Mana Grants

GUIDELINES

Download the Mana Grants Guidelines (PDF, 1.7 MB)

Introduction

The Australia-Pacific Judicial Partnership (APJP) is a four-year, AUD 6.5 million investment funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Managed by the Federal Court of Australia, the program aims to bolster judicial independence and the capacity of judiciaries in 15 Pacific Island nations. The investment focuses on two key objectives: promoting the quality of judicial services, and improving the accessibility, efficiency, and effectiveness of court services.

Concept

A key component of the APJP is the Mana Grants facility. The mechanism is designed to promote locally led development by enabling partner courts to design, manage, and implement their own activities. The grants will enable partner courts to refine and implement solutions that have been discussed and developed at a regional level that respond to their needs and unique operating environments. Mana is a concept shared across Melanesia and Polynesia. It is also familiar in Australia. It broadly signifies authority, efficacy, prestige, and spiritual power. Offering grants is intended to give our partner courts the Mana to manage their own affairs and implement their own solutions. Just as our logo, the conch shell, is blown to signal authority or the start of a ceremony, Mana is the authority that follows that call.

Purpose

Mana Grants provide funding to partner courts to design and deliver local activities that support the achievement of the APJP’s objectives. The grants are intended to complement regional activities by allowing for the development and implementation of locally nuanced solutions to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and accessibility of judicial and court services.

Eligibility

This funding is available to the 11 ODA-eligible partner courts participating in the APJP: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Unfortunately, we cannot make grants available to the Cook Islands, Nauru, Niue or Tokelau. Applications will be reviewed against the criteria within the application form to ensure alignment with the APJP’s objectives.

Funding

The total budget for Mana Grants is AUD 300,000 over the four-year life of the project. This equates to at least one grant for each of the eligible APJP Partner countries. Partner courts can apply for grants of up to AUD 20,000.

Focus

The grants are specifically designed to enable partner courts to refine and implement solutions developed regionally, providing a tailored, locally led approach to shared challenges. Proposed activities must align with the APJP’s two primary objectives and six thematic work streams:

Criteria

To be considered for assistance under this mechanism, applicants must provide sufficient information to show how the initiative meets the APJP objectives, as set out above.

The following information should be provided:

1. A concise description of the proposal providing details of what it will achieve and how it aligns with the APJP goals and local priorities.
2. The expected outcomes and results of the activity which details of how successful results will be measured.
3. How the benefits of the activity will be sustained and have an ongoing positive impact after the end of the small grant
4. Confirmation that the proposed activity fits within any national development framework and/or within national priorities and is not being addressed by other judicial reform or developments interventions locally or in the region.
5. A detailed budget for the proposal, listing and justifying all items of expenditure and supported by quotations if available.
6. Description of how the proposed activity represents the most efficient and cost-effective way to achieve the activity objectives.
7. The timeline for commencement and finalisation of the initiative.
8. Certification by the authorised Grant Manager for the court

Restrictions

Although areas of potential assistance through the Mana Grant are broad, assistance will NOT be provided for capital expenditure or recurrent operational costs such as salaries, telephone/internet bills, motor vehicles or for any activity related expenses that are already provided for under any existing funding arrangement or agreement. Initially, the maximum funding available per PIC will be approximately AUD 20,000. This funding can be accessed in one, or at most two, application(s) during the implementation period.

Examples

Activities that could be funded include training workshops, conferences, projects to develop manuals or guides to assist with court administration, thematic judicial challenges or gender balance, or other specific projects in line with the APJP objectives.

How to apply

The submission of any application to the APJP can be made in writing by email using the APJP Mana Grants Fund Application Form. Applications are to be addressed to Ms. Moe Moe, APJP Project Coordinator by email at moe.moe@fedcourt.gov.au . More information and additional applications are available from the APJP Project Coordinator.

Administrative procedure

Upon receipt of any application for assistance, the APJP Project Coordinator will acknowledge receipt of each application. The Approval Committee will meet on a regular basis to consider each application against the previously outlined criteria and either:

• Approve the application;
• Reject the application;
• Refer the application back to the court for additional work/information for later consideration.

The APJP Project Coordinator will minute the meetings / discussions and advise applicants in writing of the Approval Committee’s decision providing a full explanation in writing for the decision. Decisions should provide details of the assessment of the application against the Small Grant Fund criteria. The minutes of the meeting will not be made available with decisions.

In making their application, applicants acknowledge the following:

• While careful consideration will be given to each application, it may not be possible to assist applicants to the extent requested, even if the application meets the Mana Grant criteria;
• The final decision on applications and the level of funding provided is at the discretion of the Approval Committee; and
• The decision of the Approval Committee shall be final and not subject to negotiation or legal challenge.

Approval Committee

The Approval Committee will comprise of the: Director, International Programs Unit; Manager, International Program Unit; and Project Coordinator, International Program Unit. As part of 6 monthly reports to DFAT, the Approval Committee will provide a summary of the applications that have been received; the decisions of the Approval Committee; and how activities that have been approved are proceeding.

The Project Coordinator will draft reports for the consideration and approval of Director of the International Program for submission to DFAT as part of 6 monthly reporting. The reports will cover the rationale for funding specific activities and periodic updates based on monthly updates provided by the PIC to the APJP Project Coordinator.

Funding

The maximum funding available per PIC will be approximately AUD 20,000. This funding can be accessed in one, or at most two, application(s) during the APJP implementation period. Applications for funding must be used only for the purposes for which funding approval has been granted.

Following approval, a contract will be drafted and signed between the Federal Court of Australia and the applicant PIC detailing the scope, budget and any schedules of the activity, including by when the initiative will be commenced, the completion date, and financial acquittal and narrative reporting requirements. All activities, financial acquittals and narrative reporting must be completed and submitted to APJP no later than end August 2029.

APJP will allocate funding in line with the applicant’s approved application, and the applicant will be reimbursed for their actual expenditure. If the applicant cannot access the funds required to implement the activity, the applicant will send all invoices relating to the implementation of the approved activity directly to the APJP Project Coordinator for payment.

To enable payment to be made by APJP, the PIC will need to provide the bank account details of those being paid for services under the Responsive Fund activity, including:

• Account Name
• Account Bank
• Account Branch
• BSB or Branch Number
• Account Number
• Swift Code

The APJP Project Coordinator will arrange direct electronic transfer for payment. Successful applicants will be required to maintain accurate and comprehensive financial records of all transactions which will be sent to the APJP Project Coordinator upon completion of the activity. The Federal Court of Australia will provide these records to DFAT as part of its acquittal process.

Reporting of activities

It is anticipated that each initiative will be completed within three months of approval. The applicant is required to submit a report to the APJP Project Coordinator on progress of the activity on an agreed basis and no less than monthly. Final reports including fully acquitted accounts, the template for which will be provided to the applicant following approval of the application, must be received by APJP within two weeks of the conclusion of the activity. The Approval Committee in partnership applicant will establish any specific monitoring and evaluation arrangements at the time of the approval of the funding for the activity.

Accounts are to include:

• A completed Acquittal of Advance form to be provided by APJP;
• The actual expenditure acquitted against the initial budget;
• Original copies of receipts for all expenditure;
• Any additional information as requested by the APJP Project Coordinator.