Deadline: 21-Nov-22
The Department of Planning and Environment is inviting local councils across Greater Sydney to apply for grants to fund tree-planting and green cover projects under the $10 million 2022 Greening our City grant round.
The Greening our City program seeks to mitigate the impacts of urban heat and climate change by increasing Sydney’s urban tree canopy and green cover. The program focuses on delivering grants, partnerships, community engagement campaigns and other activities to promote urban greening outcomes. The Greening our City grant program is a central component of program delivery, recognising the critical role local councils play in expanding urban greening and building resilience to climate change.
Objectives
- The objectives of the Greening our City grant program are to:
- Enhance Greater Sydney’s urban tree canopy and green cover, particularly in areas with low canopy cover
- Help prepare for climate extremes and mitigate urban heat islands through tree planting and other green cover initiatives to cool urban areas and provide shade
- Promote partnership projects between local and state governments, organisations, industry, the private sector and the community
- Support projects that demonstrate a commitment to canopy expansion, including improved outcomes for health, resilience and climate adaptation.
Funding Information
- Up to $10 million is being made available through the 2022 grant round. This funding will be available to eligible local councils through a competitive grant process.
- There is no requirement for matched funding from councils for this round. However, councils are encouraged to provide matched funding (cash and/or in-kind) to improve value for money. There is a minimum grant funding amount of $50,000 (ex GST) per application, with no maximum grant amount.
Desirable Projects
- The 2022 grant program is seeking projects that:
- Enhance Greater Sydney’s urban tree canopy and green cover, particularly in suburbs with low tree canopy cover
- Mitigate the impacts of urban heat
- Create greener and cooler local streets and improve local amenity apply Greener Neighbourhood Guide canopy targets (or council targets where available) in streets and open spaces (may include partnership/engagement with utility providers)
- Embellish active transport routes, particularly routes prioritised by councils or the NSW Government
- Are identified as priority actions in council strategic plans (such as urban forest strategies, street tree master plans and Local Strategic Planning Statements)
- Are designed primarily around tree planting, noting that supporting green cover may be considered for funding
- Promote the establishment of newly planted trees and green cover to ensure the longevity of the planting
Eligible works
- The following capital works items are eligible for grant funding under this program:
- Tree and green cover planting on council-owned or council-managed land
- Street tree and green cover planting
- Tree and green cover planting in new and existing open space areas such as corridors, parks, plazas, car parks, roads and pocket forests
- Tree and green cover planting undertaken as part of community tree-planting programs
- Infrastructure that supports tree and green cover planting projects, such as:
- Tree pits − soil/mulch
- Structural soil cells or similar
- Root barriers
- Active, passive and smart irrigation
- Rain gardens
- Drainage
- Tree guards
- Root ball support
- Other protective measures
- Promote partnership projects between state and local governments, organisations, industry, the private sector and the community.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible for funding, applications must:
- Be submitted by an eligible council
- Have minimum grant amount requested of $50,000 (ex GST)
- Have written endorsement from the council’s General Manager (or equivalent)
- Include tree planting as a central component of the project
- Demonstrate alignment with one or more of the following:
- Greener Neighbourhoods Program
- Local Strategic Planning Statements
- Climate Change Fund objectives
- Greater Sydney District-specific priorities outlined in the Greater Sydney Region Plan and supporting District Plans
- Be completed within 24 months (with a following 12-month establishment period)
- Allocate grant funding to eligible works only.
For more information, visit https://lgnsw.org.au/Public/Policy/Urban-Greening/Urban-Greening.aspx