Stronger Country Communities Fund (Round 4) – Australia

Deadline: 25-Jun-21

The NSW Government is seeking application for its Stronger Country Communities fund which includes up to $50 million for projects that enhance female participation in sport, including change rooms.

The remaining $50 million will be made available for high-quality community amenity and sports-related infrastructure projects.

The Stronger Country Communities Fund is administered by the Department of Regional NSW (DRNSW) and will continue to deliver grassroots projects that will reinvigorate our rural communities in every single Local Government Area in regional NSW.

Objectives

The objectives of the fund are:

To boost the live-ability of communities in regional areas by providing new or upgraded social and sporting infrastructure or community programs that have strong local support
To deliver enhanced infrastructure and programs that remove barriers to female participation in sport across regional NSW.

Funding Information

There is a total of $100 million available in Round Four, including up to $50 million for projects that enhance female sporting facilities and increase female participation in sport in regional NSW.
The remaining funding is available for other local community and sporting infrastructure, street beautification, and community programs and local events.

Eligible Projects

Each Local Government Area is strongly encouraged to dedicate up to 50 percent of their allocated funding to projects relating to female sport either through enhanced infrastructure or relevant programs.

The focus on female sports applies to both adult and youth sporting activities.

Female participation in sport
- Projects under this stream must directly improve and support participation and performance opportunities in female sports at all levels through enhanced infrastructure and programs. Female sporting related projects must meet one of the areas below:
- Encouraging engagement: The removal of barriers to female participation in sport through the delivery of new or enhanced sporting infrastructure and programs.
- Fostering a sense of safety: Improving safety at sporting facilities by ensuring that female change rooms, amenities and recreational programs are appropriately designed
- Improving accessibility: Upgrading sporting facilities to ensure accessibility and inclusion as well as equitable access for female participants
- Boosting capability: Development of programs and facilities which encourage regular female participation in sport and fosters inclusive environments.
Community amenity
- General community amenity projects must be for either:
- Construction of new, or upgrades to existing, local community infrastructure
- Capital works related to street beautification and other public places that promote the health, happiness and wellbeing of the community
- Delivering programs that benefit the local community and provide public benefit
- Infrastructure to assist the delivery of general community programs
- Infrastructure or community projects or programs which improve and promote accessibility and inclusion.
Inclusion and accessibility
- The NSW Government is seeking to help regional community’s future-proof infrastructure and programs by funding universally designed amenities that move beyond compliance and provide dignified inclusion in social and community programs.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants
- Applicants must be an incorporated entity and hold an Australian Business Number (ABN), Australian Company Number (ACN) or be registered with NSW Fair Trading under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 or another Act.
- Eligible applicants include:
  - regional councils and Joint Organisations
  - non-government organisations
  - community organisations registered as incorporated associations
Local Aboriginal Land Councils.
Councils are encouraged to work with community groups to identify priority projects and should consider project partnerships where council is the landowner. The public entity will be solely responsible for the project’s delivery and reporting through a funding deed. Applicants are encouraged to work with their local Members of Parliament to identify priority projects in their electorate to ensure projects with high community support are submitted.
Ineligible
- Unincorporated organisations are ineligible to apply.