Applications open for Sydney Water Community Grants Program (Australia)

Deadline: 16-Jun-25

The Sydney Water’s annual Community Grants Program supports local community groups to deliver projects within Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, and the Illawarra area, that help build thriving and sustainable communities.

Program Themes and Focus Areas 

• The Sydney Water Community Grants Program is seeking projects under the theme Driving a Sustainable Water Future with a focus on water education, healthy waterways or water conservation.
• When preparing your community grants application, please ensure your project can achieve outcomes which impact one or more of the following areas:
  • Water education 
    • They are looking for projects that can educate communities about the connection to water, cultural values, the water environment and ways to improve water efficiency to ensure a resilient water future.
    • Your project might address:
      • natural and urban water cycles, e.g. where water comes from and goes to after use
      • First Nations connection to water/waterways
      • the changing climate and its impact on water
      • water conservation to help change water use behaviours
      • wastewater education, e.g. including what not to put in the sink or down the toilet
      • healthy stormwater management
  • Healthy waterways
    • In this category they want to see projects that support the health of the waterways including rivers, beaches and green spaces which interact with waterways.
    • Your project must benefit the health of the local aquatic environments.
    • Projects might help to reduce litter in aquatic spaces; promote aquatic biodiversity, or be an initiative that will deliver benefits to rivers, beaches, lakes etc.
  • Water Conservation 
    • They are looking for projects that reduce, reuse, or recycle to significantly lower water consumption and drive a resilient water future. Examples include:
      • Community kitchens with a commercial wok stove with traditional water cooling can potentially save large volumes of water by converting to commercial induction woks.
      • Communal use single flush or dual flush toilets can be replaced with modern 4-star toilets for water savings and, in some cases, major leak savings.
      • Water efficient devices inside a community space or a rainwater tank which is plumbed internally to replace drinking water uses for washing machines or toilet flushing.
      • Community grants project applications must be able to demonstrate real outcomes and significant water savings achieved through the development and implementation of water saving technologies, devices, appliances and systems.

Funding Information

• Through the Community Grants Program, eligible community groups can apply for a grant of up to $10,000 (minimum of $5,000). These grants are not-for-profit initiatives.

Eligibility Criteria

• Grant applications are sought from community-minded organisations and groups who share the vision of driving a sustainable water future.
• The Applicant must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or be registered as a not-for-profit organisation.
• The Program is open to (but not limited to) the following groups within the Sydney Water’s area of operation (Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, and the Illawarra):
• not-for-profit organisations
• social enterprise groups
• social groups and sports clubs
• education institutions (schools, universities, TAFE NSW colleges)
• content creators, e.g. artists, writers, filmmakers, bloggers, photographers, designers
• volunteer groups
• councils working in partnership with community groups
• public health or allied health body and housing co-operatives who can facilitate grassroots projects with community groups.

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following people/groups cannot apply:
  • Sydney Water employees/contractors or their immediate family members
  • organisations that, in Sydney Water’s opinion, expose Sydney Water to a reputational risk
  • organisations with links to negative impacts on the environment or health
  • anyone else or any other proposed projects or initiatives that Sydney Water considers inappropriate or not aligned with its business objectives, values, or policies.

For more information, visit Sydney Water.