NDSP’s Bursary program is back with a twist in 2022!
Applications are now closed.
Stay tuned for announcements for the 2023 Goal Getter Grant.
State winners:
- NSW/ACT – Carleeta M
- NT – Market Collective: Clayton, Emirly, Igen, Lisa, Maria and Raymond
- SA – Anton T
- TAS – Rosie T
- VIC – Sean R
- WA – Sam T
State runners-up:
- NSW/ACT – Jane H
- NT – Stacie K
- QLD – Kurtis H
- SA – Eugene P
- TAS – Tennyson W
- VIC – Niki L
- WA – Briarley W
Meet the Judges!
René Viljoen: Regional Coordinator - Boosting the Local Care Workforce Program
René is originally from Zimbabwe, Africa and has lived in Perth, Western Australia since arriving in 2016. René’s career spans over various industries including small business operations, Administration, Financial, Retail, Employment Services (Jobactive and DES) and more recently within the Care and Support Sector. She’s worked within the Care & Support Sector for several years now and through this has learnt that a majority of the sector workforce stumble into the sector only to realise their passion for helping people less fortunate than themselves.
René found her passion within the Care and Support Sector by utilising her skills and experience in assisting and supporting organisations within the Care sector by the identification of successful business models, ensuring adequate policies and procedures are implemented to meet compliance requirements and to ensure quality and safe services to participants through training and upskilling of existing workforce and pathways for new workforce to enter organisations.
René continues to support the Care and Support sector in her current role through engagement and collaboration with sector stakeholders and providers as the key element in building strong and sustainable partnerships to support the continued growth of the Care Sector whilst ensuring a quality workforce pipeline is created through various models of attraction, recruitment, and retention strategies.
Dr. Dinesh Palipana: Queensland Australian of the Year 2021
Dinesh was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland and the second person to graduate medical school with quadriplegia in Australia. Dinesh is a doctor, lawyer, disability advocate, and researcher.
Dinesh has completed an Advanced Clerkship in Radiology at Harvard University.
Halfway through medical school, he was involved in a motor vehicle accident that caused a cervical spinal cord injury. As a result of his injury and experiences, Dinesh has been an advocate for inclusivity. He is a founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia.
Dinesh works in the emergency department at the Gold Coast University Hospital. He is a senior lecturer at the Griffith University and adjunct research fellow at the Menzies Health Institute of Queensland. Dinesh is a researcher in spinal cord injury. He is a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby team. Dinesh is a senior advisor to the Disability Royal Commission.
Dinesh was the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service’s Junior Doctor of the Year in 2018. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019. He was the third Australian to be awarded a Henry Viscardi Achievement Award. Dinesh was the Queensland Australian of the Year for 2021.
Janine Lenigas: State Manager SA - NDS
Janine has been working in the disability industry for over 30 years. She now works as the State Manager in SA for National Disability Services and Baptist Care’s Executive Leader in Business Development.
Through her experience Janine has shown her sharp business mind through her time at Baptist Community Services where she established the Mylor campsite to be a premier site in South Australia for school camps.
Janine also led the way for people with disability to get involved in sport with Life Be In It between 1997 and 2000. Organising come and try days for people with disability and lobbying for sports venues to become more accessible.
Janine has also been, Vice-Chair of the NDS State Commitee and Chair of the NDS Accomodation and Housing Committee and the President and Director of the Australian Camps Association at various times, along with chairing and sitting on a number of other boards.
FAQs
You are eligible if you are a person living with a disability, who lives in Australia and are seeking to:
- Study at high school level or beyond, up to and
including your first undergraduate degree* - Enter employment;
- Start a microbusiness; and are
- an Australian citizen or permanent resident; and
- not receiving another scholarship.
*Undergraduate degrees include: advanced diplomas, bachelor degrees, bachelor degree with honours and associate degrees.
The course you study must be provided by a Recognised Training Organisation (RTO). This includes:
- High School
- College
- TAFE courses
- School based apprenticeships
- Home schooling endorsed by an educational authority
- Undergraduate degrees*
*Undergraduate degrees include: advanced diplomas, bachelor degrees, bachelor degree with honours and associate degrees.
You will need to provide evidence of offer of employment and/or the details of the employer. This letter needs to include a start date, and to comply with eligibility the start date must be from when applications opened, until three months after the Bursary program closing date. NDSP will also need details of what it is that you are seeking. For example, tools of the trade, uniforms etc.
NDSP are open to any start up business idea and will fund items such as business advice, web development or items of equipment in order to commence business. We do request that you provide us with a brief outline of your business idea/plan as part of your application.
Anything that is funded by other funding bodies such as the NDIS, disability employment services etc. This Grant is aimed at filling gaps that currently exist to support people with disability to achieve their life goals.
Applications for the 2022 Go Getter Grant will be open from the 1st of June until Friday the 23rd of September
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email within two business days. Applications will then go through a 4 stage process:
Stage 1: Applications are collated and evaluated identifying those in greatest need.
Stage 2: The Bursary team reviews the information provided in each application.
Stage 3: Shortlisted applicants are passed onto the Independent Assessment Panel for review. The panel is made up of three experts who have experience working with people with disability and are not employees of NDSP. A list of successful candidates will be provided by the panel to the bursary team to begin verification.
Stage 4: The NDSP team will contact successful applicants to request supporting documentation and verification of eligibility. When the requested documents are returned and accepted, the application will be approved
Shortlisted applicants need to provide supporting documentation to support their application. This includes, but not limited to, proof of:
- Identity;
- Age;
- Enrolment details (in the case of study);
- Details of employer or copy of job offer (in case
of employment); - Business plan or outline of business in the case
of microbusiness; - bank details;
- Copies of invoices for items to be paid, or
receipts so that reimbursement can occur; - Parent/guardian consent (if applicable), and
- Australian residency or citizenship status.
NDSP requires all successful applicants to complete a survey six months after the bursary is awarded about their experience of the program. As well as consent of use of their presentation images and story for promotional purposes.
