Digital Sisters program

The target group for Digital Sisters programs are refugee and migrant women from 18 to 50 years of age.

Yes, you need an active ABN to apply for this program and grant funding. Also, your organisation needs to:

• Be a member of the Be Connected Network - If you are not yet a Network Partner, you can join using the Joining the Network page on our website. You can apply for the grant as soon as you submit the Join the Network form
• Already have contact with migrant and refugee women and be providing support to them
• Have an ABN

Log in to the Be Connected Network and select ‘Apply for grant’. Full grant guidelines, terms and conditions and grant application templates are available on our website.

The Be Connected Network is Good Things Foundation’s national network of community organisations helping to close the digital divide. There are over 3,500 Network Partners across Australia.

Community organisations in our network get access to grant funding, specialist training, free resources and support from Good Things Foundation to help their community get more safely and confidently online.

To join the network, fill in our online registration form.

The project is 10 months long. The program starts with grants being awarded from 4 August 2023 to 30 June 2024.

There is no specific visa status or amount of time to be eligible to participate in the Digital Sisters program. We want to assist as many women as possible to help them connect with the community and access the workforce.

We know this is an important topic for you, and we are working to find the easiest and safest way to collect data and measure the impact of our program. We will protect the privacy of every participant, and more details will be provided in the future.

The co-design process is when organisations who get the grants, HOST International and Good Things Foundation, will work together to understand the barriers and the relevant topics for your community of refugee and migrant women. Identify their needs and work together on the logistics, resources and program definitions.

To this process, your organisation should bring in the most involved person who knows more about your organisation and your community. It is not relevant their actual role or future participation in the program.

Grant funds can be used for expenses directly related to the delivery of your project. The funds can be used for costs such as:

• Communications, promotion and marketing expenses
• Police checks for all staff and involved in delivering the program, if not in place already
• Travel
• Staffing costs
• Project management costs
• Catering and food for your event
• Venue hire
• Equipment and delivery costs

You are required to clearly outline what you will spend the grant funds on in the budget you submit with your application.

Exclusions:

• Funding cannot be used for capital works (building or construction materials)

A Digital Mentor is someone who will help learners feel more confident when using digital technology. Is the person who will be trained by us to be able to support people and teach them new digital skills.

The Digital Mentor doesn’t need to be a tech person or an IT expert, is just someone motivated, looking to inspire others and with a good attitude to teach. To learn more about the role of a digital mentor, download this document

It Is not mandatory to have a bilingual digital mentor. But, for the purpose of the program it is preferred that mentors speak the community language or have plans for translation in place at time of application. This will help us to better support refugee and new migrant women.