Sponsorship application information

Department of Health sponsorship of third-party organisations and activities can be an effective way to promote the work being done to improve the health and mental health of Victorians or deliver direct benefits to Victorian communities.

This sponsorship application information has been produced to help inform potential applicants about the process.

Eligibility

Individual sponsorship applications to the Department of Health (the department) are assessed based on their alignment to the Government's priorities and eligible list of organisations and activities.

Sponsorship is considered for organisations and events that align to the following criteria:

Educate to promote and improve health, mental health and wellbeing.
Community and cultural events and exhibitions relating to health, mental health and wellbeing.
Community and not for profit relating to improvements in health, mental health and wellbeing.
Aboriginal health & wellbeing.

Ineligible organisations and activities

The Victorian Government Sponsorship Policy (VGSP) states that Government sponsorships cannot include grants, bequests, editorial comment, visa sponsorships or the sale of advertising space; and that individuals and political parties are not eligible for Government sponsorships.

In addition, the department will not support sponsorship applications from:

Manufacturers, retailers and promoters of tobacco and vaping products, sugary drinks, alcoholic beverages, junk food or formula milk.
Organisations and activities that offer, enable or promote gambling. The Department of Health will only consider sponsorship of sporting organisations that have a responsible gambling code of conduct.
Commercial enterprises, unless compelling extenuating circumstances apply.
Organisations and activities that have practised or tolerated unfair work practices.
Organisations and activities that have practised or tolerated unlawful discrimination on the basis of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age, ability or any other characteristic.
Organisations and activities that promote views contrary to an established health or medical evidence-base, in areas including but not limited to climate change, fitness and nutrition, vaccination and fluoridation.
Private practices or small businesses seeking funding for commercial outcomes
Sponsorship for visa applications for health service workers entering Australia from overseas.

How to apply

Applications for sponsorship from the Department of Health should be submitted using the Sponsorship application form. Please download and complete the form, then email it to CommsEngageDirectorate@health.vic.gov.au.

To give your application the best chance of success:

Read the Victorian Government Sponsorship Policy (VGSP) to check that your application meets requirements
Read the Department of Health Operational Plan 2022-23 to check that your application fits with at least one of the department’s priorities
Provide all the information requested on the application form before submitting it.

Timeframe

Confirmation that the application form has been received will be sent by reply email within a month. Assessments may take up to four weeks in which time the Department of Health may seek additional information.

The department’s decision will be confirmed by email.

Unsuccessful applications

The email you receive will explain why the application was not accepted.

Applicants who can provide new information that addresses one or more of grounds for refusal may request a review within one month of receiving the assessment advice email.

Review requests should be sent to CommsEngageDirectorate@health.vic.gov.au and clearly marked as ‘Sponsorship review request’ in the email subject line.

The review decision is final and no further review requests will be accepted.

Successful applications

The email will explain the steps needed to finalise the sponsorship.

Depending on the complexity of the project and the size of the sponsorship budget, the department may wish to set up a meeting or series of meetings to monitor progress.

The parties will sign a department sponsorship agreement or contract that sets out conditions including:

That department sponsorship is not a general endorsement of the organisation or its products by government, and must not be promoted or publicised as such.
The agreed benefits or outcomes of the sponsorship, and how they will be measured and reported to the department.
How any issues arising from the sponsorship will be managed.

All sponsorships will be evaluated at the conclusion of the agreement to ensure outcomes and learnings are documented and shared, as appropriate. The department may request the applicant provide information to assist in the evaluation process.