The Financial Counselling Services Program is a state-wide program, which allocates funding to non-profit organisations for the provision of:

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

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.

Key dates

Current funding is provided to 30 June 2012.
Next call for applications: February/March 2012.

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
• 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:

• commercially operated (for profit) organisations
• organisations or individuals wishing to provide services or conduct services in a State or Territory other than NSW.

Please note: The Office of Fair Trading or its employees cannot receive a grant from the Financial Counselling Trust Fund in accordance with the Trust Deed.

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
• educate the public of NSW in all matters related to the management of personal finances, debt and credit problems.

How much funding is available?

Approximately $5.1 million per annum was made available for the current funding period.

Current priorities

The Office of 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.

How to apply

To apply for funding under this program, please refer to the following documents:

• Funding guidelines (PDF size: 86kb)
• Application form (Word size: 264kb)

Currently funded services

Services currently funded under the program in PDF format (size: 70kb)

Want more information?

Contact Community and Industry Grants Branch at grants@oft.commerce.nsw.gov.au or phone 9619 8731 or fax 9777 8810.