2025-27 Activating State Heritage

You are eligible to apply for the Activating State Heritage Grant category if you:

• are the owner, manager, long-term lessee or custodian of an item listed on the State Heritage Register (SHR) in NSW:
  • with written support of the owners of the site (if you are a manager or lessee)
  • with written support of all owners or owners’ corporation (if the site has multiple owners).
• have legal responsibility for maintenance and repair of the SHR listed item
• agree to provide matched funding for the project
• are a local council, business, non-government organisation, community group or individual, with your operations and headquarters in NSW (if you are a business or incorporated entity).

Applicants without an ABN or ACN will have to provide a statement by supplier form.

Please note, you are required to hold at least $20 million in public liability insurance in order to enter into a funding deed with the NSW Government. You are not required to have this insurance at the time of application. If successful, you will be asked to provide a copy of your certificate of currency when entering into a funding agreement.

This grant category is for:

• a single item listed on State Heritage Register (SHR) by the NSW Government. The item cannot be a listing with multiple sites such as a town or precinct
• applicants who fall under the following categories:
  • business with operations and headquarters in NSW
  • individual
  • local government
  • not-for-profit (non-government organisation or community group) with operations and headquarters in NSW.
• applicants who are the owner, manager, long-term lessee or custodian of an item listed on the SHR, with written support of the owners of the site (if you are a manager or lessee), and/or with written support of all owners or owners’ corporation (if the site has multiple owners)
• applicants who have legal responsibility for maintenance and repair of the heritage values of the item listed on the SHR.

Before you apply it's important to understand the different types of heritage listing.

There are 4 levels of heritage significance in NSW. Each level of heritage significance has a corresponding statutory listing and responsible authority for conserving these items. These are outlined below.

• Local heritage items are listed on Local Environmental Plans (LEPs) by local councils in NSW.
• State heritage items are listed on the State Heritage Register by the NSW Government.
• National heritage items are listed on the National Heritage List by the Australian Government.
• World heritage items are listed on the World Heritage List by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

To be eligible for this grant program the item must be listed on the State Heritage Register (SHR) by the NSW Government.

This short video explains the different types of heritage listings.

You can apply for funding if:

• it is for a heritage conservation project and/or to enable activation of an SHR listed item
• there are no active Heritage Act 1977compliance issues at the site
• the project will be delivered between 1 July 2025 and 1 May 2027
• the project will commence within 3 months of the funding agreement being signed
• you have sought advice from Heritage NSW's free pre-lodgement service for Heritage Act 1977 approvals
• the project is not already underway. Retrospective projects will not be funded. Pre-planning of projects prior to the grant opening date is accepted however if works have been approved and/or have commenced the project is ineligible
• the project will be delivered by an eligible applicant as outlined above.

Funding for this grant program is committed to the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years. Therefore, the project must be delivered between 1 July 2025 and 1 May 2027. Extensions beyond this timeframe will only be considered in exceptional and/or unforeseen circumstances.

Projects must commence within 3 months of executed funding agreement and be completed within 2 years. 

The project should be started by 1 July 2025 and the project must be completed by 1 May 2027.

To manage and conserve the heritage values of an item on the State Heritage Register (SHR) for future generations and connect communities to their heritage through activation.

The SHR item will be conserved and activated across the next 2 years and opened for community use by June 2027.

Below are examples of eligible project costs allowed under this grant category:

• fees for heritage consultant, including specialists required to oversee the project for compliance purposes
• costs associated with purchasing of heritage materials, including transportation from the source
• amenities essential to activation of the heritage site
• fees for specialist heritage tradespeople
• costs related to obtaining approvals under the Heritage Act 1977, including Section 60 application fees.

A contingency should be included in your budget, recognising that costs may fluctuate over time. Payment of approved grants will be based on actual expenditures, up to the approved amount.

Funding caps include:

• administration costs are capped at 10% of the total project cost
• essential amenities, such as kitchens and bathrooms, are capped at 25%
• contingency costs are capped at 10%.

You are not eligible to apply for the Activating State Heritage Grant category if:

• your property or item is not an SHR listed item
• you are a State or Federal Government agency
• the SHR item is owned and managed by a State or Federal government agency
• the application is for a multiple site listing such as a large precinct or town with multiple owners
• your business or entity is located or incorporated outside of NSW
• you do not provide sufficient information to assess against the eligibility criteria
• you have outstanding/overdue grants with Heritage NSW
• you have a current Heritage Act 1977 compliance matter regarding the SHR item with Heritage NSW.

