This funding supports the better management, maintenance, conservation and activation of Aboriginal Places declared under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $80,000
- Application opened: 10 September 2022
- Application closed: 2 December 2022, 12:00 pm
Program objective
The NSW Government is continuing its responsibility in safeguarding Aboriginal heritage through the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Grants program. This program aligns with the Government’s broader commitment to ensure Aboriginal cultural heritage is preserved and maintained.
Through this Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Grants program, Heritage NSW is looking for projects that support better management, maintenance, conservation and activation of declared Aboriginal Places under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
This program is funded and administered by Heritage NSW.
Eligibility
Who can apply
You can apply for the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Grants category if you:
- are the owner, manager, long-term lessee or custodian (or have written support from all custodians/owners) of an Aboriginal Place declared under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
- are a local council, Local Aboriginal Land Council, business, non-government organisation, community group or individual with your operations and headquarters in NSW (if you are a business or incorporated entity).
- have legal responsibility for maintenance and repair of the declared Aboriginal Place.
Who can’t apply
You cannot apply for funding under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Grants category if:
- you are a State or Federal government agency
- the Aboriginal Place is owned, managed or there is a responsibility for protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage on the site by a State or Federal government agency. This includes:
- Travelling Stock Reserves, where NSW Local Land Services is responsible, and
- National Parks and State Conservation Areas, where the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is responsible.
- the Aboriginal Place was acquired or leased from a State or Federal government agency in the last two years.
- your business or entity is located or incorporated outside of NSW.
- your application is incomplete or does not provide sufficient information to assess against the eligibility criteria.
Heritage NSW will also consider any whole of government policy or guidelines that restrict an applicant’s access to grants programs.
What you can apply for
You can apply for project funding if:
- it is for a heritage management document or heritage works within the boundary of a declared Aboriginal Place.
- there are no active NSW Heritage Act 1977 or National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 compliance issues at the site.
- you have the support of Aboriginal custodians.
- the project will be delivered between July 2023 and May 2025.
| Project | Example |
|---|---|
| Develop a heritage management document for a declared Aboriginal Place |
|
| Works within the boundary of a declared Aboriginal Place |
|
Things to note
Heritage NSW will undertake a preliminary high-level assessment of Heritage Works projects to consider if the project is suitable for the declared Aboriginal Place. This is to eliminate projects that are clearly not suitable. The assessment is for the grant process only, so progression to the next stage of the grants process is not an endorsement or approval of the project by Heritage NSW.
What you can’t apply for
An outline of the types of projects that would not be given funding are show below.
Projects we do not allow
- Any project works and associated costs, not including pre-planning, that occurs before 1 July 2023.
- Activities or works that have high levels of negative impact to the heritage values of the site.
- Keeping place: a place where artefacts or remains can be held in a culturally appropriate manner while awaiting repatriation.
- Construction of new buildings.
- Purchase or relocation of heritage buildings and items.
- New commemorative monuments, works or headstones
- Purchase of equipment, for example lawn mowers etc.
- In-house project management by salaried officers as either voluntary or cash
- contributions
- Business set up or operating costs
- Projects that will need to rely on ongoing grant funding
- Routine maintenance, such as gardening, gutter cleaning, carpet cleaning, etc.
- Heritage management documents required for statutory or legal purposes, for example Aboriginal cultural heritage assessments relating to environmental impact assessments.
- Projects that are exclusively:
- to make safe immediately following a disaster that is led by RFS or other emergency services and agencies.
- for revegetation, erosion or land management.
- cultural burning
In exceptional circumstances, Heritage NSW reserves the right to recommend funding for projects that may not fully meet the eligibility criteria or transfer your application to another funding program if deemed appropriate.
Things to note
This grant program is not intended to double up on other climate change or bushfire recovery programs. Projects must improve or protect Aboriginal cultural heritage values or avoid further loss of heritage values. It is not designed to focus solely on making an area safe, revegetation, erosion or land management issues.
Think about how you will guarantee the accuracy of heritage information and include Aboriginal custodians.
