Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: Up to $15,000
- Application opened: 22 April 2025
- Application closes: 25 June 2025, 11:00 pm
Program objective
The purpose of the CWMF is to help conserve, repair and protect war memorials across NSW to support community commemoration, by funding projects that follow best practice conservation principles and processes. The CWMF is targeted at organisations who are responsible for the management of war memorials in NSW.
This program is administered by Office for Veterans Affairs.
Eligibility
Who can apply
An organisation can apply to the CWMF if:
1. It is one of the applicant types listed below
2a. It is the owner of the war memorial, or
2b. It has received the endorsement of the owner of the war memorial to undertake the project and apply to the CWMF.
For the purposes of the CWMF, the owner of the war memorial is the entity who owns or manages the land on which the war memorial is located, or the building in which it is housed, also known as the landowner.
Eligible applicant types
- Incorporated not-for-profit community organisations
- NSW local councils operating under the Local Government Act 1993
- Incorporated organisations that are registered and approved as not-for-profit bodies by NSW Fair Trading
- Not-for profit companies limited by guarantee, registered in NSW (must have ACNC registration and/or DGR status)
- Indigenous Corporations (must be registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations)
- NSW Local Aboriginal Land Councils
- Religious organisations operating in NSW
- NSW non-government organisations established under their own Act of Parliament
- NSW Government agencies who own or are responsible for a war memorial, including government schools, are eligible to apply to the CWMF
- Non-Council Crown Land Managers (Category 1 or 2)
Types of projects funded under this grant
Applications to the CWMF must align with and be submitted under one of the below categories:
- Category A: Reports and Assessments - Engaging heritage or other relevant specialists (such as engineers) to produce reports relating to the repair, protection, and/or conservation of existing war memorials and/or their precincts.
- Category B: Physical works - Engaging heritage or other relevant specialists (such as stonemasons and joiners) to undertake physical works relating to the repair, protection, and/or conservation of existing war memorials AND / OR other physical works relating to the memorial’s immediate precinct to promote its conservation, safe and accessible use, and community access for commemorative purposes.
Notes:
- The CWMF supports projects for existing war memorials. Applications cannot be submitted for the construction of new war memorials.
- Category A applicants cannot apply for Category B works in the same round for the same war memorial. This is because applicants planning physical works to war memorials are expected to have already obtained relevant heritage advice for their project, such as the kinds listed under Category A.
- Category B applicants are expected to obtain relevant heritage advice for their project before applying to the CWMF.
Funds, including any interest earned, can only be used for expenses/activities directly associated with the grant. Your application must clearly outline your proposed expenditure in relation to the amount of funding you are applying for. If you are unsure if your project may be eligible, please contact OVA by email at veteransgrants@veterans.nsw.gov.au.
Examples of eligible expenditure include:
- Category A - Obtaining heritage specialist advice for an existing war memorial, for example a condition assessment report, a Conservation Management Plan, or arborist advice for war memorial trees.
- Category B - Physical conservation works to an existing war memorial including restoration, repair, maintenance, and preservation, for example regilding inscriptions, treating metal corrosion, repairing damaged elements, specialist masonry cleaning, repainting the exterior of a war memorial hall or repointing mortar joints.
- Category B - Relocation of war memorials on public land in cases of documented public safety concerns, where expert recommendations have been provided. Note: a war memorial should be preserved in its original location if possible and relocation should be a strategy of last resort, where imminent threats cannot be otherwise controlled.
- Category B - Work to improve the accessibility of war memorials, such as the addition of handrails or access ramps (maximum $5,000 excl. GST).
- Category B - Physical works relating to the memorial’s immediate precinct such as:
- repair or replacement of deteriorated fencing
- rectification of broken paving
- replacement of worn signage
- remediation of existing landscaping or reinstatement of original landscaping elements.
- Category B - Bespoke war memorial lighting projects that are:
- focused on the safety, security and visibility of, and community engagement with, war memorials
- conservation-focused lighting repairs, for example to a broken war memorial lamp
- urgent electrical work for safety concerns, for example urgent rewiring at a war memorial hall
Who can’t apply
- Individuals
Types of projects not funded under this grant
You cannot use a CWMF grant for projects or activities that:
- do not meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the Program Guidelines
- do not align with best practice heritage conservation principles and processes
- have already started or have been finished
- relate to war memorials that are not recorded on the NSW War Memorials Register
- are for building/construction work (excluding conservation works to war memorial buildings)
- are of a commercial nature that is for profit
- go towards paying existing debt or budget deficits
- go towards paying permanent salaries/wages
- fund the same project twice (for example, two different organisations cannot apply in the same round for funds for the same war memorial, even if the scope of works in each application is different
Examples of ineligible expenditure include:
- Constructing new war memorials
- Relocating war memorials in cases where the land has been sold without appropriate protections and solutions in place and due consideration of community views
- Replacing existing war memorials (applications for replacing missing or broken elements on existing war memorials are accepted)
- Adding new plaques, service badges, artworks, plinths/walls or new names to existing war memorials
- Constructing or installing seating outside of the war memorial’s immediate precinct
- Maintaining or replacing standard metal flagpoles (applications for historic or significant flagpoles are accepted)
- Ongoing grounds keeping or regular landscaping maintenance
- Adding new landscaping to an existing memorial
- Installation of new, large-scale electrical infrastructure, such as lighting schemes for parks where war memorials are located
- CCTV installation or maintenance, due to the complexity of land management and the requirements of these projects
- Work to individual graves (we recommend you refer to the Australian Government’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs website for information on commemorating war dead)
- Costs incurred in the preparation of a grant application or related documentation
- Council or heritage approval costs for works to war memorials
- Ongoing expenditure related to war memorials, such as general cleaning for war memorial buildings
Example projects
The below is a sample of previously funded projects:
- Replacement of the deteriorated sandstone base and steps under the historic Empire Bay War Memorial.
