The NSW Government provides technical and financial support to local government councils and eligible public land managers under the Floodplain Management Program (the program) to manage flood risk.
Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: $2 from government for every $1 provided by the applicant (from council revenue), except where special consideration is provided.
- Application opened: 5 March 2026
- Application closes: 15 April 2026, 5:00 pm
Program objective
The program objectives are to provide technical and financial support to councils and eligible public land managers to:
- reduce the impacts of existing flooding and flood liability on communities and to reduce private and public losses resulting from floods
- make informed decisions on managing flood risk by preparing flood risk management plans (and associated background studies) under the flood risk management process
- implement flood risk management plans to reduce flood risk to both existing and future development, and reduce losses through a range of property, flood and response modification measures as outlined in the Flood risk management manual
- provide essential information to the NSW State Emergency Service to enable effective preparation and implementation of local flood plans for flood emergency response.
Projects that cannot demonstrate they meet the program's objectives will be considered ineligible for funding.
This program is funded and administered by Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Eligibility
The following organisations are eligible to apply:
- local government councils
- county councils
- other government bodies with equivalent flood risk management responsibilities to local councils (for example, Lord Howe Island Board, Local Land Services).
Local government councils can submit joint applications, provided that:
- one council is the lead agency in terms of signing of the funding deed, managing monies and reporting on the project
- a relevant joint organisation applies for and manages the funding.
Eligible organisations can be found on the Local Government Directory.
Who can’t apply
- individuals
- industry joint ventures
- for-profit businesses
- profit-distributing corporations (limited by shares).
Types of projects funded under this grant
Generally, the highest priority will be given to the following projects:
- Flood studies and flood risk management studies – including new studies, reviews, or plans where existing communities face flood risk that is not yet fully understood or managed, or where there are significant development pressures.
- Next stage of an in-progress mitigation work – where the proposed stage is directly dependent on a stage currently underway (for example, the next stage of a levee project, or works required to offset impacts from a levee being constructed).
- High-priority mitigation works – mitigation works that are identified as a high priority in flood risk management plans adopted by applicants.
Project planning activities will take place between November 2026 and July 2027.
Projects commence (initial work plan due) by July 2027.
What can’t you apply for
Project scope and eligibility
Funding is not available for:
- Retrospective work – any activities that were already underway, completed, or contractually committed to before the grant was awarded or before the project work plan was approved.
- Business-as-usual activities – projects or activities the applicant is reasonably expected or required to undertake as part of normal operations without program funding, such as local drainage works.
- Asset maintenance or replacement – maintenance of assets, or replacement of assets that have not been appropriately maintained.
- Ongoing maintenance costs – ongoing maintenance expenses for any assets funded under the program, for example, flood warning systems.
Financial and funding restrictions
Financial and funding restrictions include:
- GST – the project cost must exclude GST.
- Financial co-contribution – must be a monetary contribution from the applicant’s own revenue. It cannot include in-kind support, voluntary contributions, or funding from other parties.
Administrative and management costs
Funding is not available for:
- Internal operational costs – all internal costs (including on-costs) related to the applicant’s core activities, unless otherwise approved by the department’s Grants
Branch. Core activities include:- preparing study briefs
- reviewing proposals and tenders
- researching and copying records
- attending meetings
- administering the contract and grant
- accounting costs
- staff costs associated with liaising with the public and with government agencies.
- Project management costs – not eligible unless the council receives special consideration or where a group of councils is working in partnership.
- Data management activities – data management undertaken within the applicant’s own systems.
Specific items and activities
Funding is not available for:
- Contingencies or unspecified budget items – items not directly linked to eligible project activities. These should not be included in the application or work plan.
- Road warning signage for traffic management – unless the signage is a necessary component of broader flood mitigation works.
- Compensation or reimbursement – payments to individuals, businesses, or landowners for losses, including those related to land acquisition, easements, or changes in land use (excluding Voluntary House Purchase and Voluntary House Raising programs).
- Stand-alone land acquisition – except in the circumstances outlined in point 11 of the Guidelines for Voluntary Purchase. Land acquisition must be part of a broader project that directly contributes to flood mitigation outcomes and program objectives.
- Routine operational or maintenance costs – including ongoing staffing, asset maintenance, or other business-as-usual activities
What your application needs to include
You can download the full guidelines:
Address the essential criteria
All applicants must be able to demonstrate:
- the project meets the objectives of the Floodplain Management Program
- capacity to deliver the project, past grants management history, available resources and financial commitment, proposed timeframe, and whether the project is realistic based on completion of prerequisite consultant briefs, preconstruction work or approvals
- commitment to maintain any works in a condition suitable to meet its design intent for the design life
- the project is consistent with the intent of the NSW flood prone land policy and the flood risk management process outlined in the Flood risk management manual.
Projects must meet all 4 essential criteria to be eligible for funding.
Address the other criteria
Applications will also be assessed on:
- the extent to which the project is cost-effective in addressing one or more of the program’s priorities
- the technical feasibility, effectiveness and efficiency of the risk mitigation solution as examined through scoring of information on projects provided in the implementation project prioritisation form. (Note, these criteria are specific to investigation and design, works projects and voluntary house purchase/voluntary house raising projects. See Appendix A for instructions on completing the form for more details)
- the level of community support
- the priority of the project stage regarding the relevant adopted flood risk management plan (if applicable)
- the need to manage flood risk in the area and how effectively the application demonstrates addressing the risks.
An application will be awarded a reduced ranking if it is not well thought out, if its flood risk management objectives or outcomes are unclear, if it demonstrates insufficient planning, or if its budget is unrealistic or poorly justified.
The deed must be signed by the general manager (or someone with delegated authority) within 45 days of the formal grant offer.
Start the application
Applications for this grant are available via the Grants portal:
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Successful applications will be decided by: An independent panel, which includes expert and stakeholder representation, will assess and prioritise applications on a statewide basis and make recommendations. Projects recommended for funding are provided for consideration and approval by the Secretary.
Applications will be checked to confirm eligibility and completeness. Ineligible, late or incomplete applications will be considered ineligible for funding.
Applications will then be reviewed by department technical staff.
Details of successful applications will be placed on the department’s website. All applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application.
Support and contact
General administration enquiries
For general grant administration enquiries, contact the Grants Branch – Flood
General technical enquiries statewide
For general technical information enquiries statewide, contact the Flood Team – Marine, Coastal, Estuaries and Flood
Other programs
The department also offers a Coastal and Estuary Grants Program. For further information, please see the Coastal and estuary grants.
The NSW Environmental Trust offers a range of other environmental grants for local government. For further information, please see the NSW Environmental Trust website.
Program evaluation
Applications assessed by the State Flood Mitigation Assessment Committee from May to September 2026.