FAQ

Have some questions about what we do or how we work? We have answered some frequently asked questions below, if you can’t find what you’re looking for though, please get in touch!

Alumni (8)

The CEF alumni project aims to develop lifelong connections and mutually beneficial relationships between CEF and its alumni. We have more than 4000 current and former grant and scholarship recipients, who we have helped over a period of 25 years.

The project has been made possible through generous gifts from The Snow Foundation, The Vernon Foundation and the Origin Foundation.

You are a part of CEF alumni if you received a grant or scholarship from us. This is regardless of whether you attended TAFE, university or college, or whether you undertook an apprenticeship, traineeship or any career-related education.

Our alumni family is very important to us – we want to reconnect with all our past recipients to discover where they are, what they have achieved and what difference CEF has made to their lives.

Our alumni have invaluable insights that can help us to create the best possible programs for the future. Our alumni’s experiences can help us to better plan our assistance to create the best outcomes.

Yes, all our current and past recipients are part of the CEF alumni family, no matter how large or small the scholarship or grant.

You can search for a CEF local foundation here to see if your hometown is on the list.  Historically, some of our 43 local foundations haven’t used our name, but they are part of the CEF family.

Your personal information will be kept safely within our secure database and used only for CEF purposes. Your details will not be passed on to any third parties.

There is no requirement to do anything!

We will send you an email newsletter twice a year that will outline information about upcoming alumni events, such as professional networking opportunities and social gatherings, in addition to relevant CEF news and achievements.

We may also contact you separately from time to time to let you know about other CEF developments but these will be kept to a minimum. If you do not want to receive email correspondence, you will be able to opt out.

Definitely! We are eager for as many of our alumni as possible to become more involved in the great work that CEF does to promote and enable further education, career and personal development opportunities for rural and regional youth.

We encourage you to get involved in whatever way you can, either through our mentoring programs or as one of our CEF Champions. Opportunities also exist to become involved in one of our 43 volunteer-run local foundation committees or by subscribing to an affordable tax-deductible giving program.

Applications (8)

Click here for a list of what you generally can and cannot claim. If in doubt, check with your local foundation.

CEF cannot provide you with advice on taxation or Centrelink matters. The information we provide is of a general nature only and does not consider individual circumstances.

CEF grants are ‘non-cash’. This means that you don’t get paid a lump sum of money once you receive a grant. To claim your grant funds, you will need to provide your local foundation with either a receipt or tax invoice for you education related expense. This can then either be reimbursed straight back into your bank account or we can sometimes pay a supplier directly for you.

Once you submit your application, your local committee will receive notification and begin the reviewing process.

You may be asked to attend an interview (by phone, Skype or face-to-face) so that your local committee members can get to know you and ask further questions about your education aspirations.

You will be notified in writing if you are unsuccessful.

Please contact your local committee if you have any specific questions regarding the process during this time.

There are no set amounts. If successful the grant recipient will receive an amount determined by the local committee.

They will look at factors like financial and educational need, distance to your preferred campus, your desired course and of course your want and determination for education and training. You will address these sort of questions in the interview process.

Grant applications open in July each year, however each foundation has varying closing dates. Please contact your closest foundation to find out when that is.

If you do not have a local committee to apply for a grant or scholarship to, please contact us and we will do our best to direct you to the right people.

A set of simple and broad questions will be asked that will help us ascertain your need for a CEF grant. Click here for an overview of questions asked and some tips and tricks on how to answer them.

Donations (5)

Of course! If you want your gift to go to a specific committee just nominate one. You can do this online, by calling us or by writing us a note with your funds. We promise you your funds will be directed to the right committee.

When you donate to CEF you can be sure your money is used to support students either directly in the form of grants and scholarships, to the committees who in turn support students in their own communities or to assisting the national office provide resources and programs for young people. We are also developing several advocacy platforms to help advance great outcomes for young people in rural and regional Australia.

To learn more about CEF, the work we do and the impact we have on the lives of country students please see our Strategy 2022.

Yes. All donations over $2 can be claimed back, just keep the receipt for evidence.

To get a tax deductible receipt you must donate through CEF national office. You can donate over the phone, online or by asking us for a donation slip and sending a cheque.

