General grants
Understand your funding acknowledgment responsibilities if you have received a grant. Learn how to acknowledge NSW Government grants correctly and ensure that branding and approval requirements are met.
Introduction to general grants
If you have received a grant from the NSW Government for a business, project, event or community initiative, where possible, you should acknowledge the NSW Government. This is usually a condition in your grant funding agreement.
If you are unsure, you should check with the NSW Government representative who organised your grant to confirm any acknowledgment requirements.
Before you acknowledge NSW Government grant funding
Review your grant funding agreement
Review your grant funding agreement first to check if you need to acknowledge funding and follow any specific acknowledgement, branding or approval requirements.
General guidance does not override specific acknowledgement requirements contained in your agreement or funding conditions.
Contact your NSW Government representative
Contact your NSW Government representative from the department who organised the grant funding.
They can help you by:
- confirming requirements, including which communication materials should include funding acknowledgment
- supplying correct logos, artwork templates and acknowledgement statement wording
- reviewing and approving any proposed acknowledgements or artwork before final production.
Acknowledge funding
If your funding agreement specifies you need to acknowledge funding, but does not specify how, follow the general guidance below.
Always check your funding agreement first
This general guidance does not override specific acknowledgment requirements contained in your agreement or funding conditions. If unsure, contact your NSW Government representative who administers your grant for help.
Where to acknowledge grant funding
Unless otherwise stated in your funding agreement grant recipients should acknowledge the NSW Government funding on the following communications, if produced:
- annual reports
- media releases (and other public statements related to funding)
- related websites and digital communications (where space permits)
- related print materials
- related presentations and event collateral
- opening events (if applicable).
Grant recipient cost responsibility
The grant recipient must coordinate and pay for any costs relating to the design, production, printing and placement of communications.
How to acknowledge grant funding
Acknowledging grant funding from the NSW Government consistently is important so that audiences understand the NSW Government’s contribution.
Unless your funding agreement includes specific acknowledgment requirements, this can be done by:
- applying the NSW Government logo with acknowledgement label, and/ or
- using acknowledgement statements that appear alongside the NSW Government logo or within the copy of a communication (where space permits).
Use of the NSW Government logo with an acknowledgement label to acknowledge grant funding on communications is preferred. Sizing should be adjusted depending on the communication to ensure legibility and readability.
Option 2: ‘Proudly co-funded by’ acknowledgment label (use when there are multiple funders)
The NSW Government logo with acknowledgement label can be provided by your NSW Government representative responsible for administering your grant.
Acknowledgment statements are another way of acknowledging grant funding.
An acknowledgement statement is a short piece of text that can appear in the body copy, next to a logo, or on its own to communicate the source of funding or provide additional context where needed.
When it is not possible to use a logo, or for applications with a limited size, the following acknowledgement statements may be used in text only instead to acknowledge grant funding on materials related to the funded program or initiative:
- Funded by the NSW Government.
- Co-funded by the NSW Government.
- Proudly funded by the NSW Government.
- Proudly co-funded by the NSW Government.
For larger communications where there is sufficient space, depending on the acknowledgement requirements of your grant, a longer form acknowledgement statement may also be used in text (or in addition to the NSW Government logo):
- to provide more clarity for complex funding and grant relationships.
- when there is a requirement to mention the grant name.
- where there are multiple co-funders that need to be mentioned.
Always check your funding agreement or with your NSW Government representative, if you are required to use specific wording for an acknowledgement statement.
It is up to the NSW Government representative that organised the funding to provide the most appropriate funding acknowledgment wording.
Using the NSW Government logo
To maintain the clarity and integrity of the NSW Government logo, a minimum clear space around the logo (including the funding acknowledgement label) is required that represents 100% of the width of the ‘N’ in all applications.
Primary logo minimum size - Print
In print use, the NSW Government logo should be used at no smaller than 20mm high.
Primary logo minimum size - Digital
In digital use, the NSW Government logo should be used at no smaller than 60px high.
Full colour
The full colour logo must be given preference over all other versions.
Reversed
In rare instances where our primary logo does not have sufficient colour contrast to be easily read on a certain background, a full colour reversed option can be used. The primary full colour logo should be your first choice and used wherever possible.
Legibility is the primary consideration when selecting the background colour on which you place the NSW Government logo.
Use of the mono (black or white) is permitted when a design cannot accommodate the full colour or reverse (red waratah) logos or when colour reproduction is not available or appropriate. This includes:
- budget restrictions only allow for black and white printing.
- the material used is better suited to or can only accommodate black and white.
- accessibility issues with colour being used on certain backgrounds, for example insufficient colour contrast.
Where there are multiple funding logos in mono on the one communication then the mono version of the NSW Government logo can be applied.
All other logos alongside the NSW Government logo will need to appear in the same monotone.
If in doubt, discuss with your NSW Government representative who administers your grant funding, who can seek further advice from their departmental brand team if required.
Legibility is the primary consideration when using the logo. There must be sufficient contrast between the logo and the background.
Getting your artwork approved
You must submit all communication materials acknowledging NSW Government funding to your NSW Government representative for approval. Once approval has been received, you can organise production.
Use the checklist to acknowledge grant funding
Review requirements
Review any acknowledgement requirements in your funding agreement.
Contact your representative
Contact your NSW Government funding representative for further guidance, logos, acknowledgment statements, artwork templates or approvals.
Use acknowledgement guidance
If your funding agreement does not include specific acknowledgment requirements, follow this acknowledgement guidance for grant funding acknowledgment.
Prepare artwork
Create your communications and prepare artwork.
Apply the NSW Government logo
Use this acknowledgement guidance to correctly apply the NSW Government logo with acknowledgement label and/or acknowledgement statement to your communications (and meet minimum size requirements).
Approval by your NSW Government representative
Send all communications to your NSW Government representative for approval prior to production.
Keep evidence for the acquittal process
Keep evidence of funding acknowledgement in-situ for the grant acquittal process.
Get support
If you need support from your NSW Government funding representative to ensure you acknowledge NSW Government funding correctly, visit our support page.