The Guidelines incorporate the terms and conditions for participation in the Indigenous Leadership Fund and provide additional guidance to applicants.

Assessment process

Eligible applications will be assessed by the Chair and/or delegated nominee/s of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Committee and/or the Māori Health Committee and other college representatives as relevant. RACP staff will support probity and manage any perceived or declared conflicts of interest.

Applications will:

• be submitted using the designated application form only
• only be assessed where they meet all eligibility criteria
• not be considered if they are incomplete or received after the closing date.

The merits of each application will be evaluated with reference to defined assessment criteria aligned to the Indigenous Leadership Fund’s objectives.

The assessment and outcome of the application form is final and shall not be a decision for review under the College’s Reconsideration, Review and Appeals Process By-Law.

Showing proof of Indigeneity

The College may request evidence of information provided in the application form.

Any information submitted to show proof of Indigeneity will be reviewed by the College’s Senior Indigenous team members and may be referred to the relevant Indigenous Health Committee for final review and decision.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Provide confirmation in writing by the Board of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander incorporated organisation that you meet all of the following:

• You are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person by descent
• You identify as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person 
• You are recognised by the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community through which you are associated as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person

If you are unable to meet these criteria, you may be asked to provide proof that you have learnt Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural knowledge throughout your life.

Māori

Please choose one from the below options:

• A letter of support from a Kaumātua endorsing your whakapapa
• A letter from your iwi confirming your iwi/ Hapū registration
• Other – please specify

Pacific peoples

Please choose one from the below options:

• A letter from a Pacific Educational Institution, faculty, school, department or government body that you are recognised as a Pacific person.
• A letter of recognition from an Indigenous/Pacific Community Group, Pacific cultural leader or church minister.
• Other – please specify

Participation of Fellows

It's the responsibility of Fellows who receive funding to check whether the activity aligns to identified learning needs and can be counted towards Continuing Professional Development requirements.

Notification of application outcomes

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by email.

Applicants need to accept the offer in writing by return email. This includes acceptance of the terms and conditions of the funding like completion of the nominated activity within the defined timeframe.

Successful applicants will be advised of any additional conditions of the funding support prior to accepting the offer.

Successful applicants will be contacted by the College to confirm payment arrangements where reimbursement is required. If financial support is approved for a successful applicant who requires travel and/or accommodation to undertake the nominated activity, these bookings must be made by the applicant using the RACP’s central travel booking portal Locomote.

Distribution of funds

The maximum funding available per eligible application is $10,000 AUD or other amount at the discretion of the Chair and/or delegated nominee/s of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Committee and/or the Māori Health Committee.

Funds may be distributed directly to the applicant on a one-off or instalment basis with reference to the requirements of the nominated activity. The mode of payment will be confirmed in the outcome notification email to the applicant.

Payment of funds

It's expected that the payment of approved funds may take up to 6 weeks once the payment arrangements have been confirmed between the College and the applicant.

Revocation of funds

Funds may be revoked at any time by the College if the trainee or Fellow, in the opinion of the College:

• Does not meet the eligibility criteria. For example, if the member for whatever reason does not undertake the activity that funding was granted for.
• Has committed a breach of the College Code of Conduct.
• Is found to be guilty of serious misconduct, including providing inaccurate or misleading information in their application form or supporting documentation.

The College may also mandate a return of any or all funding provided if a member is subsequently found to have not met the eligibility criteria, breached the Code of Conduct or provided inaccurate or misleading information in their application form or supporting documentation.

Privacy information

Any information submitted as part of the Indigenous Leadership Fund will be retained securely, handled, and stored in accordance with the RACP Privacy Policy and treated as confidential except for the purpose of further assessing an applicants suitability for the fund and for the College’s administrative and statistical purposes.

The collection of data and associated process may be updated from time to time to align with appropriate data principles.

More information about the College’s privacy requirements is available in the RACP Privacy Policy

Read more about College Fees Terms and Conditions