Round 3

All 95 regional NSW councils are eligible for funding. Refer to the program guidelines (PDF, 598 KB) for a list of eligible councils.

A council can submit only one individual application and one joint application for a project that council is delivering in partnership with another organisation or organisations, providing that the applications are for distinct projects.

A joint project is a project that a council is undertaking with another organisation. This could include another council or councils, a joint organisation or a non-government organisation such as a community housing provider or local Aboriginal land council.

When filling in the application form for a joint application, applicants must provide detail on the nature of the partner organisations’ contribution to the project including any financial contributions, letters demonstrating their support for the application and how the organisations will jointly oversee and govern the project.

Funding of between $20,000 and $250,000 is available for each successful project.

Funding may be used towards direct project costs such as:

• engagement of third-party professional services for the approved project
• procurements for the approved project, such as relevant data and evidence
• staff salaries directly for the approved project
• community consultation costs for the approved project
• reasonable project management costs for the approved project (no greater than 10% of total project value)
• any other costs the department determines to be eligible.

The funding is exclusive of GST and grant recipients will be responsible for funding any of their project’s GST costs. You should clearly itemise GST costs in the project budget section of your application and exclude GST costs from your funding request.

Projects must be scoped appropriately and supported by enough detail. This includes:

• providing all information requested
• addressing all eligibility and assessment criteria
• providing all necessary attachments and evidence to support the application, such as quotes for any consultant work, detail and costings of expected staff activities and hours towards the project, and relevant strategies or frameworks that the project aligns with.

To find out more about what needs to be included in the application, read the program guidelines (PDF, 598 KB) and application guide (PDF, 142 KB) and go to the SmartyGrants portal to view the application form.

We strongly encourage applicants to seek detailed quotes wherever possible to support their application. We will accept an estimation for any costs where you are unable to obtain detailed quotes before the application deadline. Your application should indicate which costs have been estimated and provide supporting documentation that outlines how you arrived at the estimate in as much detail as possible.

If you are proposing using program funding towards direct staff costs for the project or have included council staff costs in your co-contribution, you will need to provide detailed costings of expected staff activities and hours towards the project.

Projects that require the department’s endorsement in the future will still need to go through normal assessment and review by the department outside of the fund’s reporting and acquittal process. We encourage councils to engage as early as possible with the relevant regional team to seek guidance and support on their projects.

To successfully demonstrate project completion under the grant program, councils will need to show they have met their final milestones under the funding agreement.

Councils can apply for funding in round 3 regardless of whether they were successful or unsuccessful in rounds 1 and 2. Councils who received funding in round 1 and/or round 2 can apply in round 3 provided they are seeking funding for a new project and not additional funding for a project that has already received funding.

Yes. Unsuccessful councils should refer to the feedback on their previous applications and the application guide for further information on how to improve your application. The department can provide general advice during the application period regarding changes to your project or application as well as feedback from the expert assessment panel on your unsuccessful round 1 and/or round 2 application.

The program has a competitive merit-based selection process, meaning all applications will be assessed on their merits against the program criteria, including alignment to the program aims and objectives, strategic alignment and project impact. However, when the panel makes its funding recommendations it may prioritise councils that have not already received funding under the program and whose applications meet the assessment criteria in order to ensure an equitable and geographic spread of program funding. The panel will also consider how well any previously funded RHSPF projects were delivered and whether any project delays from previous rounds will affect the delivery of a project applied for in this round.

Councils with other sources of funding for their project, including council funding and funding from other sources such as grants or partnerships, will need to demonstrate in their application that the round 3 funding sought will be used to complement or expand the scope of the project, increase its impacts or benefits or accelerate delivery of the project.

As part of your application, you must disclose all sources of funding for the project, including whether your project is currently being considered for funding by any other funding bodies or under any other grant programs.

Applications open on 3 October 2024 and close at 12:00 pm on Friday 22 November 2024.

To help you prepare your application, review the fact sheet (PDF, 117 KB), program guidelines (PDF, 598 KB) and application guide (PDF, 142 KB). If you need further support, email the program team at [email protected]

If you are having difficulty with your application on the SmartyGrants system, refer to the help guide for applicants.

To contact SmartyGrants:

• email [email protected]
• phone 03 9320 6888 (support desk hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm AEDT, Monday to Friday)

Successful round 3 projects will be announced in April 2025.

Successful applicants will receive a funding agreement that sets out:

• their obligations
• the schedule of project milestones based on the project plan in the application
• agreement on project governance arrangements
• mandatory progress and financial reporting to the department.

You will have until 28 April 2025 to return the signed funding agreement and an invoice for the payment of the grant to the department. Provided you meet this deadline, the department will execute the funding agreement and pay you the grant funding by 6 June 2025.

‘Project commencement’ will be defined in the funding agreement based on the tasks and milestones from the project plan in the grant recipient’s application.

The tasks and milestones for commencing a project may differ for each project and could include preparatory work and project planning. For example, we may ask you to begin developing detailed scoping documents or a statement of requirements to enable you to issue a request for tender to secure professional services to deliver the funded project, or hold a project inception meeting and begin investigations and studies.

Visit round 1 and round 2 for more information.