June 2023 Grants & Funding Opportunities

The program is designed to provide funding for projects that promote appreciation and understanding of the experiences of service and the roles that those who served have played, and to preserve, add to the sum knowledge on, or provide access to information about Australia’s wartime heritage.  
 
There are 2 categories of grants available under the program:

1. Community Grants (STS-CG)
Grants to a maximum of $10,000 are available for local, community-based projects and activities.
 
2. Major Grants (STS-MG)
Grants between $10,001 and $150,000 are available for major commemorative projects and activities that are significant from a national, state, territory and/or regional perspective.  

If your project involves restoring/changing a memorial, there may be heritage considerations. Information is available from your state or territory government heritage body, or at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website.

Further information & eligibility

Woolworths Pick Fresh Play Fresh Grants support grassroots netball clubs and associations across Australia. Over the past five years, we’ve provided funding to over 300 netball clubs around the country.

This year, Woolworths are helping clubs give young players more healthy, fresh nutrition at training and on match days. Because if you pick fresh, then you’ll play fresh too.

Grants of up to $8,000 are available as well as $20,000 for the People’s Choice Award, so apply now and tell Woolworths how your club will pick fresh and play fresh!

Further information & eligibility

Community groups, ex-service organisations and individuals can now apply for funding assistance to mark unmarked private graves of First World War veterans, through the new Marking (First World War) Private Graves (MPG) Grants Program.

One-off funding of up to $450 per grave to mark the private and unmarked graves of veterans whose death was unrelated to their war service.

For the purpose of the MPG Grants Program, applicants are required to seek assessment by the Repatriation Commission to identify whether the veterans may have died of causes related to their First World War service.  If they are found to have done so, they may be eligible for an official commemoration provided by Government and maintained in perpetuity.

Further information & eligibility

Essential Energy’s Community Choices program provides an opportunity for customers to nominate and vote for community groups, community halls, and not-for-profit and registered charities, in our network area, that could benefit from a funding boost. In 2023, total stream funding has been increased to $250,000 with awards based on community votes. Funding will be shared across 20 zones.

Each zone will be eligible for $12,500 broken down as follows for participating groups:

• First funding allocation:  $5,000
• Second funding allocation:  $3,500
• Third funding allocation:  $2,750 and
• Small Communities funding x 1: $1,250

Funding allocation will be awarded to groups with the most votes ranked in order.

Further information & eligibility

National Carers Week Grants have returned in 2023 thanks to ongoing funding from the NSW Government Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ).

National Carers Week will be held from 15 – 21 October 2023. Grants are available for carer support groups and organisations from across NSW to celebrate and recognise the contribution of family and friend carers in their local communities by holding local events and activities.

Further information & eligibility

Community benefit. The stories of grant recipients, under this program, will inspire other deaf or hard-of-hearing youth to achieve their full potential.

Successful applicants’ projects should illustrate opportunities for personal development and benefits for the deaf, hard of hearing, or wider Australian community.

• Personal development;
• Deaf community and culture;
• Leadership challenges;
• Education;
• Representing local, state or national teams; and/or
• Life experiences.

Further information & eligibility

The Creative Kids Rebate can be put towards the cost of registration, participation or tuition fees for creative and cultural activities such as music lessons, language classes, coding and digital, visual and performing arts.

Further information & eligibility

The NSW Government is helping kids get active with the Active Kids program.

The Active Kids program provides a $100 voucher for parents, guardians and carers of school-enrolled children to use towards sport and active recreation costs each year.

The vouchers may be used with a registered activity provider for registration fees, participation and membership costs for sport, as well as fitness and active recreation activities.

Further information & eligibility

The Project Grants will fund high-quality arts projects benefitting regional or remote artists, arts workers, audiences and communities. The focus of the project could include any area of creative practice, multiple art forms or cross-disciplinary practice.

