2010-2011 Sustainable Farming Fund Application Guidelines
The Application Process
Applicants requesting SFF grants of over $20,000
- Read these guidelines including the section on Project Management and Contracting to determine your project's eligibility.
- Download and fill in the Phase 1 Over $20,000 Application Form.
- Save your completed application as an electronic document using the title as the document name eg "Sustainable Pineapple Production.doc".
- Submit your application electronically by Wednesday 7 October 2009 to sff@maf.govt.nz. Include your project title in the email subject line.
Please note:
- Applications received after midnight Wednesday 7 October 2009 will not be accepted.
- Do not send additional attachments or supporting material at Phase I.
- SFF Project Advisers can help with applications and possibly meet with your group. For more information call 0800 00 83 33 or 04 894 0612.
Applicants requesting SFF grants of under $20,000
- Read these guidelines including the section on Project Management and Contracting to determine your project's eligibility.
- Download and fill in the Under $20,000 Application Form.
- Save your completed application as an electronic document using the title as the document name eg "Sustainable Pineapple Production.doc".
- Submit your application electronically by Tuesday 2 March 2010 to sff@maf.govt.nz. Include your project title in the email subject line.
Please note:
- Applications received after midnight Tuesday 2 March 2010 will not be accepted.
- Attach a separate detailed project budget; no other attachments are accepted.
- SFF Project Advisers can help with applications and possibly meet with your group. For more information call 0800 00 83 33 or 04 894 0612.
Notes to help you complete the Over $20,000 Application Form
Complete this form if you are applying to the main or Climate Change funds for between $20,000 and $200,000 (incl GST) per year. The form must be kept to four pages and no attachments will be accepted. At Phase II a more detailed application is required.
Project Title - provide a short title for the project (not a description).
Applicant group name - the name of the group of people applying on behalf of the community of interest. SFF will usually contract this group to deliver the project. The applicant group does not need to be a legal entity.
Contact details - this will be the person receiving communication from SFF.
Which fund? - indicate whether you are applying to the SFF Main or Climate Change fund. Do not tick both. Occasionally, some projects will be appropriate for either fund - SFF may redirect projects into a different portfolio if appropriate.
The following numbers (1-7) refer to corresponding sections in the Over $20,000 Application Form.
1 Project Executive Summary
Summarise your project in less than 100 words. What are the main objectives and outcomes and who will benefit? Demonstrate that your project fits the SFF by its contributions to sustainability or the climate change objectives.
2 Problem/Opportunity
Describe the problem the project will solve or the opportunity it will take advantage of. Quantify the size of the issue to the community of interest and describe how widespread or locally important it is. How urgent is the issue? Remember that the assessors may not be familiar with your industry or region - provide some context where possible e.g. size of industry/ hectares affected/ impact on return etc, and avoid jargon.
3 Community of Interest
Describe the stakeholder group(s) represented by the applicant and who will benefit from the project. Indicate approximately how many landowners/stakeholders your Community of Interest represents. Provide some background into the group's formation and its purpose.
4a Project Team
This is the group or committee that will manage the project. List the names of people who have agreed to be part of this project team. The team should be representative of the Community of Interest and can include specialists. Most project teams have at least 4 - 6 members (more members are acceptable). SFF expects to see landowners in the project team. Someone with financial skills is required to be the financial manager - this must be someone other than the project manager.
4b Project Design and Delivery
Describe what you propose to do. This can be set out by year or by broad objective. Indicate who will be doing the work (if known). What are they key outcomes of the project?
5 Knowledge Sharing and Extension
Demonstrate clearly how the results and outcomes of the project will be extended to, and taken up by, the Community of Interest and the wider community. Applicants are expected to develop an extension and communications plan (although the plan itself may not be part of this application).
- Will this project actually make a difference? How will this be evaluated?
- What will happen after the SFF project is complete - are there plans for on-going or future work?
6 Related Work
Describe how this project relates to any previous or current projects and/or programmes either in New Zealand or overseas. The applicant group, or its members, does not necessarily have to be involved in this related work - we want you to demonstrate that you are aware of what else is being done and how it fits with your proposal. Make it clear if the proposal is for new work, or builds on previous work.
7 Project Funding
The Phase I budget is used to demonstrate the estimated cost of the project and where funding for this is proposed to come from. (A detailed budget and project milestones are required at Phase II.) All figures in the table must be GST inclusive. The maximum funding from SFF and other central government funds together is 80 percent of the total project value.
- SFF funds requested - record the SFF funding required each year and the total.
- Other Central Government Funds - record the source and the annual and total amounts.
- Community Contribution - record cash contributions from the Community of Interest.
- Other Sources - record funding from other sources such as local council, industry bodies, trusts etc.
- In Kind Contributions - record the in-kind contributions that will be made to the project, such as time, travel, and use of land and machinery. These are all part of the contribution a community makes to the project. See below for more detail on Valuing In-kind Contributions.
