Building Blocks Planning Grants

The Building Blocks Grants - Planning helps fund planning and pre-construction work for kindergarten Capacity building projects that will support the roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten and Pre-Prep. For the purposes of this grant stream, the ‘planning process’ includes the scope development, design and costing required for a project before it is tendered for construction.

APPLICATION ADVICE

The Building Blocks Planning Grants Stream is a highly competitive funding program, and organisations need to ensure that their applications make a clear and convincing case and include the required supporting documentation to increase the chances of being successful.

BEFORE YOU APPLY

Please visit Early Childhood Grants to decide on the best Building Blocks grant for your project or contact us for advice building.blocks@education.vic.gov.au.

Refer to the Planning Guidelines and Assessment Factsheet  found on the VSBA website at Building Blocks Grants - Planning. These documents contain important information about eligibility and your grant application.

Please also read the Frequently Asked Questions.

TO SUPPORT YOUR APPLICATION

In addition to reading the Planning Guidelines and Assessment Factsheet we strongly recommend that you:

• respond fully to each question on the application form and provide the required information, documentation and reports
• consider capability to deliver your proposed project within the specified 12 month period after execution of the Victorian Common Funding Agreement (VCFA)

ELIGIBILITY

Your organisation can apply if it is: 

• a Victorian local government (Council); 
• a not-for-profit community organisation that is a legal entity (for example an incorporated association, incorporated cooperative or Indigenous corporation); or 
• a Victorian non-government school registered with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority or Catholic Education Commission of Victoria. 

For-profit organisations cannot apply for any grant streams within Building Blocks, they are not eligible for funding.

VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS and projects on DE land

Kindergartens on Victorian Government schools are being assessed by the VSBA for suitability for a kindergarten aligned to demand data estimates. Schools are being prioritised based on agreed demand in the relevant Kindergarten Infrastructure Services Plan (KISP). Should a kindergarten be required in your area, the Kindergarten on School Sites (KOSS) team will lead this engagement with schools and other stakeholders.

Therefore, applications for new or expanded early childhood infrastructure on Department of Education (DE) owned land, including schools, are no longer accepted via Capacity and Planning grant applications. Should you wish to discuss a potential new kinder on a school site, or an expansion of an existing kinder on a school site please contact the KOSS team.

If you have any queries about your grant application, contact the VSBA Early Childhood Grants team at building.blocks@education.vic.gov.au

• project management costs
• planning and design costs, such as:

• quantity surveyor fees and reports
• architect and design
• geo technical services
• feasibility studies
• town planning consultants
• planning permits
• soil contamination reports
• asbestos reports
• environmental sustainability assessments for energy and or water efficiency, e.g. NABERS and NatHERS

What cannot be funded

• costs already incurred
• site preparation, including clearing or demolition (these may be funded by a subsequent Building Block Grant)
• construction and commissioning (these may be funded by a subsequent Building Blocks Grant)
• landscaping and car parking (these may be funded by a subsequent Building Blocks Grant)
• site acquisition and lease costs
• ongoing administration or operational costs

Exclusions

The Building Blocks Planning Grant program will not fund planning for projects that:

• do not address unmet demand as identified in the relevant KISP
• do not intend to create additional capacity or maintain existing kindergarten capacity required for the roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten and/or Pre Prep
• are not for facilities that offer, or intend to offer, both Three and Four-Year-Old funded Kindergarten/Pre Prep programs
• are intended to be located outside Victoria
• do not align with the program objectives
• do not meet the requirements outlined in the guidelines
• do not meet the assessment criteria
• have already been invoiced or paid.