Schools wanting to apply for a CGP Grant must have an acceptable Master Plan or be in the process, and the proposed project must be a part of that Master Plan. Please refer to the Procedural Guidelines: Mandatory Master Plans and Master Plan Grants.

The BGA is committed to supporting member schools to prepare and maintain Master Plans that give reliable and comprehensive direction to the school’s development and encourages schools to prepare Master Plans with 5 to 10 year horizons. The Master Plan provides a road map to a future vision of an educational environment that is fully aligned with the mission of the school. It is an investment that coordinates and aligns many diverse considerations into a strategic long-term vision for facilities but to be successful it needs to combine both educational and facility planning. The more effort that is put into a Master Plan, the more credible the results will be.

The BGA commends to you the Mayfield Project which runs annually and involves young professionals that work in building, designing and educational environments.  The Mayfield Project is supported by the Association for Learning Environments Australasia (LEA).

In response to research, the 2023 Mayfield Project developed a comprehensive Toolkit to empower designers and educators to “Authentically Engage” with local communities to promote Justice Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) outcomes.  This toolkit can assist schools embarking on projects giving them ideas on how to start the conversation with stakeholders, including students and teachers, view details of this toolkit visit the LEA website – CLICK HERE

The decisions on whether a school receives a Master Plan Grant, and the size of the Grant, are made by the BGA Committee. Schools with greater financial need will receive priority in allocation of available funds, with a school’s DMI score being the primary indicator of financial need.  The Committee will be advised by the Executive Officer on a school’s existing Master Plan, its currency, and the supplier(s) chosen by the school as per the Master Plan Application.

In deciding the level of a Grant, the Committee will consider its annual budget, and may allocate up to 50% of the expected cost to a maximum of $15,000 per Grant.  The Committee has discretion to vary the amount of the grant if it believes there are special circumstances such as the school’s financial need, or the scope of the school’s proposed Master Plan process.

Master Plan Grant Applications can be lodged at any time by completing the application form, and are considered by the Committee every six months at its February and August meetings and should reach the BGA by the closing dates referred to in Milestones located on the resources page.  Schools submitting a Master Plan Grant Application, require at least one quote to support the expected total cost.  Refer to the Application Information form for assistance when completing the document.

Once a grant has been approved by the Australian Government the BGA will forward to the School Schedule 2 to the Participation Agreement. The School is required to sign and return the Schedule 2 to the BGA which will in turn sign and send a fully executed copy to the School for its reference. The school’s Participation Agreement details the responsibilities for accepting a Grant along with the Participation Agreement.

A school is required to have the Master Plan finalised within 12 months of being notified by the BGA that the Grant has been approved by the Minister. The BGA requires a school to provide updates to ensure the plan is running smoothly. A full copy of the master plan will need to be provided to the BGA along with the expenditure statement and relating invoices.
Once all of the above has been met, the final grant payment will be made to the school. On receipt of the final payment the school must organise for an Auditor to complete the Accountant’s Certificate. This must be done within 3 months of receiving the final payment. Once this has been received by the BGA the project can be acquitted with the Australian Government.