- Status of Cash Contributions - indicate whether the other cash contributions are confirmed, pending or still under discussion. At Phase I we want the applicants to demonstrate they have considered other funding sources and have discussed the project and funding with these sources. Higher weighting is placed on confirmation of other funding at Phase II.
8 Application Confirmation
A duly authorised agent of the applicant group must submit the application to SFF. The agent certifies that the information is true and correct and accepts that the assessment process is both relative and subjective and that MAF has final decision authority.
Note: an electronic signature is not required - the agent's name, date and submission are considered to validate your application.
Projects successful at Phase I will be invited to submit a Phase II application form. The Phase II application form will be emailed directly to the successful applicants.
Notes to help you complete the Under $20K application form
Complete this form if you are applying for up to $20,000 incl GST from SFF for the entire project. (Your overall project value can be greater than $20,000 including cash and in-kind contributions from other sources.)
The form must be kept to four pages. A separate project budget is required as an attachment (see Section 9 as an example).
Project Title - provide a short title for the project (not a description).
Applicant group name - the name of the group of people applying on behalf of the community of interest. SFF will usually contract this group to deliver the project. The applicant group does not need to be a legal entity.
Contact details - this will be the person receiving communication from SFF.
Which fund? - indicate whether you are applying to the SFF Main or Climate Change fund. Do not tick both. Occasionally, some projects will be appropriate for either fund - SFF may redirect projects into a different portfolio if appropriate.
The following numbers (1-9) refer to corresponding sections in the Under $20,000 Application Form.
1 Project Executive Summary
Summarise your project in less than 100 words. What are the main objectives and outcomes and who will benefit? Demonstrate that your project fits the SFF by its contributions to sustainability or the climate change objectives.
2 Problem/Opportunity
Describe the problem the project will solve or the opportunity it will take advantage of. Quantify the size of the issue to the community of interest and describe how widespread or locally important it is. How urgent is the issue? Remember that the assessors may not be familiar with your industry or region - provide some context where possible e.g. size of industry/ hectares affected/ impact on return etc, and avoid jargon.
3 Community of Interest
Describe the stakeholder group(s) represented by the applicant and who will benefit from the project. Indicate approximately how many landowners/stakeholders your Community of Interest represents. Provide some background into the group's formation and its purpose.
4a Project Team
This is the group or committee that will manage the project. List the names of people who have agreed to be part of this project team. The team should be representative of the Community of Interest and can include specialists. Most project teams have at least 4 - 6 members (more members are acceptable). SFF expects to see landowners in the project team. Someone with financial skills is required to be the financial manager - this must be someone other than the project manager.
4b Project Design and Delivery
Describe what you propose to do. This can be set out by year or by broad objective. Indicate who will be doing the work (if known). What are they key outcomes of the project?
5 Knowledge Sharing and Extension
Demonstrate clearly how the results and outcomes of the project will be extended to, and taken up by, the Community of Interest and the wider community. Applicants are expected to develop an extension and communications plan (although the plan itself may not be part of this application).
- Will this project actually make a difference? How will this be evaluated?
- What will happen after the SFF project is complete - are there plans for on-going or future work?
6 Related Work
Describe how this project relates to any previous or current projects and/or programmes either in New Zealand or overseas. The applicant group, or its members, does not necessarily have to be involved in this related work - we want you to demonstrate that you are aware of what else is being done and how it fits with your proposal. Make it clear if the proposal is for new work, or builds on previous work.
7 Milestone Table
Milestones are major activities, stages or outputs of a project and are key to achieving overall objectives. The milestone table will become the main basis for contracting project objectives, so must include sufficient detail to enable SFF to monitor progress and substantiate payments. Milestones should be specific, measurable, achievement- focused and time-bound.
- Description - Describe the major milestones for your project. These should reflect the activities and outputs described in Section 4b (Project Design and Delivery).
- Due Date - For each milestone please provide a planned completion date.
- Estimated Costs - Provide an estimated cost for completing each milestone.
Here's an example:
| No. | Milestone Description: list all major activities and outcomes of the project, including key knowledge sharing steps |
Due Date (mm/yy) |
Estimated CASH Costs ($000) (Incl GST) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFF | Non SFF | Total | |||
| 1 | Hold workshop to establish management options to overcome pineapple rot | 07/09 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 4,000 |
| 2 | Complete trials of management options on 6 pineapple farms and analyse results. Results presented to steering group | 02/10 | 5,750 | 0 | 5,750 |
| 3 | Complete best practice manual | 04/10 | 0 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| 4 | Hold 5 pineapple field days to disseminate this information at three South Island and two North Island venues | 05/10 | 5,000 | 3,000 | 8,000 |
| Final Report | 06/10 | 2,250 | 0 | 2,250 | |
| Total Costs: | 15,000 | 8,000 | 23,000 | ||
8 Project Funding
All under $20,000 applications must complete the project funding table. All figures must be GST inclusive. The maximum funding from SFF and other central government funds together is 80 percent of the total project value.
