Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $20,000
- Application opened: 5 August 2025
- Application closed: 27 November 2025, 5:00 pm
Program objective
Stream 1a is to help applicants establish an illegal dumping baseline and develop a brief Illegal Dumping Prevention Strategy for their LGA or area/region.
Stream 1b is to help applicants, with solid prior experience in running illegal dumping projects, develop a strong business case for sustained internal investment in illegal dumping prevention.
This program is administered by Environment Protection Authority.
Eligibility
Who can apply
This stream provides funding for establishing baseline data either for dumping on publicly owned land or for developing an illegal dumping business case for the following entities:
- Individual local councils
- Groups of councils (Stream 1b only)
- State government public land managers
Types of projects funded under this grant
Stream 1a: Establishment of Illegal Dumping Baseline Project
Stream 1b: Development of an illegal dumping business case
Types of projects not funded under this grant
Stream 1a does not cover clean-up of illegal dumping.
Stream 1b does not cover clean-up or illegal dumping prevention activities.
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
Completed application through SmartyGrants including:
- Relevant photos or maps
- Letter of support from project partners (if relevant)
See guidelines on EPA 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
Assessment criteria for Stream 1a
Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:
- Strength of the evidence of the illegal dumping problem and the need to capture baseline data (40% weighting).
- Effectiveness and clarity of proposed methods for gathering high-quality illegal dumping data across the jurisdiction and use of RIDonline (30% weighting).
- Appropriateness of budget and project value for money (30% weighting).
Assessment criteria for Stream 1b
Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:
- Strength of the evidence of the illegal dumping problem, its size and complexity (40% weighting).
- Effectiveness and clarity of proposed methods of developing the business case (30% weighting).
- Appropriateness of budget expenditure (30% weighting).
Start the application
Applications must be submitted to the EPA using the SmartyGrants platform. After submission via SmartyGrants, you will receive an acknowledgement of your application. If you do not receive an acknowledgement email, contact the Illegal Dumping Prevention team at illegaldumping.strategy@epa.nsw.gov.au to ensure your application has been received.
Grant applications will be assessed against the selection criteria outlined in these guidelines. The selection process will prioritise well-thought-out, innovative, and collaborative projects with the potential to have the highest project impact.
Entities such as councils and council groups can be the lead applicants in only one application per stream. If multiple applications are submitted by an entity, only the first application submitted will be assessed.
For state government agencies with regional offices, one application per regional office will be accepted.
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: NSW EPA CEO. Applications will undergo an eligibility check before being reviewed by an independent technical review committee using the criteria set out below. The technical review committee will recommend projects to the EPA CEO for funding.
Applications will be assessed by a technical review committee (TRC). The committee will assess potential performance based on an applicant’s ability to meet selection criteria.
The TRC will rank the eligible applications during the assessment process. The TRC then makes recommendations to the EPA. The EPA Chief Executive Officer will make final funding decisions.
We encourage any unsuccessful applicants to request feedback and consider re-applying in future funding opportunities.
All funding is 100% contestable.
Support and contact
Need advice? The Illegal Dumping Prevention Team can advise on these guidelines and the types of activities funded by grants. To contact staff email illegaldumping.strategy@epa.nsw.gov.au.