If your project includes sharing Aboriginal cultural heritage with the public, you must show how you will do a proper consultation. This includes getting support to share knowledge from Aboriginal custodians and the community.
Heritage Management documents must be prepared by heritage specialists that have the right expertise.
How much you can apply for
There are two project types and funding levels. These both have been outlined below in Table 4.
| Project type | Funding level (excluding GST) |
|---|---|
| Heritage management document | Maximum $30,000 |
| Heritage works project | Maximum $80,000 |
You do not need to contribute to the project financially (unless you are a local council).
You can put in more than one application, but it must be for different projects.
Things to note
Local councils must match any funding they apply for. They must contribute the same, or more than, the grant amount received. For example, if a Council successfully applies for a $30,000 grant then they must also contribute $30,000 or more to the project. This means the total program cost will be $60,000 or more.
Councils may include reasonable in-kind contributions such as realistic hourly rates for relevant activities, but not in-house project management by salaried staff.
All other applicant types, who are not local government agencies, do not need to match funding for their project.
Most recent recipients
What your application needs to include
You can download the
File
Declared Aboriginal Places Guidelines for Developing Management Plans (PDF 1006.59KB)
Address the eligibility criteria
The information in your application will be reviewed by Heritage NSW to check if you meet the eligibility criteria. Table 5 below sets out the key eligibility criteria you will be asked in the application process.
What we will review
- The item or place is a declared Aboriginal Place.
- You have legal responsibility for maintenance and repair at the site and have relevant authorisation and support from custodian/owners.
- The project is for a heritage management document or capital works.
- The project will be delivered by mid-2025.
- There are no Heritage Act 1977 or National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 compliance issues at the site.
Address the assessment criteria
The assessment criteria outlined below in Table 6 is used to rank and decide which projects will be funded. Your application will only be assessed if it is considered eligible and complete.
Heritage NSW will consider cultural sensitivities and conflicts of interest throughout the process.
Funding is limited so you are not guaranteed a grant even if your application meets all the eligibility and assessment criteria.
| Criterion | What we will assess | We will consider |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long-term quality heritage outcomes | Impact of the project on the site’s heritage significance, Aboriginal cultural heritage values and the risks if the project does not happen. We prioritise projects with longer term and more significant quality heritage benefits. We may consider how the project fits with any heritage management document for the site and if it uses best practices. |
| 2 | Level of enduring public benefit | Use and public accessibility. Long-term benefit to the public, such as heritage tourism (if culturally appropriate) or ongoing cultural use. |
| 3 | Extent of involvement and support from Aboriginal communities | Level of consultation and engagement with, and support of, relevant Aboriginal communities. Extent of collaboration and partnership arrangements to build capacity or economic growth for Aboriginal organisation. |
| 4 | Value for money | We will review the detailed project budget and scope, as well as supporting documents, to ensure good use of public funds by prioritising cost-effective projects. |
| 5 | Quality of the project planning and proof of concept | How well you have planned the project, including planning for risk. We will consider who has/will be consulted to ensure the quality of work and accuracy of heritage information. |
| 6 | Capacity and commitment to deliver the project | How likely is the project to be successfully completed and any potential risks. We may also consider:
|
| 7 | Capacity and commitment to deliver the project | Whether other funding sources are available and the likelihood of the project proceeding without this grant funding. |
Heritage NSW reserves the right to consider any other relevant information that emerges following receipt of applications.
Next steps in the application process
The next steps in the process have been outlined below in Table 7.
