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                    Dusk till Dawn (D2D) Activation Grants Program

                    Lanterns, fairy lights and red decorations hanging over a busy walk way full of people at night.
                    The City of Melbourne and Victorian Government have partnered to deliver a $200 million Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund to reactivate the city.

                    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​As part of reinvigorating Melbourne, the Dusk till Dawn (D2D) Activation Grants Program supports activations in the City of Melbourne to reenergise and reimagine the city at night. We foster collaboration and creativity in our city’s night-time economy and encourage visitors and residents to experience and enjoy the ci​ty after dark.  

                    D2D will deliver new and innovative activations within the City of Melbourne, bringing communities and consumers into the city’s precincts to support local businesses. 

                    Please review the below guidelines before completing an application.  

                    Applications are now closed.

                    Indicative timeline

                    • ​Applications open: Monday 31 October at 9.00am AEDT 
                    • Applications close: Friday 16 December at 2.00pm AEDT 
                    • Assessment and approval period: January to February 2023 
                    • Notification of outcome to applicants: by March 2023 
                    • Activations are to be delivered between 1 May 2023 and 31 October 2023

                    Program objectives

                    ​The Dusk till Dawn Activation Grants Program (D2D) is designed to support businesses and organisations to deliver place specific activations that increases economic activity through interactive and entertaining activity and attracts people to the area where the activation is being delivered.  

                    The key objectives of the program are to: 

                    • Deliver activation that will increase and drive visitation to the nominated area, primarily between the night-time hours of 6pm and 6am;  
                    • Increase economic activity and spend for city businesses; and  
                    • Celebrate unique precinct offerings by bringing entertaining and vibrant activities to the area. 

                    Activation definition

                    ​For the purpose of this grant program, an Activation is defined as an activity that drives visitation and patron engagement, specifically within a City of Melbourne precinct area and encourages visitors to interact with the local business community.  

                    Additional attributes of an activation for the purpose of this grant program: 

                    • The activation will be temporary in nature and does not alter or permanently change the infrastructure that is located within the precinct area. 
                    • The activation can be used as a tool by existing businesses to deliver wider economic benefit to the precinct area.  
                    • The majority of the activation opening hours must be between the night-time hours of 6pm and 6am.  

                    Specific examples of activations may include, but not be limited to: 

                    • Pop up live music or theatrical performances that activate Melbourne’s unique outdoor spaces such as laneways, public parks, streets and public squares  
                    • Interactive and experimental public exhibitions that spark curiosity in the visitor  
                    • Food festivals that seek to highlight Melbourne’s diverse and multicultural food culture  
                    • Illuminations and/or technology driven art installations that lead visitors through a precinct.

                    Funding

                    ​Funding Levels 

                    Grants of up to $100,000 are available. Please see the funding breakdown available for activations attracting a certain number of attendees.  

                    ​Level
                    		​Funding amount
                    		​Activation scale
                    ​1
                    		​Up to $100,000
                    		​Minimum activation attendance is 30,000 patrons.   
                    ​2
                    		​Up to $60,000
                    		​Minimum activation attendance is 15,000 patrons. 
                    ​3
                    		​Up to $30,000
                    		​Minimum activation attendance is 5,000 patrons. 

                    Funding Requirements 

                    Sponsorship benefits: City of Melbourne/State Government of Victoria are to have Major or Partner status of the activation with benefits including but not limited to:  

                    • Digital and print advertising logo inclusions and/or acknowledgements
                    • Signage and branding opportunities
                    • Speaking / profiling opportunities.

                    Sustainability: Demonstrate a commitment to sustainability by identifying ways in which you will minimise the environmental impact of your activation including supply of a waste minimisation and recycling plan. 

                    What we fund   

                    Up to $2 million in grant funding is available for the Dusk till Dawn Activation Grants Program. Funding of up to $100,000 per proposal will be available to fund proposals that meet the following key principles: 

                    • Proposals can be for the implementation of free or ticketed activations that will increase public and private realm activity and drive visitation to the City of Melbourne
                    • Applications that involve more than one business collaborating to achieve delivery of proposed activation. 
                    • Applications that have an acceptable level of investment to be put forward by the applicant. I.e. not rely 100 per cent on Council funding to deliver.   

                    Please refer to the assessment criteria section for more information on how your application will be assessed. 

