ABOUT THE FIONA MCEACHERN SPORT DEVELOPMENT FUNDING SCHEME
APF sports development funding is intended to provide financial support for events, projects and activities that promote retention, progression, and development in sports skydiving. The APF Sport Development Fund (SDF) is named in honour of the late Fiona McEachern. We lost Fi in 2010, but she’ll always be remembered as one of the APF’s most talented and passionate ambassadors for skydiving. Fiona's career spanned 27 years and more than 7,500 jumps, including 13 years as APF Director of Competitions. You can find Fi's memorial booklet and memorial page archived on the APF Website.
SDF funding will only cover a portion of an events costs, the remaining costs will need to be met through other sources such as, participant registration, area councils, DZ contributions or other commercial sponsorship.
Should your application be successfully pre-approved, APF will allocate the budget accordingly. Please note that the approval is based upon information provided during your application and is conditional on the details being verified during the post event acquittal. You must inform APF of any material changes to the event or project as soon as you become aware of them. Funding will normally be released once the acquittal is finalised, APF may in exceptional circumstances pay a portion of the funding in advance.
General conditions:
1. Approval of funding is at APF discretion and is provided as funding under contract from APF to the applicant.
2. Funding will be allocated in accordance with the SDF funding model and budgetary constraints. Please see the funding calculation spreadsheet (HERE) and the additional information document (HERE) for further detail on the SDF funding model. You may use this spreadsheet to estimate the sponsorship available from APF for your event.
3. APF funding is based on APF not hosting the event, managing the event, or employing any workers or volunteers for the event. The applicant is responsible for managing the event including paying suppliers, complying with relevant laws, and ensuring the event is conducted in a manner that complies with the APF code of conduct and enhances the reputation of the APF and the sport of skydiving.
4. Applicants must be financial members of APF in good standing and sign an agreement with APF.
5. The applicant must provide all requested information relating to the event and inform APF of any material change to the event or application as soon as reasonably practicable.
6. The application must demonstrate a benefit to APF and its members commensurate with the amount of funding being sought. The primary purpose of SDF is to promote progression, retention, and development in sports skydiving.
7. Applications must be completed in the approved form and submitted:
a. At least 6 weeks prior to the event for amounts up to $1500 (Level 1)
b. At least 8 weeks prior to the event for amounts up to $5000 (Level 2)
c. At least 8 weeks prior to a scheduled Board meeting for amounts greater than $5000 (Level 3) Find dates here.
8. The budget for Level 1 and 2 applications is released in two six-month tranches, one in January and one in July, applications open 3 months prior to each tranche. Level 3 applications are a special budget item and should be submitted as early as possible.
9. SDF funding will not be provided for:
a. Nationals or State Meets
b. Events which conflict with other APF sponsored events
c. Non skydiving activities including, BASE jumping, tunnel flying, etc.
d. Events which do not provide a progression, retention, or development benefit to APF and its members.
10. All APF funded events must be publicised on the APF Calendar of Events Please forward your event details to apf@apf.com.au for inclusion on the calendar.
11. APF must be recognised as a major event sponsor throughout the event and in all marketing materials for the event including, posters, social media posts and pages, advertisements, news stories, etc.
12. The applicant must provide APF with at least 2 high-quality still photographs per day the event runs and may require video to be supplied. These must be of sufficient quality, enhance the image of skydiving, and be appropriate for public distribution (these must not contain, nudity, obscene gestures, etc). Refer to the media fact sheet (here) for additional requirements on how to work with the APF media team.
13. The applicant must provide APF with an article about the event suitable for publication in ASM, via E-News or in a blog format. The article should be approximately 500 words in length and must be suitable for public distribution.
14. APF may recover or refuse to issue any approved funding on breach of any conditions set by APF in relation to the application.
FILL OUT AN ONLINE APPLICATION FORM
Note: You cannot save as you go with our online process. You’ll probably find it easier to type out your application as a ‘Word’ document, and then transfer your answers across to the online application. If you attach documents from your desktop, keep them available on your desktop until you have successfully submitted your application. This way, you’ll have everything ready to go, and you won’t lose your information if you have to start again. PLEASE CONTACT THE SPORT DEVELOPMENT OFFICER IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE.
Level 1 and 2 budget for events up to the end of June 2024 are now open. Applications for level 1 and 2 funding for events July to December 2024 will be considered from the 1st of April 2024. Funds may become available if events are cancelled or do not require full funding, so please continue to submit your applications and they will be placed in a queue. Applications for level 1 and level 2 funding for events July to December 2024 will be considered from 1st April 2024.