Environmental Education 2026 - Tier 1

The Environmental Education grants program funds projects that build skills and drive change in people's behaviour and practices to improve the environment.

Key information

Status: Open
Grant amount: Up to $60,000
Application opened: 21 September 2026
Application closes: 9 November 2026, 11:59 pm

Program objective

The Environmental Education program funds projects that build people’s skills and capacity to adopt sustainable behaviours, and contribute to protecting and improving the environment

Our projects:

work with their target audience to co-design and pilot engagement strategies
create effective strategic partnerships that strengthen project outcomes
measure and demonstrate the impact of their project activities

This program is administered by Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

This program is funded by NSW Environmental Trust.

Eligibility

Tier 1

Tier 1 provides grants of up to $60,000 for 2-3 year projects. This stream is best suited to local projects that address small scale issues.

Tier 1 projects are expected to:

achieve environmental outcomes aligned with one of the themes of the Trust’s strategic plan
engage with the target audience, invite their feedback, and adapt delivery of the project based on the lessons learned
move beyond ‘delivering workshops’ and ‘raising knowledge and awareness,’ and instead deliver more engaging, hands-on activities that drive action, behaviour change, and achieve measurable environmental outcomes
allow for innovative ideas
measure and report on target audience participation, and what they do differently because of the project
provide evidence of the differences the project has made in the environment

Projects must commence between 1 August 2027 and 30 September 2027

Tier 1 projects must end no later than 31 January 2030

Who can apply

Each proposal requires a lead applicant organisation. Lead applicants must be based in New South Wales or be able to demonstrate environmental benefits for New South Wales.

If successful in securing a grant, the lead applicant will be responsible for project delivery, administration and finance requirements, and overseeing the performance of collaborators.

The following not-for-profit organisations are eligible to apply for funding:

incorporated associations, community organisations, and non-profit organisations
non-commercial cooperatives
state government agencies and statutory committees
councils
universities
regional organisations of councils
NSW local Aboriginal land councils
Registered NSW Aboriginal Corporations
other local government-controlled organisations
companies limited by guarantee

Who can’t apply

The Trust will not fund:

individuals
industry joint ventures
for-profit businesses or organisations
profit-distributing entities.

Types of projects funded under this grant

Applications to the 2026-27 round are required to address at least one of the following funding priorities of the NSW Environmental Trust Strategic Plan 2024 to 2029 which focuses on the most critical environmental issues across the state. The plan is informed by extensive research and stakeholder consultation.

The strategic priorities are:

Prioritise healthy Country and recognise and value Aboriginal peoples, their traditional knowledge and practices, and connection to Country
Restore ecosystems and biodiversity
Strengthen environmental management.

What can’t you apply for

Item	Description
Administration costs that exceed 10% of the total grant, or are not project related	Organisational operating costs not directly related to the project. Project-related administration cannot exceed 10% of the total grant funds.
Aesthetics, amenity and recreation	Activities focused solely on improving aesthetics, local amenity, or recreational opportunities are not eligible for funding. The Trust's funding is intended to support projects that deliver positive environmental outcomes for New South Wales with a clear focus on conservation, restoration, rehabilitation and protection of natural ecosystems.
Capital expenditure	Infrastructure and large capital items (for example, vehicles, construction, buildings, machinery, amenities). Small capital equipment purchases are allowed if you can demonstrate this is more cost effective than leasing the equipment for the life of the project. Costs for capital items should generally not exceed 20% of the total project budget.
Core business	Activities that are the core responsibility of local or state government authorities or educational institutions. ‘Core business’ can be difficult to define as it varies between organisations but generally it is the essential or legal responsibility of an organisation. The Trust can fund work that relates to core business, but it must be additional to the organisation’s usual work or responsibilities.
Cost recoupment	Funding cannot be used on any activities that have commenced before the grant is offered and accepted, and a funding agreement has been signed. This includes application development.
Cost shifting	Reimbursement of salaries of existing staff unless it can be demonstrated that salaries have not already been budgeted for (refer to How to develop your project 2026 in ‘Part 8: Resources’).
Data collection / non-project related research without application	Surveys or research to gather data or information beyond the research needed to deliver and demonstrate the outcomes of your project. Data or information collected must directly contribute in a meaningful way to delivery of the project and evaluation of its outcomes.
Devolved grants	Projects that fund devolved grants (that is, projects offering grants to other organisations, or funds/grants administered by a third party that is not an approved external manager). The Trust’s funds must be managed directly by the lead organisation or their external manager and must not be managed by third parties. Lump-sum payments cannot be made directly to project partners or stakeholders. The grantee or the external manager must organise, manage and pay for project activities directly. All financial transactions must be managed in line with the approved budget.
Lethal control of pest animal management	Lethal control methods, including shooting, trapping, or any measures that harm or kill animals. Strategic, long-term control, exclusion and monitoring of feral pest animal species through non-lethal, physical interventions are eligible activities under this grant.
Maintenance, existing commitments	Maintenance of projects previously undertaken. This includes existing commitment that organisations have committed to as part of previous grants.
International travel	Overseas travel including flights and accommodation expenses.
Salary on-costs that exceed 26.5%	Salary on-costs that exceed 26.5%. Salary on-costs include superannuation, leave loading, workers compensation and payroll tax.

