This grant increases public engagement with an item listed on the NSW State Heritage Register.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: $1,000,000
- Application opened: 10 September 2022
- Application closed: 5 October 2022, 12:00 pm
Program objective
The new $1 million Activating State Heritage Grant program is being trialled to increase public engagement with items listed on the NSW State Heritage Register (SHR). It is designed to protect and promote our State’s heritage by incentivising owners to invest in heritage activation.
We are looking for applications that can demonstrate a better use of space, engage community in heritage, contribute to community wellbeing and support economic activity and vibrancy within our
local areas.
A single grant will be allocated through a three-stage process:
- Stage 1: Expression of Interest (EOI) – this will be a review against the eligibility criteria.
- Stage 2: Application stage - eligible applicants will be invited to submit further details to support their proposal. All applications submitted during Stage 2 will be assessed and ranked.
- Stage 3: Heritage PitchFest - The top ranked applicants will be asked to pitch their project to a Judging Panel - with the successful project awarded $1 million.
This is a competitive funding round eligible applicants can apply for up to $1 million in matched funding for the activation of state heritage listed items.
Applicants should demonstrate a better use of space, engage community in heritage, contribute to community wellbeing and support economic activity and vibrancy.
The successful project must be delivered between January 2023 and mid to late 2025.
This program is funded and administered by Heritage NSW.
Eligibility
Who can apply
You are eligible under the Activating State Heritage Grant category if you:
- are the owner, manager, long-term lessee or custodian of an item listed on the 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 tprovide matched funding for the project.
- are a local council, business, non-government organisation, community group or individual who has their operations and headquarters in NSW (if you are a business or incorporated entity).
How to check an item is on the State Heritage Register
The SHR is a statutory list of items (places and objects) which represent heritage of particular importance to the people of NSW.
All types of heritage listings are included on the State Heritage Inventory. To check if an item is on the SHR search the State Heritage Inventory.
If the item you search for shows up as blue, it means that it is State Heritage Registered and is eligible for funding.
Who can’t apply
You cannot apply for the Activating State Heritage Grant if:
- your property is not a 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 SHR item was acquired or leased from a State or Federal government agency in the last two years
- the application is for a multiple site listing such as a large precinct or town with multiple owners.
What you can apply for
You can apply for project funding if:
- it is for capital works and/or upgrades that activate and increase public accessibility and usage of a State Heritage Register listed item
- there are no active or unresolved NSW Heritage Act 1977 compliance issues at the site
- the total value of the project is equal to or greater than $2 million
- most of the project will be delivered from January 2023 and completed by mid to late 2025.
Things to note
If your project impacts on Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, sites or objects or includes Aboriginal shared history or content you must show how you intend to undertake appropriate consultation with, and gain support and approval of, Aboriginal custodians/community.
We recommend you contact your local council’s heritage advisor or engage a heritage specialist:
- to help plan your project so that it meets any heritage and legislative requirements; and
- if you are successful, to oversee the heritage aspects of the project and complete compliance certificates at key stages of the project.
Ramps, lifts, kitchen and bathroom upgrades and new amenity blocks will be considered if it can be demonstrated that they are essential to make the site accessible and usable.
What can’t you apply for
The types of projects that would not be given funding include:
- projects that do not meet the objectives of the Activating State Heritage Grant category
- any project work and associated costs, not including pre-planning, that occurs before 30 Nov 2022
- purchase of heritage buildings or items
- relocation of buildings or 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
- programs, festivals or events
- projects that will rely on ongoing grant funding
- routine maintenance, such as lawn mowing, gutter cleaning, carpet cleaning, etc.
How much can you apply for
There will be one successful applicant selected and awarded $1 million in matched funding.
If successful you will need to contribute an equal cash amount towards the project delivery and have responsibility for the ongoing, long-term viability of the activated item.
Administration costs should not exceed 10% of the overall budget.
Things to note
Once the funding agreement is signed, you will receive the funding in stages against agreed milestones.
At least 10% of the grant is held until the project is finished. We will check the quality of the completed work and that all requirements have been met before making the final payment. The amount of the payment is based on actual project costs and you making a matching contribution.
Full conditions for payment will be outlined in the funding agreement and its payment schedule.
GST will be added to grants if you are registered for GST (except if a local government grant recipient).
The grant may result in financial, taxation, legal or other impacts. It is strongly recommended that you seek independent financial advice on any impacts of receiving a grant.
You may also seek advice from the Australian Tax Office if you have further questions about your individual situation.
What your application needs to include
You can download the complete
File
Activating State Heritage Grant 2023-25 Funding Guidelines (PDF 752.34KB)
Next steps in the application process
The next steps in the process have been outlined below in Table 4.
