Local Sport Grant Program

Eligible applicants are:

• Incorporated, not-for-profit grassroots sport clubs whose primary focus is to organise sporting activities; deliver ongoing sporting programs; and/or develop member’s skills (see Appendix A for full list of eligible sports).

Applications from Licenced Sporting Clubs may be considered providing the project directly benefits the sport, not the administration processes of the licenced club or upgrades of the licenced premises.

Applications may be considered from sports organisations or clubs associated with a school, church or university providing they are a not-for-profit club incorporated in their own right.

Ineligible applicants are any organisation types not listed in the ‘Eligible Applicants’ section, and include (but are not limited to):

• Individuals, groups of individuals and unincorporated organisations
• Incorporated not-for-profit organisations that are not associated with a sport listed at Appendix A
• An eligible organisation will be deemed not eligible for funding under this Program if they are an organisation named: (i) by the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse on its list of institutions that have not joined or signified their intent not to join the Scheme; or (ii) in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that has not yet joined the National Redress Scheme
• Clubs whose activities are considered to be of a recreational nature e.g., remote/radio-controlled activities, fishing
• Sporting zones or sporting groups that are not based at a specific location within an electorate
• Individual sporting competitions
• State Sporting Organisations
• National Sporting Organisations
• Regional Academies of Sport
• For profit, commercial organisations
• Organisations limited by shares
• Government departments and agencies
• Educational institutions including schools and their Parents and Citizens (P&C’s), Universities, TAFE, Colleges and childcare centres
• Local Government Authorities operating under the Local Government Act, 1993
• Local Government Committees
• PCYCs/YMCA/Scouts/Girl Guides/Surf Life Saving.

Previously the Local Sport Grant Program required applicants to submit their applications under one of four different project types (Sport Development, Sport Event, Sport Access and Sport Facility), each of which had a different financial cap and applicants were permitted to submit only one application per project type.

For the 2022/23 round, we are simplifying the process and no longer require applicants to select a defined project type as part of their application. Sports clubs and organisations are free to submit as many applications to the Program as they choose.

Eligible projects include but are not limited to:

• Organisational and community development projects
• Sport events
• Barriers to participation
• Create, upgrade or repair sports facilities
• A list of ineligible projects can be found in the guidelines.

The Local Sport Grant Program will not fund the following projects or project components:

• Staff wages and administration costs
• Subsidised registrations for junior players who have access to the Active Kids voucher
• Accommodation, food/catering
• Appearance fees, prize money and trophies/medals
• Presentation/celebration functions
• Entertainment
• Medical equipment (e.g., defibrillators)
• Private or commercial ventures
• Events that are organised for the primary purpose of fundraising, including charity fundraising events
• Individual scholarships/sponsorships
• Insurance (public liability, general liability, etc.)
• Retrospective funding e.g., projects that have already commenced or been completed prior to application submission
• Purchase or rental of land or premises; vehicles; office equipment (e.g., office furniture, printers, photocopiers etc.)
• Projects not based in NSW
• Subsidy for school sporting activities and events. Funding requests for any of the above costs should not be included in the application. Should such costs be included within your application, they will be considered ineligible and be removed from your proposal prior to merit assessment.

Website development

• A regional sports club requests $6,000 to contribute to the upgrade and modernisation of its website to allow for online booking and other improvements. Its current website has not been updated for several years and is difficult and unappealing to navigate.
• A proportion of the funding will go toward website design and in particular the addition of images demonstrating the range of diversity of the club’s actual membership (the current site only shows images of able-bodied, Caucasian people and predominantly men and boys).
• A strong case is made by the applicant that the modernisation of the site will broaden the appeal of the club and promote participation and sporting activity within the wider community.
• The application includes detailed quotes from appropriate providers, a clear itemised budget, evidence of the source of any other funding required to complete the project and a realistic timetable for when the new site will be live.

Community outreach event

• A local sports club based in a multicultural area is keen to engage with their wider community and encourage participation particularly from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. They request $5,000 to support the cost of running a series of ‘come-and-try’ days.
• Evidence is provided that the club has already engaged directly with key stakeholder groups (CALD community groups in the area) prior to the application to ensure there is sufficient interest in the project and that the needs of participants are met.
• Funding is requested for the time of coaches to plan, attend and lead the days as well as multilingual publicity material designed to reach the intended audience in the wider community. All costs are clearly budgeted and supported by quotes for each element.

Team uniforms and equipment

• A community sport club wants to create two new female teams for women and girls, however they currently have no equipment in order to do so. They request $4,000 for the purchase of new uniforms, balls and cones.
• The club currently has few women and girls’ teams and strong evidence is provided of the interest of women and girls to participate if the teams were created.
• The application details clearly that the purchase of this equipment is only possible through the funding provided by the grant.
• A clear itemised budget is provided alongside quotes for the uniforms and equipment.

Facility upgrade

• A regional sport club requests $10,000 as a contribution towards constructing new change rooms. The current facilities have no facilities for females or people with disability, which means few participants from these groups engage in the sport or any other sport operating from the club house. The organisation makes a strong case that improving the facilities will allow them to support more female and disabled participants and teams.
• The total cost of the project is $50,000. The applicant provides clear evidence in their application that they have secured funding from other sources to complete this work alongside written permission from the landowner.
• A clear and realistic project timetable is provided as well as a detailed and itemised budget supported by quotes from suppliers and tradespeople for the various elements of the project.