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Overview

The Direct Aid Program (DAP) is a flexible, small grants program funded by the Australian Government with the primary aim of addressing humanitarian hardship. DAP is available to individuals, community groups and NGOs engaged in development activities, on a not-for-profit basis. The program is aimed principally at supporting small-scale development projects/activities.

The Australian Embassy in Beijing is responsible for DAP in China. The DAP Committee receives and evaluates projects which are then submitted to the Ambassador for approval. DAP is separate from the much larger Australian development cooperation program in China, which the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) administers in consultation with the Chinese and Mongolian governments.

In selecting projects for DAP, preference is given to projects providing direct benefits to those most in need, including those addressing gender inequality, children and other disadvantaged groups, and to projects with environmental benefits.

The focus of DAP is on direct, practical, immediate impact. Activities funded by DAP should be implemented over a relatively short period of time (less than one year). 

Eligible activities for DAP funding include community health, education, small scale infrastructure, sanitation, rural development, environmental development, gender equality, conferences and training activities, and cultural and sporting activities. All such projects must have a developmental outcome and be implemented within a relatively short period of time. In certain cases, consideration may be given to contributions to disaster relief operations.

As a general rule, the following activities and inputs are not funded:

• items of a routine or recurrent nature, such as staff salaries, office rental and utility costs, spare parts, supplies, routine maintenance and repairs;
• payment of salaries or fees for consultants and advisors, where they constitute a major cost component;
• generic conferences, training, cultural and sporting activities that can not demonstrate a developmental outcome; and
• micro-finance projects or micro-credit schemes that involve a return of money.

The focus is on activities that have a direct, practical, immediate impact.