| Step | The process |
|---|---|
| Step 1: Plan | Read these guidelines. Check your property is on the State Heritage Register and obtain the SHR listing number. Get your supporting documents ready such as quotes, photos, plans, evidence of support, permissions from owner/s and any approvals you already have. Determine if you can meet the matched funding requirement. Incomplete applications, or applications that do not provide enough information to assess eligibility, will be deemed ineligible. Contact us if you have any questions about project eligibility, using SmartyGrants or getting heritage approvals. |
| Step 2: Submit your EOI | Complete the online EOI form in SmartyGrants. You will be asked about your project as well as how you meet the eligibility criteria. You will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your EOI. The EOI opens 10 September and must be in by 12 Noon 5 October 2022. |
| Step 3: EOI eligibility checks | Heritage NSW will do a completeness check of your EOI and review it against all eligibility criteria. Refer to Eligibility criteria for Stage 1 - EOI on Page 9. |
| Step 4:Notification of EOI outcomes | We’ll let you know one of the two possible EOI outcomes: 1. If the application is deemed as eligible you will receive an invitation to progress to Stage 2 application. OR 2. If the application is incomplete or deemed ineligible it will not progress. |
| Step 5: Invitation to apply | Invitation to the Stage 2 application process We’ll send you an invitation to complete the Stage 2 online application form in SmartyGrants. You will be asked more detailed questions about the project scope, budget and how you meet the assessment criteria as outlined in Assessment criteria for Stage 2 on Page 10. |
| Step 6: Assessments | A group of technical and heritage experts will assess your Stage 2 application against the assessment criteria. The top ranked applications will be invited to the Heritage PitchFest Event in November for the final assessment. |
| Step 7: Heritage PitchFest event | Shortlisted applicants to participate in PitchFest Heritage NSW will send you templates and details to inform your pitch for the Judging Panel. The Heritage PitchFest will be held on 30 November 2022 in the Sydney CBD as a live public event. You can either attend in person or online. Details of the event, such as timings and venue, will be sent prior. Audience members will also contribute to the scoring on the day. The Judging Panel will decide which project to fund. There will be no appeal process. The Judging Panel’s decision is final. |
| Step 8: Funding agreement | If you are successful, we’ll send you a Funding Agreement to sign. |
| Step 9: Project commencement | The successful project can start from 1 January 2023. |
| Step 10: Official opening | An official opening will be organised when the project is near or at completion. |
| Step 11: 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 mid-late 2025. |
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,
- approval under the Heritage Act 1977,
- approval by your local council, or
- a standard exemption or site-specific exemption under the Heritage Act 1977.
Examples of approvals or exemptions under the Heritage Act 1977 that you should consider include:
- Section 57: Standard exemptions (for all SHR listed items), or site-specific exemptions.
- Section 60: Application for works not covered under Section 57. Requires an assessment via Heritage NSW.
You should also consider any Local Government or other legislative requirements before starting work.
Find out more by visiting the Heritage NSW website.
Things to note
The process for getting approvals is separate to this grant application process.
You can start any approval processes before submitting your EOI.
You can include the costs of any necessary approvals in your EOI. You don’t need to have applied, or been approved for these, at the time of submitting your EOI.
Address the eligibility criteria for Stage 1 - EOI
The information in your EOI will be reviewed by Heritage NSW to check if you meet the eligibility criteria. Table 2 below gives a high-level overview of the key eligibility criteria reviewed at Stage 1 - EOI.
What we will review:
- The item or place is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register (SHR).
- You are an eligible owner or have relevant authorisation for the project.
- The project is for capital works and upgrades that will activate the site and increase public usage.
- You agree to provide matching funding and the total project cost will be equal to, or greater than, $2 million
- The project will be delivered around mid to late 2025.
- There are no Heritage Act 1977 compliance issues at the site.
Assessment criteria for Stage 2
All projects that meet the eligibility requirements during the Stage 1 EOI phase will be invited to Stage 2. To progress your application, you’ll need to give further project details as shown in Table 3 below. This assessment criteria will be used to rank and shortlist the top applications.
The shortlisted applicants will be invited to the final stage and compete at the Heritage PitchFest in November this year.
Your application will only be assessed if it is complete.
| Criterion | What we will assess | We will consider |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long-term quality heritage outcomes. | Impact of the project on the site’s heritage significance. 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 uses best practice heritage management. |
| 2 | Increased usage at the site and range of participants involved (measure numeric use). | Current and expected usage at the site as well as the range of people who will have access to the site and how often. |
| 3 | Type of expected use and extent of public benefit or engagement (measure quality of use). | What the site can be used for, how it will be open for public use, and how that contributes to the community. |
| 4 | Level of enduring public benefit. | Sustainability/viability of the use and alternate uses. Long term benefit to the public. We may review documents such as a business case that support the project’s viability and show community support. |
| 5 | Extent of heritage interpretation, celebration and acknowledgement. | How the project includes interpretation of the site’s heritage values including Aboriginal cultural heritage. |
| 6 | Value for money | We will review your project’s detailed budget and scope as well as any supporting documents such as a cost benefit analysis to prioritise more cost-effective projects. |
| 7 | Quality of the project planning and proof of concept. | How well you have planned the project, including planning for risk. We will review the project scope and budget as well as who has/will be consulted. |
| 8 | Capacity and commitment to deliver the project. | If the project is likely to be successfully completed. We may consider:
We may ask for evidence showing access to your financial contribution to the project. |
| 9 | Availability of alternate funding. | Whether other funding sources are available and the likelihood of the project proceeding without this program’s grant funding. |
Heritage NSW reserve the right to consider any other relevant information that emerges following receipt of applications.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: The Judging Panel
If your application is successful:
- your name, details of your project and amount of funding provided will be published on the Heritage NSW website
- you will have to sign a funding agreement with terms and conditions
- 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
- approvals must be given before you start any work. Find out more by visiting the Heritage NSW website
- you must comply with any local council planning, heritage and building requirements
- you must use best practice heritage guidelines for quality heritage outcomes
- you must acknowledge NSW government funding
- you must agree to hold an official opening and participate in media throughout the application process and project implementation
- you will need to regularly report back on key measures of success
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.
How to contact Heritage NSW for help:
- Phone: 02 9873 8500
- Email: heritagemailbox@environment.nsw.gov.au