NSW Women’s Week Grants

Do you have Public Liability Insurance? 

All events and activities must be covered by Public Liability Insurance.

If your organisation is not covered, you will need to approach another organisation to sponsor your application so that your event will be covered under their Public Liability Insurance (such as your local council).

A minimum of $5 million Public Liability Insurance is required to receive grant funding and be in date for the time of the grant.

In all sponsored grant applications, Women NSW primary relationship is with the sponsoring body, as they are responsible for the management of the grant.

Does your project fall into one or more of the following categories? 

Economic opportunity and advancement

This category aims to improve women’s financial wellbeing and security and support diverse and flexible employment opportunities for women and girls. 

Funding for events in this category should: 

• celebrate and promote women’s financial wellbeing and security 
• promote diverse and flexible employment opportunities for women and girls 
• celebrate and promote women in diverse employment categories/industries. 

Health and wellbeing

This category aims to promote and support a holistic approach to women’s health across their lifespan. Women’s physical, social and economic potential is maximised when they are healthy and their health needs are addressed. 

Funding for events in this category should celebrate, promote and support a holistic approach to women’s health across their lifespan. 

Participation and empowerment

This category recognises the importance of supporting women’s engagement through social networks, access to information and building confidence using diverse representations of women and girls. 

Funding for events in this category should: 

• provide opportunities that enable women and girls to actively participate in their communities 
• build confidence and resilience of women and girls 
• celebrate the achievements of women and girls. 

Is your event accessible? 

Organisers should try to make their event as accessible as possible, including to older people and people with disability. Use the Australian Network of Disability's simple checklist.

Does your event adhere to the latest COVID-19 NSW Health advice about social distancing, self-isolation, and public health orders? 

Please check the latest updates to the NSW Government’s COVID-19 response.

Organisations must be

• Incorporated not-for-profit community organisations that are registered and approved as not-for-profit bodies by NSW Fair Trading OR
• NSW local councils (and their section 355 committees) operating under the Local Government Act 1993, which are obliged to cash match or provide in-kind support up to the value of $5,000. 

Funding amount 

Minimum $3,000 and must not exceed $5,000 (excluding GST). 

Only one application for funding will be accepted per organisation per project. 

Project timeline 

Proposed projects must be ready for launch in NSW Women’s Week, between Monday 6 March and Sunday 12 March 2023. 

Focus communities for Women's Week events 

NSW Women’s Week Grant-funded events and activities should support accessibility to a diversity of people including:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls 
• Carers
• Girls and young women living in, or who have lived in, out-of-home care
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer and/or asexual (LGBTIQA+) women and girls
• Older women 
• Women and girls experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage
• Women and girls facing homelessness
• Women and girls from culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD)
• Women and girls in contact with the criminal justice system
• Women and girls living in regional, rural, remote and cross-border areas
• Women and girls with disability
• Women and girls with a mental illness
• Women and girls who have a history of, or are currently experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence
• Women veterans (and the women partners of veterans and service members)
• Young women

Previous project acquittal 

Outstanding acquittals for any Women NSW grants must be finalised before Women NSW provides new funding. 

Excluded items 

• Any activity of a commercial nature that is for profit
• Capital works including building work
• Permanent salaries/wages (costs for temporary tutors/instructors for your project or event can be included)
• Permanent equipment purchases for example tables and computers
• Business as usual costs or general operating expenses
• Events that encourage gambling such as bingo, or the consumption of alcohol
• Projects and activities coordinated by NSW Government Departments and Statutory Authorities.

During the eligibility check process, Women NSW will consider publicly available information from the Australian Investment and Securities Commission (ASIC), the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (ACNC), the Australian Business Register/Australian Business Number Lookup.

Grant applications will be assessed against the following criteria.

Budget

An accurate budget that demonstrates value-for-money.

Relevancy

• Demonstrated relevance to at least one of the NSW Women’s Week Grants program priorities.
• A project that includes at least one of the following themes: economic opportunity and advancement, health and wellbeing, participation and empowerment.

Projects can be information or skill-sharing or, recreational activities.

Audience reach

• Planned number of people participating.
• Participation of specific priority groups.

Promotion

Clear promotions plan to ensure the target audience attends.

Assessment scoring

Successful applications will be assessed based on a scoring system drawn from the assessment criteria in the Grants Guidelines.

Consideration is made based on a distribution of projects across focus areas, priority groups and location.

Subject to the quantity of applications received in these categories, individual scores will be collated, score variances resolved, and a weighted scoring system will be applied if required. 

An example project budget