                    What we do not fund 

                    • Applications that do not meet the eligibility or assessment criteria. 
                    • Ongoing operating or general maintenance costs such as remuneration, rent, utilities bills, stock and personal expenditure are not eligible for funding.  
                    • Wages or salaries that relate to business as usual. E.g. bar staff routinely employed at a live music venue, or administrative staff employed at a gallery. 
                    • Activities that do not deliver on the program objectives or are not related to the submitted proposal. 
                    • Expenditure items incurred prior to approval of application funding.  
                    • Activations that are single business focused (I.e. related to attracting visitation to a single business within a precinct rather than to the broader nominated area, or are to benefit only one business). 
                    • Activities such as teaching programs/lectures, university open days, private functions, dinners and receptions, PR opportunities or commercial brand activations.  
                    • Activations held online and/or of a hybrid nature.  
                    • Activations that are closed to the public, or where attendance is by invitation only or membership.  
                    • Activations or events that are currently receiving other funding from the City of Melbourne. 
                    • Activations located outside the City of Melbourne municipal boundary. 
                    • Activities that pollute land, air or water, or destroy or waste non-renewable resources. 
                    • Anything else outside of the agreed budget. 
                    • Any changes to approved activations will need to seek approval, including but not limited to, date, programming and/or duration. Changes are not guaranteed to be accepted for funding. 
                    • Any activity that denigrates, excludes or offends parts of the community, is contrary to anti vilification laws, or freedom of speech, or not aligned with Council policies, priorities or values. 
                    • Late applications. 

                    Eligibility criteria

                    ​Who is eligible to apply? 

                    Applicants to the Dusk till Dawn Activation Grants Program (D2D) must meet the following eligibility: 

                    • Have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN)
                    • Currently have or can obtain current public liability and professional indemnity insurance policies
                    • Hold all relevant permits such as; liquor licensing, food safety permits, outdoor events. 

                    Who is not eligible to apply? 

                    The Dusk till Dawn Activation Grants Program (D2D) will not support:  

                    • Political organisations or businesses that have a political or religious purpose
                    • Government departments or agencies, foundations or grant making bodies. Please refer to the list of public sector agencies, Victorian Government organisations and Government departments and agencies
                    • Businesses with a primary focus on fundraising or marketing their own business
                    • Businesses that have an outstanding debt to the City of Melbourne, or that have failed to comply with the terms and conditions of any previous funding agreement with City of Melbourne including failure to acquit
                    • Current City of Melbourne or State or Federal Government employees, immediate families and contractors. 

                    Permits and precincts

                    ​Event permits 

                    If you are organising an event/activation in any public outdoor spaces managed by City of Melbourne, you may need to apply for an event permit. A minimum of six weeks notice is required with more notice required for more complex events/activations. Fees may be applicable. For information about public outdoor spaces managed by the City of Melbourne, refer to the City of Melbourne interactive map, or contact the Event Operations team on 03 9658 9658, or via email at events@melbourne.vic.gov.au.   

                    Private space: arrange relevant permission directly with land/building owners if using an alternate space outside your premises that is not a City of Melbourne public space.  

                    Note: successful grant allocations do not guarantee availability of space or that relevant permit approvals will be received. 

                    Conversely, holding relevant permits at the time of application will not have any bearing on the outcome of grant applications. It is recommended that event/activation organisers do not begin permit applications until grant outcomes are communicated. Some activations may require other permits and approvals, such as a Place of Public Entertainment Permit. Please refer to the ‘Other permits and approvals you may require’ drop down menu on Event permits.

                    Precinct areas 

                    The applicant should assess the relevant area profile to understand how the activation may achieve the program's objectives. After determining whether the activation falls within one or more Precinct area, they should become familiar with the relevant Precinct Association strategic vision and how the activation aligns with that. Information about the relevant Precinct Association can be found on the City of Melbourne website.  

                    Applicants will need to be flexible and able to work with other activities or undertakings that may be delivered by City of Melbourne. 

                    How to apply

                    ​Apply online  

                    Applications for grants must be completed online using SmartyGrants. Applications must address the eligibility, assessment criteria, answer all questions and be submitted prior to the program closing date.

                    Application Process 

                    1. Register online at SmartyGrants. 
                    2. Plan, research and gather information required for your application. 
                    3. Complete all sections and upload supporting documents. 
                    4. Allow ample time to complete and submit your application before the closing date and time.  
                    5. Submit only one grant application per activation.  
                    6. On submission, you will receive an electronic reply acknowledging receipt from SmartyGrants. Once you have submitted your application, no further editing or supporting materials will be accepted. 

                    Support Material  

                    Supporting material such as financial information is a critical part of your application and reviewed as part of the assessment process.    

                    Applicants should consider the quality of support material over quantity, by only including material that is relevant and strengthens their proposal.  

                     Support Material should include:  

                    • Certificate of Currency (a minimum $20 million public liability insurance is required)
                    • Certificate of incorporation or registration of business name
                    • Skills and qualifications of key business personnel
                    • Financial statements (including Budget, P&L, Cash Flow and Balance sheets) including evidence of other funds required to deliver the activation
                    • Examples of marketing, PR or other evidence to support your application.

