Community War Memorials Fund - Round 2026/27

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)

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 only 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 such as a condition report/assessment 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.

You must complete your project within twelve (12) months of your grant being awarded.

The project should be started by 31 October 2026 and the project must be completed by 31 October 2027.

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

• Individuals

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 ownership and management and the technical 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

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

 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.
• Specialist restoration and conservation work to the Broken Hill Great War Memorial, "The Bomber", including cleaning, repointing and applying a protective wax coating to all metal elements of the memorial.
• Procuring a War Memorials Register and Condition Assessment Survey of 8 council-managed memorials in the Woollahra Local Government Area.

Mandatory supporting documents

• A minimum of three (3) different clear and detailed photographs, which illustrate the memorial and areas of concern related to your project (Categories A and B). We strongly recommend you review the ‘Guidelines for photographing war memorials’ available on the OVA website.
• Quotes from all consultants/contractors for all elements of the proposed work, which include a clear breakdown of costs, proposed methodologies, and materials (Categories A and B).

Note: The CWMF cannot accept ambit claims. Applications received without quotes will be deemed ineligible. 

Additional supporting documents

• Evidence of the skills, experience, and qualifications of your selected consultants/ contractors (Categories A and B).
• Recent written condition assessment or heritage advice that you have obtained about the war memorial (Category B only). Reminder: Applicants are expected to obtain a condition assessment or relevant heritage advice for their project before applying under Category B to the CWMF, or to apply for funding to obtain such advice from a qualified specialist.