Eligible entities under RAF:

• Individuals; 
• Australian Incorporated Organisations including Incorporated associations such as
• Not‐for‐profit community associations incorporated under state or territory legislation;
• Companies limited by Guarantee (CLG’s);
• Cooperatives, registered under state or territory legislation;
• Indigenous Corporations;
• Local Government Organisations; and
• Auspicing - an eligible entity may auspice applications for ineligible organisations (for example unincorporated groups).

Further information & eligibility

NAB Foundation Community Grants fund local projects that help communities prepare for natural disasters, support long-term recovery and build resilience against future disasters.

Grants are available for community-led projects that fall under one or more of the readiness, recovery and future-proofing categories.

Further information & eligibility

This program’s Small Grants aim to meet the short-term, collection-based requirements of community museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces. There are no set categories for funding and applications for a broad range of projects will be considered.

As an example, previous Small Grants have funded the purchase of computer cataloguing software, exhibition mannequins and display cases, oral history recording equipment and archival storage items.

Further information & eligibility

This Community Grants program is envisaged as one-off grants that will support a defined program or part of a program. These grants are awarded up to a maximum of $40,000 and are allocated towards the following areas of interest:

• Arts & Culture;
• Education;
• Health & Medical Research;
• Community Development;
• Social Cohesion & Inclusion; and
• Poverty & Disadvantage.

• They are charitable at law;
• They have the Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status – provision for gift deductibility must be under Item 1, or they must be specifically named as a DGR in Subdivision 30-15 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997;
• They are endorsed as Tax Concession Charity (TCC).

Further information & eligibility

NSW Flooding - including events that began on 4 August and 14 September through until November 2022. Glen Innes Severn is an eligible LGA.
 
Assistance is being provided to declared local government areas in NSW through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
 
Primary producers recovering from the devastating impacts of floods are receiving vital support, with Category D Special Disaster Grants of up to $75,000 now available.

Flood-affected primary producers are encouraged to apply for the grant to support recovery and get back to operating as soon as possible.
 
Once approved, primary producers may be eligible for a $25,000 up-front payment, with a further $75,000 in financial assistance available thereafter upon submission of valid tax invoices.

Strengthening Business is a service under the AusIndustry Entrepreneurs' Programme that connects you with experts to make your business stronger, more resilient and better prepared for the future.
   
What do you get?
You’ll be paired with an independent facilitator. Your facilitator will recommend ways to strengthen your business systems, operations and strategies. The facilitator will help you get back on your feet and identify opportunities to improve your business. They'll provide a roadmap with their recommendations.

Who is this for?
Small businesses located in regions impacted by the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires and recent flood emergencies. Glen Innes Severn is an applicable LGA.

If you're a small business or a not-for-profit organisation in NSW and you've been directly impacted by storms and floods from 4 August 2022 or 14 September 2022 onwards, you may be eligible for a storm and flood disaster recovery small business grant.

This disaster recovery grant of up to $50,000 is to help pay for the costs of clean-up and reinstatement of a small business or not-for-profit organisation’s operations.

You must be a small business or a not-for-profit organisation in a defined disaster area (AGRN 1030 or 1034) to be eligible. Glen Innes Severn is included.

Covered costs could include, but are not limited to:

•  payment for tradespeople to conduct safety inspections
•  equipment and materials required for cleaning up
•  equipment and materials essential for immediately resuming operations
•  payment for a cleaner if the service would not have been needed, or exceed    ordinary cleaning costs, in the absence of the disaster
•  the removal and disposal of debris, damaged materials or damaged stock
•  repairing premises and internal fittings
•  leasing temporary premises within the defined disaster area, replacing or repair of  motor vehicles registered for business use, or replacing lost or damaged stock, if it’s essential for resuming operations

•  Agriculture – dairy, extensive livestock (sheep and cattle), intensive livestock (pork and poultry), apiculture and broadacre cropping
• Aquaculture – oysters, mussels and fisheries
• Horticulture – turf, vegetables, berries, cut flowers and plant nurseries, perennial tree crops (nut crops, tea tree etc)
• Forestry – private native forests and timber plantations.