                    Application Assistance  

                    Applicants are encouraged to contact a Council officer to discuss any specific needs or additional support that may be required to complete and submit an application. Email businessfunding@melbourne.vic.gov.au  

                    Interpreter and Translation Services 

                    If you need an interpreter when calling the City of Melbourne, please call the following relevant translation services: 

                    • If you are deaf, hearing-impaired, or speech-impaired, please call us via the National Relay Service
                    • Teletypewriter (TTY) users phone 133 677 then ask for 03 9658 8710 or 03 9658 8874 
                    • Speak & Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 03 9658 8710 or 03 9658 8874 
                    • Our multilingual information telephone service offers assistance to people from a non-English speaking background. Visit Translation services.

                    Technical Support  

                    Refer to the SmartyGrants help guide for technical assistance related to submitting your application. The SmartyGrants support desk is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday on 03 9320 6888 or by email service@smartygrants.com.au 

                    Assessment criteria

                    ​Essential Criteria 

                    Applicants will be assessed against the following essential criteria:  

                    1. Expertise, Capacity and Experience 

                    • Demonstrate previous activations and/or events undertaken to assist Council to evaluate the respondent’s past performance or work of a similar nature. 
                    • Demonstrate capacity to deliver an activation within the timeframe applied for. Including an estimation of the staffing resources required. 
                    • Demonstrate collaboration amongst multiple businesses/stakeholders required to deliver the activation. 

                    2. Quality of the Activation 

                    • Demonstrate the merit of the activation by describing the concept, rationale and benefits.  
                    • Demonstrate how the activation will activate the city in interesting and engaging ways and contribute something new and innovative to Melbourne. 
                    • Demonstrate how the application builds from existing community assets and enthusiasm and/or brings new and creative activities to an area. 
                    • Demonstrate how the activation will align with the relevant area profile within City of Melbourne. And if applicable, describe how the activation will align with the strategic vision of the relevant Precinct Association. 

                    3. Access and Participation  

                    • Outline how the activation is inclusive and accessible to residents, workers, businesses and visitors to the precinct area. 
                    • Ticketed activations will need to be affordable to maximise inclusivity.  
                    • Activations must be accessible to people of all abilities.  
                    • Demonstrate the ways in which residents and visitors can participate in the activation, including any opportunities for collaboration. 

                    4. Activation Viability  

                    • Provide a realistic budget, timeline and program to deliver the activation.  

                    5. Benefits to the City of Melbourne  

                    • Deliver significant visitation and economic outcomes for the City of Melbourne.  
                    • Outline how the activation will promote the City of Melbourne and State Government of Victoria, for example through logo inclusions, acknowledgements, signage and branding, speaking and profiling. 

                    6. Ethical and Other Considerations  

                    Priority Criteria 

                    In the circumstance there are many high quality applications, priority will be given to applications with the following features: 

                    • Proposals held in the public realm to maximise inclusiveness and accessibility
                    • Activations that run for a sustained period of time (multi-day or reoccurring) over ‘one off’ events
                    • Weeknight activations, however proposals can be for any day of the week. 

                    Assessment and notification process

                    ​Applications are assessed on their eligibility and ability to deliver on the program objectives. Eligible applicants are not guaranteed funding. Only the strongest applications receive funding through a competitive, merit-based assessment process. Ineligible applications will be withdrawn from the assessment process.   

                    • Applications will be assessed against the criteria in a competitive process.  
                    • Staff from City of Melbourne check applications to establish that all eligibility criteria are met.  
                    • Applications are evaluated by an assessment panel comprising staff from City of Melbourne and may include experts from within the night-time economy sector.  
                    • Applications are confidential. The contents will not be disclosed to any person outside the application and assessment process. A short summary of the project concept will be utilised in publicly available reports to Council and shared with the Victorian State Government.  
                    • The City of Melbourne does not seek to correct errors in applications or supporting material. Applications will be assessed as they have been submitted.  
                    • The City of Melbourne reserves the right to request further information in considering any application, as well as the right to reject any application that is ineligible or does not meet the grant category criteria or align with Council’s priorities and values.   
                    • The City of Melbourne reserves the right to request that applications are revised or altered after assessment and before approval of potential funding. This may include (but not limited to) proposed dates or location. 
                    • The City of Melbourne reserves the right to revise the funding amount if the activation dates, location and/or expected attendance changes.  
                    • The City of Melbourne will take into account how the submission aligns to the activities, objectives and aspirational plans of the relevant precinct area. 
                    • Assessment panels may recommend part funding.   
                    • All funding decisions are final.  
                    • All applicants will be notified of the result of their application.  