- SFF funds requested - record the SFF funding required each year and the total.
- Other Central Government Funds - record source and the annual and total amounts.
- Community Contribution - record cash contributions from Community of Interest.
- Other Sources - record cash contributions from other sources such as local council, industry bodies, trusts etc.
- In-Kind Contributions - record in-kind contributions that will be made to the project such as time, travel, and use of land and machinery. These are all part of the contribution a community makes to the project. See below for more detail on Valuing In-kind Contributions.
- Status of Cash Contributions - indicate whether other cash contributions are confirmed, pending or still under discussion. We recognise that final confirmation may be difficult for an unconfirmed project, and also that other funders may have different approval dates. Note that project contracting is subject to other cash contributions being confirmed in writing.
- Application Confirmation - a duly authorised agent of the applicant group must submit the application to SFF. The agent certifies that the information is true and correct and accepts that the assessment process is both subjective and relative, and that MAF has final decision making authority. Note: an electronic signature is not required - the agent's name, date and submission are considered to validate your application.
9 Project Budget
Complete a detailed budget for the project. Use Income and Expense headings which relate to your project. The budget is to include all cash and in kind income contributions and expenses. Include this as an attachment to your application.
Here's an example:
| Project Title | Pineapple Code Of Practice | |||
| INCOME | Details | CASH | In-Kind | TOTAL |
| SFF Funds | 10,000 | 10,000 | ||
| Pineapple Industry | D Company | 2,000 | 2,000 | |
| BG Company | 1,000 | 1,000 | ||
| In-kind contributions | J Bloggs | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| S Prickle | 2,500 | 2,500 | ||
| TOTAL INCOME | 13,000 | 3,500 | 16,500 | |
| EXPENDITURE | ||||
| Project Management | 2,000 | 1,000 | 3,000 | |
| Technical consultants | Literature review | 500 | 500 | 1,000 |
| Consultation | 400 | 400 | ||
| Draft preparation | 3,000 | 500 | 3,500 | |
| Edits | 600 | 600 | ||
| Final Booklet | 2,000 | 1,000 | 3,000 | |
| Publication | 1,500 | 1,500 | ||
| Dissemination | Workshops | 2,000 | 500 | 2,500 |
| Advertisements | 1,000 | 1,000 | ||
| TOTAL EXPENDITURE | 13,000 | 3,500 | 16,500 | |
Valuing "in-kind" contributions
For a contribution to count as "in-kind", the contributor should incur actual and real costs resulting from their direct involvement in the project. For example, ploughing a field or sowing a crop which is a project trial plot, using a private vehicle to get to a project site, or giving up time to deliver a project workshop. This does not include undertaking activities that form part of their normal day-to-day duties (i.e. doing something that would be done anyway).
For in-kind personnel costings, reasonable commercial rates should be used as a guide. If there are no commercial rates available, please use the following guideline rates:
- Personnel - Personnel should be valued at rates that allow for overheads, administrative costs and local travel expenses, which form part of the work done by an individual. These expenses cannot be claimed separately. Personnel rates are:
- Rate A: $85 per hour for technical, scientific expertise or professional advice (council officers, engineers, accountants, etc.);
- Rate B: $35 per hour for general labour, administration and those not covered by Rate A.
- Project support costs - These should be valued at the lower of actual cost or market value (e.g. cost of hire, workshop costs and catering).
Example of "In-kind" Budget Specification
(1) ABC Makers of NZ
| In-kind Costs | FY1 | FY2 | FY3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel, technical @ $85/hr | 8,500 | 8,500 | 2,975 | 19,975 |
| Personnel, admin/labour @ $35/hr | 875 | 875 | 875 | 2,625 |
| Travel & Accommodation | 1,200 | 1,200 | 1,080 | 3,480 |
| Booklet Printing | 1,080 | 1,080 | ||
| Sub-Total In-Kind Costs (includes GST) | 10,575 | 10,575 | 6,010 | 27,160 |
(2) Silver Discussion Group
| In-kind Costs | FY1 | FY2 | FY3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel, technical @ $85/hr | 14,450 | 5,525 | 9,350 | 29,325 |
| Personnel, admin/labour @ $35/hr | 1,750 | 420 | 245 | 2,415 |
| Tractor Time | 2,300 | 1,250 | 3,500 | 7,050 |
| Seed | 900 | 900 | 1,800 | |
| Venue hire and supper | 600 | 600 | ||
| Sub-Total In-Kind Costs (includes GST) | 19,400 | 8,095 | 13,695 | 41,190 |
Contact for Enquiries
Fund Administrator
Sustainable Farming Fund
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
Tel: 0800 008 333
Fax: 04 894 0746
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