Please note: this program, which commenced on 1 July 2007, replaces and incorporates the former Financial Counselling Trust Fund Program and the Credit Counselling Program, both of which ended in June 2007.

The Financial Counselling Services Program is a three year program which allocates funding to non-profit organisations to provide:

• free-of-charge accredited financial counselling/consumer legal casework services
• training in financial counselling or community education in personal finance, debt and credit management,  and
• central support services for financial counselling services (eg. Helpline services).

Key dates

Next call for applications will be February/March 2010.

Who can apply?

Applications can be made by:

• non-profit incorporated or registered organisations which seek to provide or conduct a service or project in NSW
• financial counselling/consumer legal casework services
• non-profit organisations actively working towards incorporation and wishing to provide or conduct a service or project in NSW, or
• individuals with the appropriate skills, experience and knowledge who wish to provide training for financial counsellors or community education related to the  management of personal finances in NSW.

Who can’t apply?

Applications cannot be made by:

• the Office of Fair Trading or its employees
• commercially operated (for-profit) organisations, or
• organisations or individuals wishing to provide services or conduct services in a State or Territory other than NSW.

What will be funded?

The objective of the program is to provide funding to community based, non-profit organisations that operate in NSW to:

• support the delivery of a free-of-charge accredited financial counselling service
• support consumer legal casework
• train people in financial counselling, and
• educate the public of NSW in all matters related to the management of personal finances, debt and credit problems.

How to apply

To apply, please refer to the funding guidelines in PDF format (size: 236k) and application form in PDF format (size: 264k).

Current priorities

Fair Trading is committed to consumer protection and social justice and strives to ensure that the community has access to information and consumer help. This includes, in part, funding organisations that provide services to low income and disadvantaged clients in NSW.

Want more information?

Contact Community & Industry Grants at grants@oft.commerce.nsw.gov.au or phone the Grants Officer on 9619 8731 or fax on 9777 8810.