Applications open for Local Sport Grant Program

Deadline: 27-Nov-2023

The Office of Sport is currently accepting applications for the Sport Grant Program to support grassroots sporting clubs to increase participation, host events, improve access and enhance sport and recreation facilities.

The Local Sport Grant Program aims to increase regular and on-going participation opportunities in sport in NSW. Through this Program the Office of Sport is working towards the goals to achieve:

Participation: Everyone in NSW participating in sport and active recreation throughout their life.
Places and Spaces: Everyone in NSW having access to places and spaces for sport and active recreation.
Sustainability: The sector continues to grow sport and active recreation across NSW.

Key Objectives

The key objectives of the Program align to the Office of Sport Strategic Plan with the specific objectives to:
- Increase regular and on-going participation in sport.
- Increase participation opportunities for unrepresented groups including women and girls, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people with disability, First Nations peoples and LGBTQIA+ people.
- Reduce barriers and improve access to participation in sport.
- Assist sport clubs to provide quality experiences to their members and meet community needs. Increase financial sustainability and improve facilities of community level sporting clubs.

Funding Information

Funding of $50,000 per electorate will be allocated to all 93 electorates throughout NSW. Applicants must identify their ‘home ground’ address to ensure the application is assessed in the correct electorate e.g., your training ground.
The grant amount requested must be a minimum of $2,000 and a maximum of $20,000.
A single organisation may make multiple applications, however the maximum amount of funding that can be awarded to any one organisation is $20,000.

Eligible Projects

To be considered eligible, the project must be submitted through the Office of Sport SmartyGrants website. Any projects which are not submitted through this website may be set aside from further consideration at the absolute discretion of the Office of Sport.
Eligible projects include but are not limited to: Eligible projects include but are not limited to:
- Projects that contribute to quality sporting experiences
  - Training programs that will lead to volunteer coaches, officials and club administrators gaining required education and accreditation, e.g., a club could apply for funds to run a coach accreditation course.
  - Facilitation of programs that will increase the interest and skill level of players/participants within the community e.g., a series of ‘come-and-try’ days or engaging a specialist skills coach for a oneoff/limited session/event.
- Improve access to sporting events by reducing barriers to participation:
  - Events that promote participation in sport and physical activity and provide a focal point for community building and engagement, e.g., a club could host a specific event/tournament within their community. An event must be conducted on a specified day or consecutive days at a specified location.
  - Events that primarily involve sporting competition or mass participation in an organised sport, e.g., an exhibition sporting match, hosting a gala day, regional or state championships.
- Create, upgrade or repair sports facilities:
  - Enhance existing facilities, e.g., upgrades to create universally designed amenities, canteens, installation of watering systems, solar panels, safety netting, lighting, installed electronic scoreboards or upgrade of playing surfaces.
  - Provide ancillary facilities at established facilities, e.g., fixed or non-fixed sun protection shelters, goals or goal posts, grandstands.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants are:
- Incorporated, not-for-profit grassroots sport clubs and associations whose primary focus is to organise sporting activities; deliver ongoing sporting programs; and/or develop member’s skills.
- Applications from Licenced Sporting Clubs may be considered providing the project directly benefits the sport, not the administration processes of the licenced club or upgrades of the licenced premises.
- Applications may be considered from sports organisations or clubs associated with a school, church or university providing they are a not-for-profit club incorporated in their own right.
- Eligible applicants with an ABN must ensure that the incorporation details and ABN details are for the same organisation. Where this information has not been provided in the application the Office of Sport reserves the right to seek clarification from the applicant with a view to remedying the eligibility requirement or may set the application aside from further consideration.

Ineligible

Ineligible applicants are any organisation types not listed in the ‘Eligible Applicants’ section, and include (but are not limited to):
- Individuals, groups of individuals and unincorporated organisations
- Clubs whose activities are considered to be of a recreational nature e.g.,e-sports/online, remote/radio-controlled activities, fishing
- Sporting zones or sporting groups that are not based at a specific location within an electorate
- State Sporting Organisations
- National Sporting Organisations
- Regional Academies of Sport
- For profit, commercial organisations
- Organisations limited by shares
- Government departments and agencies
An eligible organisation will be deemed not eligible for funding under this Program if they are an organisation named: (i) by the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse on its list of institutions that have not joined or signified their intent not to join the Scheme; or (ii) in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that has not yet joined the National Redress Scheme

For more information, visit Office of Sport.