declare any conflicts of interest.

If you have any questions regarding the AIS Elevate Learning Grants Program, please contact PerformancePathways@ausport.gov.au

If you wish to lodge a complaint regarding the program this can be done using the AIS complaints form.