This grant will fund projects that focus on emissions reduction in agriculture or sequestration in soils or vegetation, with an emphasis on immediate implementation.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $2,000,000
- Application opened: 6 December 2022
- Application closed: 15 February 2023, 5:00 pm
Program objective
The grants will support emissions reduction in agriculture or sequestration in soils or vegetation, with an emphasis on immediate implementation.
All partnerships will explore ways to deliver additional benefits alongside carbon abatement and will be required to share information and build capacity within the sector.
This program is administered by Office of Energy and Climate Change.
This program is funded by Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Eligibility
Partners will be organisations that are active in the primary industries or land sectors, have vision and commitment to act on climate change, and are willing to co-invest with government to deliver on their commitments.
Who can apply
The following types of organisations are eligible to apply:
- farmer or agribusiness
- Aboriginal landholder/manager including Traditional Owner groups, land councils or Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate
- not-for-profit organisation
- government entity
- community natural resource management/conservation organisation
- peak body or industry organisation
- producer association
- approved research institute
- co-operative/mutual organisation.
Who can’t apply
Carbon service providers operating for-profit are not eligible to be applicants.
Types of projects funded under this grant
Projects must do one or more of the following:
- deliver abatement at scale
- deliver abatement with additional benefits alongside carbon
- use innovative delivery to increase benefit to land managers.
All partnerships must result in carbon projects being registered under the ERF and implemented.
The project must be delivered in NSW using one or more of the following ERF* methods:
- reforestation by environmental or mallee plantings FullCAM method
- estimation of soil organic carbon sequestration using measurement and models method
- beef cattle herd management method
- tidal restoration of blue carbon ecosystems method.
*ERF = Emissions Reduction Fund cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/ERF
What can’t you apply for
Grant application exclusions
- projects delivered outside NSW
- projects that are already underway
- projects delivered via ERF methods other than the 4 that are eligible.
Example projects
A suitable project may focus on:
- increasing soil carbon
- adopting new cattle management practices
- tree planting
- restoring tidal flow to wetlands.
Most recent recipients
What your application needs to include
Your Expression of Interest will demonstrate that you are:
- appropriately insured and financially viable
- an eligible applicant
- using an eligible project delivery method.
Prepare your application with this checklist
Your Expression of Interest will demonstrate that you are:
- appropriately insured and financially viable
- an eligible applicant
- using an eligible project delivery method.
Address the eligibility criteria
Before you apply, you must read the:
Address the assessment criteria
Grant assessment criteria
1. project effectiveness
2. technical and financial capability
3. value for money
4. communication and capacity building
5. deliver abatement at scale
6. innovative delivery
7. delivery of co-benefits.
Please refer to the grant guidelines for full details on the assessment criteria.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Office of Energy and Climate Change.
Phase 1 – Projects that meet all eligibility requirements will be recommended for merit assessment. An assessment panel of subject matter experts will review the applications against merit criteria and recommend highly scored applications to progress to Phase 2.
Phase 2 – Highly scored applications from Phase 1 will be invited to submit a full application. An assessment panel will review these applications against pass/fail criteria and recommend projects to the Executive Director, Climate Change and Sustainability, who will make the final determination on grants to be awarded.
We will assess the full application and intend to award grants by mid-2023.
Support and contact
If you have any questions about this funding opportunity, or to discuss your project or application, please email us at netzero.land@environment.nsw.gov.au
Please visit our website for more information about the grants.
Read our High Impact Partnership grant guidelines and the frequently asked questions.