Herbert Allen Bequest – grants for bus excursions for organisations
Guidelines
Disability Donations Trust – Herbert Allen Bequest guidelines– September 2017
1. Introduction
1.1 The Disability Donations Trust
The Psychiatric Illness and Intellectual Disabilities Donations Trust Fund (PIIDDTF) is a set of charitable bequests and donations, including the Disability Donations Trust (the Trust). The Trust provides grants to people with adisability to assist in meeting needs related to their disability that they would otherwise be unable to afford. Funds are held and invested by State Trustees Limited and distributed as recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services.
1.2 Purpose
This guide is for disability service providers or specialist schools considering making an application to the Herbert Allen bequest. It outlines the application process, timeframes and key eligibility criteria. It should be read prior to completing a Disability Donations Trust Herbert Allen Bequest grant application form.
1.3 Background to the Trust
The bequests and donations which make up the current Trust were originally bequeathed to various institutions and programs of the Victorian Government which have long since closed. The original Trust, the Mental Health Donations Trust fund, was constituted and declared a Trust on 11 July 1956.
With the closing of the institutions, many of the individual donations were combined by Supreme Court rulings in 1985 and 1994. The 1994 ruling (Scheme E) also renamed the Trust to the Psychiatric Illness and Intellectual Disabilities Donations Trust Fund (PIIDDTF) and divided the various bequests and donations between the Disability Services program and the Mental Health program.
The current governance framework was determined by the Supreme Court in 1994.Under this decision, State Trustees Limited was appointed as the Custodian Trustee responsible for investing the funds and all associatedlegal and fiduciary responsibilities. The Department of Health and Human Serviceswas appointed to establish a Recommending Committee to consider all applications and make recommendations.
The Psychiatric Illness and Intellectual Disabilities Donations Trust Fundhas been endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as a charitable fund, exempt from income tax. This status obliges the fund to endeavour to spend 80 per cent of its income earned each year.
In 2005, the ATO introduced a tax determination in relation to charitable funds. It declared that governments are not charities and that grants from charitable funds must not be for anything that is considered the normal responsibility of government or a government funded program. This tax ruling was updated in 2011 (TR 2011/4).
A new charities commission, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has been established as an independent statutory body, which will initially be responsible for registering all not-for-profit entities as charities and Public Benevolent Institutions. The ACNC will also implement a reporting framework for charities and the Trust will fall under this framework.
These guidelines are reviewed from time to time by the Recommending Committee to ensure funds are distributed in an equitable manner consistent with the original directions. They have been updated to bring them in line with the Disability Act 2006 (the Act).
1.4 The Herbert Allen Bequest
The Herbert Allen Bequest is a sub-account of the Trust. Grants in this fund are available to organisations to provide bus excursions to children aged eight to eighteen with an intellectual disability.
2. Eligibility for grants
2.1 Requirements for grantsfrom the Herbert Allen Bequest
To be eligible to receive a grant, an applicant must meet the requirements of the fund.
Disability service providers applying to the Herbert Allen Bequest must meet one of the following requirements:
•be a service provider listed on either
–the Department of Health and Human Services’ register of disability service providers[1]
–the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s list of registered service providers for Victoria.[2]
•be a Specialist School, registered with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority.[3]
The children participating in the excursion must:
•be Victorian residents
•have an intellectual disability as defined by the Disability Act 2006
•be aged between eight and eighteen (inclusive).
As the Trust is a charitable fund, grants must not be for anything that is considered the normal responsibility of government or a government-funded program.
2.2 Additional criteria
As funds are limited, the Recommending Committee has approved further criteria for the Herbert Allen Bequest to prioritise funding to those most in need:
•Grants are limited to $1,000.
•After receiving a grant, a provider will not be eligible to receive a grant in the next two annual rounds.
•Excursions must take place within Victoria.
•Children participating in the program must be unable to afford the cost of the excursion and not able to participate without the grant.
2.3 What can be funded through a grant?
Grants can be used to fund bus excursions or camps, for children aged eight to eighteen (inclusive) with an intellectual disability. Costs including transport, board and lodging, entrance/activities fees and incidental expenses can be funded.
Trips must be within Victoria.
2.4 Grant restrictions
Government funding:
Grants cannot be used for programs that are already funded by government.
Staff and administration costs:
Grants cannot be used to cover administration costs involved in planning a program or the cost of regular staff.
Grants can be used to cover additional staff costs, eg. overtime or the cost of an additional person.
Additional children:
Funding is only available to children with an intellectual disability aged between eight and eighteen. If children who do not meet these criteria will be taking part in the excursion, their costs must be excluded from the application.
3. Application process
3.1 Granting rounds
Grants will be made annually.
Applications open on 1 September and close at 5.00 pm on the last business day of November.
3.2 Application documentation
Applications to the Trust should include the following documents:
•current application form
•any relevant quotes.
The application form is available from the Disability Donations Trust page on the Service Providers website
Quotes must be on supplier letterhead and provide the following details:
•the supplier’s name
•address
•phone number
•fax number (if applicable)
•ABN
•a full description of the item/s to be purchased and any essential accessories
•itemised cost/s.
3.3 Submitting applications
Once signed off the application can be submitted by email or post to the addresses below.
Email a scanned copy of the application documentation to:
Post the application documentation to:
Disability Donations Trust Officer
Concession and Statewide Contracts
Department of Health and Human Services
PO Box 4057
MELBOURNE VIC 3001
3.4 Notification of the outcome
The Disability Donations Trust Officer will notify applicants in writing of the Recommending Committee’s decision.
Applicants not approved for funding due to a shortfall of funding availability, may resubmit their application in the next funding round.
State Trustees Limited will advise all applicants in writing when payment has been arranged, confirming the method of payment used.
3.5 Acknowledgement of receipt of grant and final acquittal report
Grantees are requested to confirm receipt of the grant in their bank account.
After completion of the program, an acquittal report must be completed, detailing the costs of the program and the total spent.
The report should include:
•a brief description of the programas submitted in the application
•a brief description of the program at the time of the report
•a brief outline of any changes which were made to the program as described originally
•a brief outline of the reasons for any changes which were made to the program
•a signed and dated statement of expenditure showing:
–the amount received
–details of the amounts expended on the program
–the balance remaining at date of the report.
A report template will be provided to successful applicants.
3.6 Remaining funds
If the grant is not fully expended on the program, grantees must contact the Disability Donations Trust Officer to discuss arrangements for the remaining funds.
4. Further information
For more information, see the Disability Donations Trust page on the Service Providers website <
Contact the Disability Donations Trust Officer on 03 9096 8535 or .
Write to the Disability Donations Trust at:
Disability Donations Trust Officer
Concessions and Statewide Contracts
Department of Health and Human Services
GPO Box 4057
MELBOURNE VIC 3001
To receive this publication in an accessible format phone 03 9096 8535, using the National Relay Service 13 36 77 if required, or emailAuthorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.
© State of Victoria, Department of Health and Human Services September 2017.
Disability Donations Trust – Herbert Allen Bequest guidelines– September 2017
[1] See the Department of Health and Human Services website at providers.dhhs.vic.gov.au/registration-requirements-disability-service-providers
[2] See the NDIS website at
[3] See the VRQA website at