| Step | The process |
|---|---|
| Step 1: Plan | Read these guidelines. Check if your site is on the State Heritage Inventory as a declared Aboriginal Place. Get your supporting documents ready such as quotes, photos, plans, evidence of support, permissions from owner/s and any approvals you already have. If you’re a local council, determine if you can meet the matched funding requirements. Applications that are ineligible, incomplete or don’t provide enough information will not progress to the assessment stage. Contact us if you have any questions about your project eligibility, using SmartyGrants or getting heritage approvals. |
| Step 2: Send in your application | Complete the online application form in SmartyGrants (use the Apply now link). You will be asked about your project as well as how it meets the eligibility and assessment criteria. You will need to provide all the information requested. You will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your completed application. Applications open 10 September 2022 and must be in by 2 December 2022. |
| Step 3: Eligibility check | Heritage NSW will do a completeness check and determine if your application is eligible. Refer to Eligibility criteria on Page 10. Only applications considered complete and eligible will progress to Steps 4 and 5. |
| Step 4: Suitability check | A group of technical and heritage experts will review if your project is suitable for the declared Aboriginal Place. If not deemed suitable your application will be deemed ineligible and will not go through Step 5 |
| Step 5: Prioritisation | The Grants and Sponsorship Advisory Committee will review your project against the assessment criteria and rank applications in order of priority. Recommendations will be made to the Director Customer Service, Heritage NSW. |
| Step 6: Decision | The Director Customer Service, Heritage NSW will decide:
|
| Step 7: Notification | We’ll let you know the outcome of your application by 30 June 2023. There are no appeals and the decision on applications is final. The Heritage Grants Team can provide feedback on your application |
| Step 8: Funding agreement | If you are successful, we’ll send you a funding agreement to sign. |
| Step 9: Project commencement | Projects can start from 1 July 2023 |
| Step 10: Reporting and acquittal | You must send in regular progress reports throughout the project. Your final report on the project’s outcomes and expenditure is due by May 2025. |
Things to note
Once the funding agreement is signed, you will receive payments in stages against the agreed milestones and 50% of the funding will be paid up-front.
At least 10% of the grant will be held until after the project is finished. Heritage NSW will check the quality of the project, and that all requirements have been met, before making the final payment. The payment amount will be based on actual project costs.
Full conditions for payment will be outlined in the funding agreement and payment schedule.
If you are registered for GST, it will be added to funding amount except for local government grant recipients.
Grants under this program may result in financial, taxation, legal or other impacts. We strongly recommended that you seek independent financial advice on receiving a grant.
You might also want to get advice from the Australian Tax Office if you have questions about your individual situation.
Before you start
We recommend that before you start any work, first confirm if you’ll need:
- a permit under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974, or
- approval by your local government council.
If the Aboriginal Place is also listed on the State Heritage Register (SHR), or if there is an impact on non-Aboriginal archaeology, you must also consider other permits, approvals or exemptions under the Heritage Act 1977.
You should avoid any harm done to declared Aboriginal Places. If harm can’t be avoided, you must minimise or mitigate the impact. If this is the case, you will need to apply for an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit (AHIP). You must get your finalised AHIP before you start any project work.
If you do need an AHIP then you will also need to do a formal Aboriginal community consultation. There are guidelines available to help you understand your obligations under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 for work on Aboriginal heritage sites.
Find out more by visiting the Heritage NSW website.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Director Customer Service, Heritage NSW
What to expect if you are successful If your project application is successful:
- your name, details of your project and amount of funding provided will published
- you will have to sign a funding agreement with terms and conditions
- if you are a local council you will have to contribute matching funding
- any physical works must be done by qualified and experienced people and to appropriate heritage standards. Your project might have to be overseen by a Heritage Specialist
- any funded heritage management documents must be done by a properly qualified heritage specialist
- permits and approvals must be given before you start any work. Find out more by visiting Heritage NSW
- you must comply with any local council planning, heritage and building requirements and other legislation
- you must use best practice guidelines for quality heritage outcomes such as the Declared Aboriginal Places: Guidelines for developing management plans (PDF 1006.59KB)
- you must acknowledge NSW government funding
- you will need to regularly report back on key measures of success
- if your project is a management document, it will be made public subject to cultural sensitivities.
Heritage NSW will ask permission to use materials for media and publicity such as photos, videos, documents etc.
Support and contact
Please reach out to Heritage NSW if you have any questions.
Who to contact for help
Heritage NSW
- Phone: 02 9873 8500
- Email: heritagemailbox@environment.nsw.gov.au