Deadline: 23-Sep-24
The Local Community Fund (the LCF) is offering grants to support community organisations to provide programs, services or infrastructure that reflect local needs and deliver enduring benefits for communities within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).
Objectives
- The LCF objectives are to:
- Improve community amenity to meet identified social, cultural, environmental or recreational needs of the community;
- Increase community connection through improved access to programs or services including health, sport and recreation, art and cultural or tourism; and
- To boost resilience and innovation through community renewable energy and environmental improvement programs.
Funding Information
- The NSW Government will provide $15 million through the LCF to eligible local community organisations to deliver initiatives that provide benefits to local communities in the Central-West Orana REZ.
- Grant Amounts
- Funding applications must range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum amount of $1,000,000.
Eligible Projects
- In accordance with the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act (EII Act), eligible projects must deliver community benefits to the local community in the geographic area that forms the REZ to which the access scheme applies.
- Eligible projects must be aligned with the LCF Objectives, which have been designed to deliver the community purposes as defined by the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Regulation.
- Projects that are outside of the LCF eligibility criteria but still align with the with community and employment purposes may be considered through the Legacy Infrastructure Fund.
- Community Organisations are encouraged to speak to their Local Council about opportunities to partner on large scale infrastructure projects.
Ineligible Projects
- Ineligible projects include those that:
- Are not submitted by an eligible entity;
- Are not being delivered within an eligible location;
- Are exclusively for planning activities (e.g. master planning or heritage studies);
- Are for the maintenance or construction of local roads or other ongoing core service infrastructure works that are the ordinary responsibility of council or other levels of government;
- Are seeking retrospective funding to cover any project component that is already complete before Applicants are informed of the funding decision outcome or funding is announced.
Eligible Project Locations
- Projects must be delivered within the Central-West Orana REZ geographic area and provide primary benefit to local communities impacted by the Central-West Orana REZ. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications that deliver projects and activities into villages and smaller communities most impacted by REZ activities.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Applicants include:
- Incorporated not-for-profit community organisations;
- Local Aboriginal Land Councils;
- Incorporated Aboriginal community organisations (i.e. initiated by, controlled and operated by Aboriginal people and/or governed by a board or committee of Aboriginal people);
- Local councils (if they are in partnership with or in support of a community project); and
- Committees under section 355 of the Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) must apply via the relevant council.
- Applicants must provide evidence that they are an incorporated entity by providing either an Australian Business Number (ABN) or an Australian Company Number (ACN). Eligible organisations that are unincorporated must provide evidence that they are registered with NSW Fair Trading under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 (NSW) or another Act.
- Eligible Applicants must have or be able and willing to purchase at least $20 million public liability insurance.
- Eligible Applicants are encouraged to work with community organisations to identify potential partnerships that will ensure projects deliver community focused benefits.
- Partnerships are eligible (with the exception of private companies or business), where the lead applicant is an Eligible Applicant and where clear public benefit can be demonstrated. If successful, the Eligible Applicant will be solely responsible for the delivery of the project and must adhere to the terms and conditions outlined in the Funding Agreement.
For more information, visit NSW Government.