Community Connectors for Immunisation Grant (Priority Populations Immunisation Program)

​​​Program objective

The Priority Populations Immunisation Program (PPIP) is a strategic initiative led by NSW Health. The program is designed to improve vaccination rates among groups with low vaccine coverage or significant barriers to immunisation. A key component of this initiative is the Community Connectors for Immunisation Grants program, which will provide funding to not-for-profit organisations that work with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, to foster increased vaccine acceptability and uptake.

This grants program is being awarded using a targeted, competitive approach, based on areas and communities with lowest vaccine uptake. 

The objectives of this program are to:

• increase immunisation uptake in CALD communities
• increase the acceptability and accessibility of vaccination among hesitant and hardly reached CALD communities
• promote partnerships within CALD communities to improve vaccine uptake
• reduce the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases in these communities.

This program is funded and administered by NSW Health.

Eligibility

Following submission, NSW Health will undertake eligibility checks. Eligible applications will be assessed and scored by a panel of assessors. Organisations that do not meet the eligibility criteria may not progress to assessment by the assessment panel.

Who can apply

Organisations that:

• are a registered not-for-profit organisation operating in NSW as listed in the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 (NSW) or the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
• work with CALD communities operating in South Western Sydney, Western Sydney, South Eastern Sydney and/or Sydney Local Health Districts (LHDs)
• possess the appropriate insurances and licenses or commit to obtaining them if awarded funding
• submit their most recent financials for the previous financial year
• disclose details of any grant and/or funding previously or currently received from NSW Health
• disclose other existing funding sources if relevant
• commit to participating in an annual evaluation process
• commit to providing a twice-yearly report, demonstrating activity against the project plan, recruitment to positions and funding utilisation
• commit to adhering to the NSW Code of Conduct and Core Values.

Program funding

• Grants of up to $100,000 per financial year are available to grant recipients until 30 June 2028.
• The total grant pool available is $550,000 per financial year, available until 30 June 2028.
• Ongoing funding until 30 June 2028 will be dependent on grant recipients demonstrating that activity has been undertaken in relation to provided funding.
  
• These grants are one-off and time-limited.

Responsibilities of grant recipients

Organisations receiving funding will be responsible for:

• recruiting Community Connector(s) for Immunisation
• developing and implementing a project to facilitate Community Connector(s) for Immunisation to engage in activities to foster vaccine confidence and uptake in the community
• supporting Community Connector(s) for Immunisation to develop necessary skills by participating in expert-led training made available by NSW Health through an external partner
• providing a twice-yearly report to NSW Health demonstrating activities undertaken and outcomes achieved
• maintaining and providing a detailed budget, demonstrating use of grant funding for intended objectives
• working with key stakeholders, such as Multicultural Health Services, Public Health Units and/or Primary Health Networks.

What your application needs to include

Your application should include a completed grant application form, with required evidence of meeting eligibility criteria attached to the application. This is outlined in detail in the grant guidelines.

Applications for this grants program are now closed.​

Start the application

Download and read the full grant guidelines, assessment guideline and complete the grant application form. Attach all required evidence to your application.

• Community Connectors for Immunisation Grants Guidelines (PDF 235.92KB)
• ​Community Connectors for Immunisation Assessment Plan (PDF 255.45KB)
  

After the application is submitted

NSW Health will provide confirmation of each received application via return email to the applying organisation. Organisations that do not receive confirmation of receipt of application should contact NSW Health.

Following this, NSW Health and the assessment panel will convene to assess all eligible applications via the assessment process outlined in the assessment guideline.

The Minister for Health and Regional Health is the final decision maker on successful grant applications. It is intended that applicants will be notified of the outcome of this opportunity by June 2025.

Support and contact

Frequently asked questions

​The grant guidelines refer to the Community Connectors attending training and attending communities of practice meetings. What is the anticipated duration of the training? How many communities of practice meetings will Connectors be required to attend per year, and how long are the meetings? For the online self-paced learning modules, is planning for 7 x 1 hour modules reasonable? 

The details of the Training of Trainer’s program is still being confirmed with the NSW Health expert partner, who will be delivering the training. It is anticipated that the training will run over the course of the Grant period (i.e. over the total funding period), to provide opportunities for ongoing learning and support. The Training will include a mix of self-paced online modules (less than 1 hour duration, number to be confirmed) and approximate monthly online group support sessions (1-2 hours duration). The suggested number of self-paced modules that you are planning for is reasonable. There may also be an opportunity to attend 1-2 in-person Community of Practice sessions over the year. Details about the Training will be confirmed with successful Grant recipients.​​

In the session recording, it was mentioned that there were previous projects. Could you provide more information about the examples of the previous successful grant applicants?

These grants were provided by NSW Health as part of the pandemic response to community organisations to support them to work with their community to increase coverage for the COVID-19 vaccine.

In terms of the community connectors, is there any expectations or suggestions on their eligibility and desirable qualifications?

No. Selection of the community connectors for immunisation is at the discretion of the successful organisations. The person/s are not required to have a previous background in the health field but they must be willing to undertake training provided by NSW Health through an expert partner, and participate in the associated community of practice (CoP). They will also need to be willing to engage with the identified community to foster vaccine confidence and assist community members to access immunisation services. The person should have existing ties to their community or have the ability to build this rapport.

Can a project target a certain age group in a CALD community who are more vulnerable to vaccine preventable diseases, for example people aged 65 years and over?

Yes. Projects may be targeted at designated cohorts within a particular community. Projects that target a particular subset of a community will be considered and assessed in accordance with the assessment criteria. It is important that submissions include advice on the community and demographic such as age range that will be targeted. Projects should have a strong project plan that clearly outlines how the organisation will engage the identified groups.

We are planning to deliver vaccine education sessions to seniors from different cultural groups. Would you prefer an ongoing, enhanced education model over three years (for example, repeated sessions delivered once per year to the same group), or would you prefer a broader reach within a single year (for example, separate sessions delivered to different groups within one year)?

NSW Health does not have a specific recommendation or preference about the education model as part of the Grants Program. This will depend on the needs of your community and specific scope of your proposed project.

​Where can I find data related to vaccination coverage in NSW?

Data related to vaccination coverage can be found on the following pages and websites:

• NSW Health vaccination coverage
• National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) immunisation data​
• NCRIS influenza vaccination data​​
• Department of Health and Aged Care influenza vaccination data​