                    Canvassing or lobbying of Councillors, employees of the State Government or City of Melbourne or assessment panel members in relation to any funding application is prohibited. No further consideration will be given to an application submitted by an applicant who has canvassed or lobbied State Government staff, City of Melbourne staff, Councillors or assessors in relation to their application. 

                    Outcome notification  

                    Successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified of their application outcome in writing. The applicant name, project names and funding amounts of successful applicants will be made publicly available, including publication on Council’s website and media releases. All funding decisions are final. Unsuccessful applicants will not be reimbursed for the time spent on the application process.   

                    Payment and funding agreement

                    ​Successful applicants must provide details of their nominated bank account in order for City of Melbourne to pay the grant amount directly into the account. Successful applicants are also required to submit an invoice to the City of Melbourne for the approved funding amount plus GST.  

                    Payment terms are*: 

                    • 80 per cent of funding processed upon execution of the funding agreement
                    • Remaining 20 per cent of funding processed upon receipt of a suitable (as deemed by CoM) acquittal report.  

                    *City of Melbourne will consider alternative funding arrangements on a case-by-case basis. 

                    The funding agreement outlines the application outcome, the items to be funded and any conditions associated with the use of the funds. Payments are not processed before the timeframes stipulated in the funding agreement. The City of Melbourne will not be responsible for shortfalls in project budgets if the grant recipient is unable to meet project costs. 

                    Reporting and acquittal

                    ​Recipients must report and acquit the proposal. Reports provide valuable feedback to the Council on the success of the proposal, in relation to the agreed outcomes, performance measures and any lessons learnt. If the recipient prefers, reports can be made confidential. The report or a summary may be shared with the Victorian Government, and/or for evaluation purposes. Final reports must be submitted no later than two weeks after the agreed completion date of the proposal as stated in the funding agreement unless otherwise agreed. 

                    Other considerations

                    ​The City of Melbourne may seek feedback from applicants to help us improve our services and programs. 

                    Other grants and sponsorships

                    ​To support our vision for the future, City of Melbourne offers a wide range of grants and sponsorship opportunities to individuals, community organisations and businesses in the arts, recreation, events and business sectors. 

                    Activations that are not eligible for support via D2D may wish to review City of Melbourne’s alternative programs of support. More information can be found on grants and sponsorship. Please note, D2D does not fund activations that are already receiving support from another City of Melbourne program. 

                    Frequently asked questions

                    When can I deliver my activation?

                    ​Activations are to be delivered between 1 May 2023 to 31 October 2023. Activations will need to be delivered in full during this timeframe.  

                    Activations will also need to be delivered predominantly between the night-time hours of 6pm and 6am.

                    How many applications are permitted per activation?

                    Dusk till Dawn will only accept one application per activation. If you are collaborating with another business, only one business can apply for funding to deliver the same activation.  

                    Please be sure to include any relevant letters of support from any businesses/key stakeholders you will be collaborating with as supporting documentation. 

                    Can my business submit more than one application, for different activations?

                    Yes, providing they are separate activations.


                    My business has already received funding through another CoM grant program. If I want to apply for funding through D2D, am I eligible?

                    ​Yes if it’s a new activation, separate to any other event or activation you’ve already received funding, or have been approved to receive funding for. 

                    What happens if the activation dates and/or location changes?

                    ​Please contact the Business Funding team if specifics around your activation change (dates, location etc).  

                    The City of Melbourne reserves the right to request that applications are revised or altered after assessment and before approval of potential funding. This may include (but not limited to) proposed dates or location. 

                    Dusk till Dawn Activation Grants Program recipients

                    ​

                    ​Recipient
                    		​Activation
                    ​​Committee for Melbourne

                    		​Community Capsule
                    ​Rising

                    		​An​them
                    ​​Vee Agency

                    		​​Melbourne Shimmer Lane
                    ​​Rialto Towers
                    		​Rialto Aglow Winter Lights Festival
                    ​The MBassy Dance

                    		​Mambo Mania
                    Moral Fairground
                    		​Neighborhood C​ircle Nights
                    Kapagi Consulting
                    		Let's Go
                    ​Broad Encounters Productions
                    		​​Maho Magic Bar
                    ​RMIT University
                    		Play Capitol Arcade
                    ​Skunk Control
                    		​Secret​ De-lights
                    ​​Museum of Chinese Australian History
                    		​Moon Lantern Festival
                    ​Laneway Learning
                    		​​Glow Comic Trails
                    ​SarasCare
                    		​Melbourne Diwali

                    ​City Precinct
                    		​Micro Adventures​

                    Contact us

                    Contact name
                    Business Funding team
                    Telephone number
                    03 9658 965803 9658 9658
                    Email
                    businessfunding@melbourne.vic.gov.au
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