Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: From $150,000 to $2,000,000
- Application opened: 29 June 2026
- Application closes: 31 August 2026, 5:00 pm
Program objective
Round 1 is designed to fund inclusive open space upgrades in high-growth areas. It aims to provide free access to inclusive public open space, deliver value for money, demonstrate best-practice design, support timely and within-budget delivery, and align with strategic planning and local open space needs.
This program is administered by Planning, Land Use, Housing and Strategy.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Eligible applicants are local councils in the 43 LGAs across Greater Sydney, Illawarra-Shoalhaven, the Central Coast and the Lower Hunter, and the 10 regional NSW LGAs with the highest dwelling approvals between 1 July 2024 and February 2026. See program guidelines for list of councils.
Who the grant is targeted towards
The program seeks to fund projects for growing metropolitan and regional communities, with a focus on people of all abilities, ages, cultures and genders who use public open space. Projects are intended to support diverse local communities by improving access, inclusion, comfort and connection in free public open spaces.
Types of projects funded under this grant
Eligible projects are upgrades to free, publicly accessible public open spaces, including parks and sports fields, swim sites such as waterways, beaches, riverfronts and foreshores, and public domain improvements to town squares and civic plazas. Projects may include design and construction or construction of amenities and facilities such as play spaces, walking and cycling tracks, picnic shelters, lighting, skateparks, sports courts, shade structures and trees.
When the project can start and end
Successful projects are expected to commence from 1 March 2027 and must be completed by 30 June 2029. For design-and-construction projects, the design component must be completed within 18 months of receipt of funding to allow adequate time for construction within the delivery period.
The project should be started by 1 March 2027 and the project must be completed by 30 June 2029.
What costs you can't apply for
Ineligible projects include public indoor facilities such as community centres, libraries and clubs; events, marketing, branding or advertising; seawalls; carparks; road and street upgrades; synthetic sports fields; standalone active transport links that do not connect to public open space; commercial buildings or operations involving access fees; protected bushland and national parks; community gardens; maintenance of existing public open space, facilities and amenities; projects already fully funded or requiring ongoing NSW Government funding; business cases; planning and design projects; and projects involving land acquisition.
Ineligible uses of grant funding include ongoing operation and maintenance costs, community consultation, legal matters, costs incurred before a funding announcement, salaries of existing staff or staff not involved in the project, administrative overheads such as office equipment, vehicles and mobile capital equipment, street furniture with advertising, standalone public artworks, and retrospective funding for project components already complete or underway.
What co-contributions are required
Applicants must provide a 100 per cent matched co-contribution from council. This means the council contribution must be equal to the grant amount requested and must be secure and currently available to council. A secure co-contribution means funds the council already has access to, and does not include potential revenue not yet received, such as from development contribution plans or planning agreements. State or Commonwealth grant funding cannot be used as the co-contribution.
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
- A completed application form with all required information.
- Project details, including a brief description of the project, project category, and the amenities or facilities to be delivered or upgraded.
- Funding details, including total project cost, grant amount requested, council co-contribution amount, source of co-contribution, and written evidence that the co-contribution is approved and available.
- Project location details, including the principal site address and GIS shapefiles showing the geographic extent of the project.
- Project delivery information, including scope, key deliverables, schedule of works, milestones, delivery date, risk profile, interdependencies and procurement approach.
- Cost information, including cost estimates, contingencies, source, date and level of certainty.
- Project readiness information, including any public exhibition requirements and details of council’s project management and delivery capacity.
- Assessment criterion responses, including statements on inclusive design, strategic alignment and local need.
- If applicable, details of whether the project is included in a local contributions plan and when it would otherwise be delivered without the grant.
- Any supporting attachments that evidence the information provided in the application form.
Address the eligibility criteria
Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.
Address the assessment criteria
Applications will be assessed against five criteria: the number of dwelling approvals in the applicant’s LGA during the National Housing Accord period, value for money, project deliverability, inclusive design, and strategic alignment with relevant plans, policies and local open space needs.
Applicants do not need to provide evidence for the dwelling approvals criterion. This criterion will be assessed by the program team using ABS Building Approvals data and will be used to rank eligible LGAs within the relevant funding pool.
For value for money, applicants must provide project cost information, including a breakdown of costs, contingencies and any supporting estimates, as well as the project site area and GIS shapefiles. The program team, with an independent economic expert, will undertake a rapid cost-benefit analysis to assess whether the project delivers a positive value-for-money result.
For project deliverability, applicants must provide information on project scope, key deliverables, schedule, milestones, risks, interdependencies, cost estimates, co-contribution, procurement approach, public exhibition requirements, and council delivery capacity. This criterion will be assessed qualitatively by subject matter experts to determine whether the project can be delivered on time and on budget.
For inclusive design, applicants must provide statements showing how the project responds to the program principles of “Can I get there?”, “Can I stay?” and “Can I join in?”, and how it aligns with relevant inclusive design guidance. This criterion will be assessed qualitatively by subject matter experts to determine whether the project demonstrates best-practice inclusive design.
For strategic alignment, applicants must provide a statement showing how the project aligns with relevant plans, strategies, surveys or policy directions, and how it responds to a local need for open space. This criterion will be assessed qualitatively by subject matter experts to determine whether the project is strategically justified and responsive to local community needs.
To be recommended for funding, projects must achieve a positive value-for-money result and be supported overall for deliverability, inclusive design and strategic alignment.
Start the application
Applications must be submitted online through SmartyGrants by 5pm on 31 August 2026. The application link will be provided on the program website and by email to eligible council applicants. Late applications will not be accepted.
Applicants should review the template form provided by the Department and prepare all required information before starting their submission. The application form is intended to capture all information needed for eligibility review and assessment, and incomplete or poorly prepared applications may be deemed ineligible. Additional documents may be attached, but only to support or evidence the information provided in the application form.
Following an initial eligibility review, the Department may reopen the nomination period to all applicants if common issues or missing information are identified. However, individual requests for further information will not be made during the detailed assessment stage.
Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.
Apply now
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for Planning and Public Spaces
Applications will be assessed after the round closes through an initial eligibility review followed by a comparative assessment against the published criteria. For Round 1, applications will be ranked based on the number of dwelling approvals in the applicant’s LGA during the National Housing Accord period, and must also satisfy the remaining criteria for value for money, project deliverability, inclusive design and strategic alignment.
The eligibility review and investment recommendations will be managed by Infrastructure Strategy and Implementation within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. Dwelling approvals will be assessed by Infrastructure Strategy and Implementation with the Planning Evidence Centre. Value for money will be assessed with an independent economic expert. Project deliverability will be assessed by an independent technical expert and the Department’s Open Space team. Inclusive design and strategic alignment will be assessed by the Department’s Open Space team. An independent probity advisor will oversee the process.
Funding recommendations will be submitted to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, who is the decision-maker. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by email after the Minister approves the recommendations, with successful and unsuccessful applicants receiving written advice. A public announcement of successful projects will be made at the same time. Application outcomes are scheduled by 30 November 2026.
Applicants may seek feedback on their application after assessment. The program team can review any aspect of the assessment to confirm it was conducted in accordance with the guidelines, however the assessment process will not be changed or reopened. Complaints may be directed to the program team, and probity-related concerns may also be raised with the independent probity advisor.
Anticipated assessment outcome date is 31/11/2026
Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is 30/01/2027
Support and contact
betteropenspaces@dphi.nsw.gov.au