The Agency may also consider any whole-of-government policy or guidelines that restrict an applicant’s access to grants programs.

Below are examples of project costs not allowed under this grant category:

• any project works, purchases or commitments (excluding pre-planning) that occur before 1 July 2025
• ongoing employee positions or in-house project management by salaried staff, whether as voluntary or cash contributions
• purchase or relocation of heritage items and buildings
• purchase of equipment, such as lawn mowers, tools, computers, touch screens, audio-visual equipment, etc
• routine maintenance tasks, such as gardening, gutter cleaning, carpet cleaning, etc
• catering costs, except for an opening event
• business set-up or operating costs
• insurance costs, other than public liability insurance
• programs, festivals or events to be hosted at the site, except for an opening event
• marketing, promotional campaigns or advertising
• development of strategies, such as ongoing investment, activation or tourism
• co-contributions from other NSW Government Grant programs.

Below are examples of projects not allowed under this grant category:

• projects for items not listed on the State Heritage Register (SHR)
• projects that are primarily for private benefit
• projects involving items that are already fully publicly accessible or activated
• data management systems, digital infrastructure and related equipment, such as collection management systems, recording, broadcasting, livestreaming equipment, etc
• development of Conservation Management Documents
• projects which are only for planning
• business set up or operational costs such as rent, utility bills, equipment leasing, etc
• projects that would proceed without NSW Government financial assistance
• project works (excluding pre-planning) that commence before 1 July 2025
• project works that cannot be completed by May 2027. Extensions will only be considered in exceptional circumstances
• works with high negative impact on the site's heritage values, and are unsuitable or unsympathetic to the site
• works that do not conserve or maintain the heritage values of the item
• construction of new buildings, except for amenities as outlined in these guidelines
• purchase or relocation of heritage items and buildings
• construction of commemorative monuments or headstones, plaques or memorials
• programs, festivals or events, except for an opening event
• marketing, promotional campaigns or advertising
• projects dependent on ongoing funding from this program.

Your project must include both conservation of heritage values and activation of the site for the general public and/or community use.

Below are examples of projects that you can do as a part of this grant category:

• physical works and/or upgrades that activate and increase public accessibility and use of an SHR listed item, such as construction, capital works, restoration, reconstruction, repair, reinstatement, preservation and conservation work. These works must be necessary for public access and activation of the SHR item, and/or to conserve the heritage values of the item
• fire, safety, access or building services upgrades, compliance and upgrading works to meet current Building Code Australia, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and Work Health and Safety Act 2011requirements which would be essential for activation
• maintenance outlined in the Minimum Standards of Maintenance and Repair as set out in the Heritage Regulation 2012
• amenities (such as ramps, lifts, kitchen and bathroom upgrades suitable for the heritage item) that are essential to enable the public activation of spaces. New kitchens and bathrooms will only be considered if it can be demonstrated that they are essential to make the site accessible, usable and are standard value-for-money quality. Your budget should include conservation of heritage values. Upgrades or construction of new kitchens and bathrooms should only use a maximum of 25% of the grant funds.

A single grant of $1 million (ex GST) will be awarded under this program. The required co-contribution amount varies based on the applicant type:

• large businesses must co-invest $1 million (ex GST) in matched funding
• small to medium businesses, local governments, individuals or not-for-profit organisations must co-invest at least 10% of the grant amount, equating to $100,000 (ex GST), in matched funding.

Reasonable in-kind contributions, such as realistic hourly rates for relevant activities, can be included. However, in-house project management by salaried staff is not eligible as part of the co-contribution.

You can submit multiple applications under this grant category, but each application must be for a different project and must pertain to a separate SHR listed item. Only one application per SHR item is permitted.

Please note, funding from other NSW Government Grant programs cannot be used to meet your co-contribution requirements.

You must nominate a Heritage Specialist, such as an engineer, heritage architect or local government heritage advisor or officer to supervise your project. If your application is successful, they will be required to complete compliance certificates confirming that the project is being completed in accordance with the approved scope and any Heritage Act 1977 and local council approvals/consents. The costs associated with this should be included in your costings and budget information.

Only one application per individual SHR item (not a whole town).

All applicants must consult the free pre-lodgement service offered by Heritage NSW prior to submitting an application. This is a mandatory requirement.