This program provides NSW organisations with the opportunity to host an onsite public EV fast charger. Under the NSW Electric Vehicle Strategy, this investment will expand existing public fast charging across the state. This involves co-funding private industry to build and operate charging stations every 100km along major NSW highways, and every 5km along commuter corridors in metropolitan NSW.

Small Project Grants (Quick Response) supports professional development opportunities for NSW-based professional artists, groups and arts and cultural workers (including museum workers) that is time sensitive and responds to short notice opportunities with career-building significance.

As an employer of an Australian Apprentice, you may be eligible for financial support from the Australian Government to help offset the cost of taking on an apprentice.

The Australian Apprenticeships Incentive System (Incentives System) commenced on 1 July 2022 and aims to get apprentices working in secure jobs that are in demand, filling skill shortages now and into the future.

To claim and receive payments under the Incentives System, you must meet all primary eligibility requirements.

Primary eligibility requirements include:

• the Australian Apprentice’s citizenship or residency status;
• employment and training arrangements;
• lodging claim forms with supporting evidence within the specified time;
• must have commenced or recommenced an Australian Apprenticeship under a new Training Contract on or after 1 July 2022; or
• recommenced an Australian Apprenticeship on or after 1 July 2022 after following a break greater than:

• 6 months if commencement was prior to 1 July 2022 or
• 12 months if commencement was on or after 1 July 2022

• Employers claiming incentives for an Australian Apprentice who commenced before 1 July 2022 will continue to be supported under the grandfathered Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Program.

Self-Employment Assistance can help you turn your business idea or existing small business into a viable business. The program allows you to choose the level of support that meets your needs and the needs of your small business.

Self-Employment Assistance replaced the New Business Assistance with NEIS program in July 2022.

Self-Employment Assistance can help you with your business idea or existing business through its flexible services including:

• Exploring Self-Employment Workshops;
• Business Plan Development;
• Free accredited Small Business Training;
• Business Advice Sessions;
• Business Health Checks; and/or
• Small Business Coaching.

If you are a small business owner in NSW, this $1,000 rebate will help you purchase safety items to improve work health and safety for you and your workers.

Small business owners and sole traders who have an ABN and less than 50 full-time employees. Charities and not-for-profits can also apply.

The application must be in the name of the registered business owner. The registered business owner must agree to the terms and conditions in the application.

Get Connected is Destination NSW’s website membership program. Simple and easy to use Get Connected membership is free and is open to all tourism operators within New South Wales.
 
With Get Connected, Destination NSW gives you the opportunity to showcase your tourism products on Destination NSW’s consumer websites FREE of charge and tap into over 1.5 million potential customers a month, both domestic and international - that’s over 18.5 million people a year who are looking for tourism products.
During the 2021-22 financial year, Destination NSW’s consumer websites visitnsw.com and sydney.com delivered more than 18 million website visits and more than 3 million leads to the tourism industry in NSW.

Service NSW Business Connect can support you at every stage of your business journey. 

Business Connect advisors, who have experience running their own businesses, offer free, tailored business advice in one-on-one sessions. Topics include business planning, marketing and cash flow. You can also attend events and access online resources on these topics and more.

The purpose of the 2023 COVID-19 Aged Care Support Program grant opportunity is to assist providers to transition towards managing the costs of COVID-19 outbreaks as part of their business-as-usual arrangements.

The Program will reimburse approved aged care providers to maintain preparedness for, and respond to, outbreaks in the 2023 calendar year. This will cover eligible expenditure incurred in managing the direct impacts of COVID-19 to a maximum grant value per operational place for residential aged care providers, or numbers of home care packages for home care providers.

The Growing Regions Program – Round 1 (the program) will run over 3 years from 2023-24 to 2025-26. The program was announced as part of October 2022 Budget.

The program will deliver community and economic benefits by investing in community-focused infrastructure which revitalises regions and enhances amenity and liveability throughout regional Australia.