Example projects

Refer to Environmental Education grants awarded and project summaries | Funding and support | Environment and Heritage for details of past and current projects.

What your application needs to include

Download and read the program guidelines below.
Environmental Education Grants Program Guidelines 2026 (PDF 935.66KB)

See Environmental education | Funding and support | Environment and Heritage for links to key resources to help applicants develop and submit an application.

These resources include:

How to develop your project (PDF 1.38MB)
Grants Management System (GMS) link to register and submit an application
Information on previously funded projects
A sample workplan
Online workshops (voluntary) to support applicants in developing project proposals

Address the eligibility criteria

Australian Business Number

All lead applicants must have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) that establishes the organisation as an eligible entity.

Options for ineligible organisations

Unincorporated community organisations can apply for grant funding only if they partner with an eligible organisation, referred to as an ‘external manager’. The external manager must meet the eligibility criteria outlined above and will be responsible for managing the grant funds.
The external manager will sign the funding agreement together with the grantee.
The grantee remains the lead decision maker and will control the project's activities and outcomes.
Grant payments are made to the external manager, and they will manage all financial transactions on the grantee's behalf. They will also prepare financial reports in line with the funding agreement. oversee the use of the funds and assist with reporting.
There should be an agreement in place between the grantee and the external manager. This will ensure a shared understanding of accountability for the project's management and reporting (refer to ‘Tips on working with an external manager’ in Part 10: Resources).

Past performance

When assessing eligibility, we will review applicants' past performance with previous grants and any history of non-compliance with legal or regulatory obligations. Positive past performance is also taken into consideration.
If past performance suggests there may be risks to the project's success, you may be asked to respond to these concerns. The response will be considered alongside the application. Special conditions may be added to the funding agreement to address any issues.

Address the assessment criteria

Assessment criteria and process

All applications are assessed against the criteria outlined below. After individual assessment, the Technical Review Committee will meet to discuss and agree on which projects will be recommended to the Trust for funding.

Criterion 1: Environmental outcome (scored out of 10)

Clear explanation of the environmental problem to be addressed (i.e. the need is clearly demonstrated)
Likelihood that the systemic and behaviour changes proposed will make a measurable difference and will contribute towards achieving the outcomes described.
The project outcomes are specific and measurable and align with the Trust’s Strategic Plan 2024–29 priorities. Activities that will achieve these outcomes are clearly described in the workplan.

Criterion 2: Target audience engagement (scored out of 10)

Clear description and demonstrated understanding of a target audience that can achieve the environmental outcomes identified.
Quality and likely impact of the engagement strategies on the target audience
Extent to which project activities build capacity of the target audience/s, as well as the applicant and collaborators
The application demonstrates that co-design principles have been integrated into design of the workplan and there is a clear plan for how the applicant will work with and receive feedback from the target audience
The application clearly describes the changes in behaviours and systems that the project will focus on, and the workplan identifies the activities for achieving them,

Criterion 3: Project team and collaborators (scored out of 10)

Relevance and strength of the collaborators’ and project team’s expertise and experience
Demonstrated engagement of collaborators in developing proposal, and their participation in the project is evident in workplan activities
Demonstrated commitment of the applicant to continue to support the project’s outcomes beyond the life of the grant

Criterion 4: Project planning (scored out of 10)

The workplan integrates strategies for monitoring and evaluation into project activities. It clearly demonstrates how environmental outcomes, systemic and behaviour changes will be measured, either quantitatively and/or qualitatively
All risks to successful delivery of the project have been considered, and contingencies to mitigate and manage risks have been put in place
Demonstrated evidence that similar or existing programs/projects are not duplicated (this does not include expansion of pilot projects or implementation of plans developed through previous programs/projects)

Criterion 5: Value for money (scored out of 10)

Extent to which the budget supports the proposed activities and resources
The likely environmental/sustainability impact of the proposal relative to the amount of grant funds sought
Project outcomes and resources can be replicated elsewhere
The applicant has proposed a project budget that clearly describes project costs, demonstrates how Trust funds will be spent. It also provides details about any funds from other sources where relevant, and describes what in-kind contributions can be expected

Start the application

Applications for this grant are available via Environmental education | Funding and support | Environment and Heritage site.

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: NSW Environmental Trust

Support and contact

Phone: 02 8837 6093

Email: info@environmentaltrust.nsw.gov.au

Program evaluation

The Trust has all its contestable grants programs independently evaluated to assess their effectiveness.

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