You can donate online, through the mail or over the phone on 1300 652 144.

General (4)

Yes, we are a registered not-for-profit (NFP) charity with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. We have helped more than 4000 students since our inception in 1993 and have given more than $8.2 million in financial support. We operate under a community-based model, with 43 local foundations run by more than 400 volunteers across Australia.

We receive no government funding. All of our income is derived from fundraising and partnerships with corporate and education entities.

THE CEF National office supports local CEF committees with grant allocations, funding and reporting.

National office also provides a national voice on education, training and careers advocacy for rural and regional students.

National office works with existing educational partners such as universities to obtain more funding and services for CEF recipients attending those universities. Our education partners also help CEF create networks for future students, through programs like a university experience. University partners also help CEF produce two resources – the University Survival Guide and the Scholarships Guide.

Corporate partnerships are also sought by national office. These corporate relationships add to scholarship funding, fund the running costs of national office and create valuable networks in mentoring and resource attainment.

National office obtains Management (Directors and Officers) liability and Public liability insurance for committees.

National office maintains Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR1) status enabling donors using the website or directly sending donations to National office to obtain a tax deduction for their gift.

National office obtains legal and accounting advice to ensure policies, constitutions, etc are up to date for the CEF network.

CEF provides this financial support through community-based grants and scholarships.

CEF raises funds through a community-based model. Each committee services a community, and raises fund within their own community for their own youth.

The committee is charged with opening applications, interviewing applicants, and deciding who needs the most help.

Each successful  recipient is allocated a certain amount of money – this can be $500 or it can be $10,000. It varies from applicant to applicant.

Local CEF committees look for a youth who needs the money and will use it to the best of their advantage, whether it be rent, textbooks, tools, travel expenses etc.

Recipients must provide proof of what the money is being used for. This is done by reimbursing the recipient, rather than the recipient receiving the money in one lump sum. This allows CEF to monitor and track how the generously donated funds are used, and to make a recipient’s educational and training needs are met.

The Country Education Foundation of Australia is a non-profit organisation focused on providing financial support to rural and regional youth aged 16 to 25. Financial support is offered to school leavers interested in pursuing further education, training and career progression. They are eligible no matter if they attend university, private courses, TAFE and other education institutions.

Local Foundations (8)

This will depend on how many students your committee would like to help. There is no minimum limit to the amount you must fundraise each year, however if you would like to, we encourage you to set some targets and goals within your committee.

There is no set or minimum amount that can be granted to a successful applicant. Each successful CEF recipient is allocated a certain amount of money – this can be $500 or it can be $10,000. It varies from applicant to applicant.

This really depends on the time you have. We all know that the more time you can give will determine the success of your local foundation. There are no minimum requirements of your time.

Yes. CEF provides seed funding to new foundations. Every dollar you raise, we’ll match dollar for dollar to a total of $5000 in the first year; 50 cents in year two and 25 cents in year three.

 

This may differ between states, so you will need to check with the relevant authority in your state. However as a guide, in NSW an incorporated association must have a minimum of 5 members at all times. An association’s registration may be cancelled if it has fewer than 5 members.

Three members are required in management roles (the executive) such as chair, secretary and treasurer etc.

  • Committees are required to hold an AGM within 6 months of their end of financial year. Following this they should advise head office of all members and contact details.
  • Committees are required to submit their committee account report (financial), annually at the end of August.
  • Grant reports (all the details about the students you have awarded grants to) need to be finalised and lodged annually in March.

To check for other requirements of an incorporated association by appropriate state departments please check your state’s relevant organisation.

Our local foundations are run by volunteer committee members. Their role is to promote the work of Country Education and raise money for their local students in their communities. They identify students who can benefit from this and run the interview process.

The national office provides support and resources to enable the committees in their work.

If you are interested in starting a local CEF in your town, area or region our committee liaison officer will be happy to help – send us an email at [email protected] or give us a call.

After having a chat to find out what’s involved, you will be sent a link to our Register of Intent form which must then be approved by the CEF board.

Once approved you would form a committee to then incorporate as an association in accordance with your states’ incorporation legislation. You will also receive our policies and procedures manual full of guidelines and helpful tips and tricks to running a successful local CEF.