The objectives of the program are:

• constructing or upgrading community infrastructure that fills an identified gap or need for community infrastructure;
• contributing to achieving a wide range of community socio-economic outcomes; and/or
• is strategically aligned with regional priorities.

The intended outcomes of the program are:

• delivery of community-focused infrastructure that contributes to local and regional priorities;
• provision of infrastructure which benefits the community by improving equity and supports diverse social inclusion;
• to contribute to the achievement of broader Government priorities such as net zero emissions, gender equity, and/or First Nations priorities; and/or
• growing local economies and enhancing amenity and liveability in the regions.

Growing Regions Program Round 1 will be delivered through a two-stage selection process. Applicants must first submit an Expression of Interest at Stage 1 and if successful, applicants will be invited to submit a full application at Stage 2.

To be eligible you must:

• be a not-for-profit organisation with a current Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission’s (ACNC) registration or Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Organisations (ORIC) registration; or
• be a local government agency or body.

Further information & eligibility

The $110 million Regional Investment Activation Fund will co-invest with eligible entities on projects that will deliver significant economic, social and/or environmental benefits for a priority industry or location. 
 
Stream Two of the Regional Investment Activation Fund grant funding may be used for capital and other expenses directly related to the delivery of eligible projects. This may include:

• Purchase of land (if necessary for the project and suitable alternatives to rent do not exist)
• Purchasing, constructing, installing and/or commissioning new plant, equipment  and/or machinery
• Purchasing, constructing, establishing and/or fitting out new facilities, buildings or hubs
• Purchasing technology and/or intellectual property (IP) required to undertake the project
• Upgrading existing facilities, buildings, plant, equipment, machinery and/or technology where necessary to deliver the project and achieve its outcomes
• Cost of contractors to construct new buildings and facilities
• External project management and administration costs up to 10% of project cost
• Contingency costs up to 25% of project cost
• Eligible costs incurred once both parties have signed a Funding Deed.

• Have an Australian Business Number (ABN) 
• Be one of the following: 
  • A company incorporated in Australia 
  • A company limited by guarantee
  •  An incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust 
  • An incorporated association or co-operative 
  • An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the
  • Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006. 
• Be registered for GST 
• Be financially viable and able to demonstrate that they are likely to remain so over the duration of the project 
• Have at least $20 million public liability insurance or be able to secure before entering into a Funding Deed if successful. 

Applicants should consider how they can support accessibility for people with disability above the Australian Standards (AS)1428.1-2009 or supporting universal design principles when undertaking new or upgraded site works and fit-out.

Please refer to the Stream Two Program Guidelines for further information on eligible project costs, including examples of ineligible project costs (see attached link).
Applicants must provide a cash co-contribution of at least 50 per cent of the total project cost.

Joint applications are eligible under Stream Two of the Regional Investment Activation Fund provided the lead applicant satisfies the eligibility criteria and the proposed project aligns to the key objectives of the fund and Stream Two. Applicants can be based internationally, interstate or in either metropolitan or regional NSW.

Further information & eligibility

Information acknowledgment sources and disclaimer: Information for this June 2023 newsletter was sourced from www.grants.gov.au, www.business.gov.au, Regional Development Australia Northern Inland, Arts North West, and/or the following Government departments, business, industry or philanthropy organisations on grants and support programs including Federation for Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR), Australian Government – Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Woolworths, Carers Australia NSW, Deaf Children Australia, NSW Government – Service NSW, Regional Arts NSW, National Australia Bank, NSW Government – Museums and Galleries NSW, Gandel Foundation, NSW Government – Rural Assistance Authority, Australian Government – AusIndustry, NSW Government – Department of Regional NSW, NSW Government – Create NSW, Australian Government – Department of Employment, and Workplace Relations, NSW Government – SafeWork NSW, NSW Government – Destination NSW, Australian Government – Department of Health and Aged Care, and Australian Government – Department of Industry, Science and Resources, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and The Arts.