- Conservation of decorative concrete elements on the façade of the Tocumwal War Memorial Hall.
- Conservation works on the Deniliquin Uniting Church First World War Roll of Honor, including removing decayed varnish and regilding.
- Conservation work to the Gosford Cenotaph including cleaning the monument and repointing the memorial’s stonework.
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
This checklist has been prepared as a guide to the key requirements of an application for the CWMF. You may need to undertake additional steps relevant to your particular project.
- Read the CWMF Program Guidelines that are available on the OVA website.
- Read the NSW Government’s Caring for our war memorials guide.
- Research the history and background of your war memorial, including any heritage listings it may have.
- If you are not the owner of the war memorial, consult with the owner to obtain their endorsement for your application. The CWMF defines the owner as the entity who owns or manages the land on which the war memorial is located, or the building in which it is housed, also known as the landowner.
- Preview the application form on the OVA SmartyGrants website to familiarise yourself with the questions and the format before starting your application. You will likely need to consult with people within your organisation and project team for their input on some questions.
- For applications for funding to undertake physical conservation works to a memorial, obtain heritage specialist advice to understand its condition and conservation requirements, such as a condition assessment. You should also give the advice/assessment to the contractors who are preparing quotes for your physical works (see below). Note: You can also apply to the CWMF for funding to obtain heritage advice.
- Obtain detailed quotes from all consultants/contractors for all elements of the proposed work, which include a clear breakdown of costs, proposed methodologies, and materials. Also ask them for evidence of their skills, experience, and qualifications.
- Consult with the memorial’s key stakeholders, such as the local council and/or council’s heritage advisor, the local RSL sub-Branch, or other veterans' groups in your area. Note: If your war memorial is located on council-owned or managed property, is listed as a local heritage item, or adjoins public property (such as a footpath), you must consult with council prior to applying to the CWMF.
- Ensure the war memorial is listed on the NSW War Memorials Register.
- Take new, high-quality photos of the war memorial, which show areas related to your project. We recommend you read the NSW Government's Guidelines for photographing war memorials.
- If your organisation does not have an Australian Business Number (ABN), fill out a Statement by a supplier form from the Australian Taxation Office website.
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
The State War Memorials Committee uses the below criteria when conducting their assessments of eligible applications:
- The project aligns with the priorities of the CWMF and its objective to protect, conserve, and repair war memorials in NSW to support community commemoration.
- The applicant has demonstrated the project has a clear and sound project rationale and is reasonably likely to succeed in achieving its stated aims, based on the planning they have undertaken, the proposed resources they are accessing, the expertise they have sought, and the delivery mechanisms they propose to implement.
- The applicant has provided large and clear photographs that show the condition of the war memorial and the need for the proposed works.
- The applicant has demonstrated they have undertaken an appropriate level of stakeholder consultation and they have the endorsement of the owner of the war memorial.
- The applicant has demonstrated the proposed work is consistent with best practice conservation principles and processes by seeking heritage specialist advice (or the application is for funding to obtain advice).
- The applicant has engaged or intends to engage a contractor or specialist with suitable skills and experience to undertake the work, such as a specialised conservator, and has provided supporting evidence, such as quotes or reports.
- The applicant has demonstrated the current condition of the war memorial, or its surroundings, is poor or very poor and this condition is negatively impacting its meaning, use, or functionality.
- The applicant has demonstrated the current condition of the war memorial, or its surroundings, poses a threat to public safety, where applicable.
Start the application
Your application must be completed and submitted online via the OVA SmartyGrants website. The online application form will be accessible from the website when a CWMF grant round is open. Hardcopy applications and emailed applications will not be accepted. You are responsible for ensuring your application is complete and accurate. The form contains instructions, hints, and examples to assist you with answering most questions.
To apply you must:
- complete and submit the online application form by the closing date of the round
- provide all the mandatory information requested in the form, including addressing the eligibility criteria
- attach all the mandatory supporting documents
Applications for multiple memorials
If you are applying to the CWMF for work to more than one memorial, we recommend you submit a separate application for each memorial as the application form is designed for this. Each application will be reviewed on its own merit and evaluated against the other applications received in the same round, including the other applications you have submitted.
If you choose to submit one application only, please clearly describe the needs of each memorial throughout your answers and remember to attach supporting documents for each memorial.
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 Veterans
All applications to the CWMF received via the OVA SmartyGrants website by the closing date of each round will first be reviewed by OVA staff against the mandatory eligibility criteria and for compliance with the Program Guidelines. Only eligible applications will progress in the assessment process.
Eligible applications will then be assessed by the State War Memorials Committee, which is comprised of senior representatives of the Returned and Services League of Australia NSW Branch, NSW Public Works, Heritage NSW, and OVA. All applications are assessed by two panels from these organisations.
Successful applications will be decided by the State War Memorials Committee, who make recommendations to the decision-maker. The relevant Minister endorses the recommendations of the Committee.
Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified.
Note: Each round is independent of the subsequent rounds, meaning that having a successful application in one round is no guarantee that future applications from the same applicant or for the same war memorial will be successful.
Anticipated assessment outcome date is 31/10/2025
Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is Within one month of outcome date
Support and contact
Email: veteransgrants@veterans.nsw.gov.au
Website: Community War Memorials Fund