Deadline: 30-Jun-25
The Community Development Grant Program supports community organisations to implement specific projects and activities that provide community outcomes and enhance the quality of life of residents of the Central Coast as well as strengthening their ability to deliver projects and services that respond to the needs of the community.
Objectives
- Belonging Objectives:
- Work within their communities to connect people, build capacity and create local solutions and initiatives.
- Celebrate and continue to create opportunities for inclusion where all people feel welcome and participate in community life.
- Work together to solve a range of social and health issues that may impact.
- Enhance community safety within neighbourhoods, public spaces and places.
- Support reconciliation through the celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
- Green Objectives:
- Educate the community on the value and importance of natural areas and biodiversity and encourage community involvement in caring for their natural environment.
- Improve water quality for beaches, lakes and waterways including minimising pollutants and preventing litter entering their waterways.
- Reduce littering, minimise waste to landfill and educate to strengthen positive environmental behaviors.
- Protect their rich environmental heritage by conserving beaches, waterways, bushland, wildlife corridors and inland areas and the diversity of local native species.
- Promote greening and ensure the wellbeing of communities through the protection of local bushland, urban trees, tree canopies and expansion of the Coastal Open Space System (COSS).
- Liveable Objectives:
- Promote healthy living and ensure sport, leisure, recreation and aquatic facilities and open spaces are well maintained and activated.
- Invest in health care solutions including infrastructure, services and preventative programs to keep people well for longer.
- Smart Objectives:
- Invest in broadening local education and learning
Funding Information
- Total funding available per financial year is $300,000.
- Applications can be made for funding up to $20,000.
Expected Outcomes
- Each application is required to address a minimum of one of the following community outcomes identified:
- Increase in community identity and connections, including increased understanding of community issues and needs.
- Increase in number of people feeling a strong sense of connection within their local community, including social inclusion.
- Increase in knowledge and appreciation of their local history, environment, culture and diversity.
- Improve their quality of life.
- Build community expertise, capacity, networks and skills.
- Enhance sense of local identity.
Eligible Activities
- Projects that create, diversify or enhance participation in the community; or that provide benefits to address an identified community need.
- Projects that aim to increase social inclusion.
- Non-Infrastructure projects that enhance and improve accessibility options for the community.
- Projects that increase community identity and connections, enabling the community to come together and address community safety and/or identify emerging community needs and social issues.
- Projects that increase the skills and knowledge of a community organisation to better understand and serve the community through responding to community issues and needs.
- Projects that address environmental issues and concerns or contribute to environmental education and awareness.
- Creative community projects involving arts practitioners collaborating with communities.
- Projects that include the contracting of professionals including facilitators, producers and project managers to deliver the project outcome and/or develop a community organisation’s skills.
- Cost of Public Liability insurance linked directly to the project.
- Projects that include the hire or purchase of non-fixed equipment and materials that provide a demonstrated community benefit beyond the life of the grant (request for purchase of equipment needs to demonstrate how the equipment relates to the overall objective/outcome of the event/project/activity).
- Hire of Council facilities and services
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be a legally constituted not-for-profit organization or be auspiced by a legally constituted not-for-profit organisation.
- A modest auspice fee will be considered for legally constituted not for- profit organisations who auspice an applicant.
- Applicants must operate within the Central Coast area and/or be able to demonstrate that the project will benefit residents of the Central Coast community.
- Applicants must meet the grant program eligibility criteria and address one or more of the program outcomes.
- Only one application per project, per financial year, may be successful in obtaining funding across any of Council’s grant funding programs.
- Central Coast based community run emergency service entities that are part of Government Departments and Agencies such as RFS, SES and VRA.
Ineligibility Criteria
- Late or incomplete applications.
- Proposals from Government Departments, agencies or any Council, with the exception of Central Coast based community run emergency service entities.
- Proposals from employees or Councillors of Central Coast Council (both in a paid or voluntary capacity).
- Expenditure for equipment not related to the specific project proposed.
- Events, projects or activities with a religious, political or sectarian purpose, where that purpose may exclude or offend members of the broader community.
- Applications seeking funds for projects of a commercial nature that is for profit or that raises funds for philanthropic purpose for other organisations.
- Applications seeking funds for retrospective projects and activities commencing, or project items purchased, prior to two (2) months from the end of the grant closing date. (For example, applications submitted by deadline of 30 June must commence no sooner than 1 September in order to be eligible).
- Proposals that duplicate a project, service or activity already existing within the Local Government Area.
- A project, event, service or activity which in the opinion of the assessment panel would be better funded by State or Federal Government, or by corporate sponsorship or a philanthropic trust.
- Proposals that are for funding the core business of the organisation.
- Applications for purchases or expenses related to privately owned items.
- Applications that do not have asset owners’ consent, if applicable.
- Applications seeking funds for projects which may have an adverse impact on neighbouring residents or businesses.
- Applications seeking funds for existing salaried or waged positions not related specifically to the proposed project.
- Applications seeking funds for benefits such as travel, meal or accommodation costs including costs to undertake activity outside or to the Local Government Area.
- Applications seeking funds for goods or services to ‘on-sell’.
- Applications seeking funds for prize money and gift vouchers.
- Funds for fees to attend a conference, congress or seminar.
- General fundraising appeals.
- Existing projects or programs that require additional funding.
- Applicants in a position to self-fund the project.
- A project, event, service or activity which primarily benefits a single individual or business.
- Works to buildings or property.
- Purchase of land or buildings.
- Applicants who have an unresolved debt to Council.
- Applicants with an overdue acquittal or who have failed to appropriately acquit a previous Council grant.
- Routine maintenance or works to Council owned buildings that are a lease obligation of the Management Committee.
Application Requirements
- In addition to the completed application form, the following must be provided:
- A copy of your most recently audited financial statements (or a statement of income and expenditure signed by your finance manager if your organisation is not subject to audit requirements).
- Your organisation’s most recent Annual Report – minimum of Form A12, if this is your annual reporting obligation to NSW Fair Trading.
- Evidence of other funding secured or applied for (if relevant).
- A copy of your organisation’s Certificate of Incorporation or evidence of being a legally constituted not-for-profit organisation or Authority to Fundraise from the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing.
- A copy of your organisation’s Public Liability insurance certificate or a written quotation for Public Liability insurance cover for $20 million.
- For capital works and/or equipment, two quotes for each item valued at $1,000.00 or more.
For more information, visit Central Coast Council.