Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: From $3,000 to $5,000
- Application opened: 9 April 2026
- Application closes: 30 April 2026, 1:00 pm
Program objective
The Program aims to increase opportunities for women and girls, both on and off the field, throughout NSW.
The key objectives of the Program are to:
- Increase the number of women and girls participating in sport
- Improve the retention of adolescent girls
- Increase the number of women working in the sport sector
- Improve gender inclusive sporting cultures and environments
- Increase the capability of the sector to respond to emerging trends and challenges
This program is administered by Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport.
Eligibility
Who can apply
To be eligible for funding you must:
- be an NSW Office of Sport recognised State Sporting Organisations (SSOs) or State Sporting Organisations for People with Disability (SSODs). The current list of recognised SSOs/SSODs are shown at Appendix A
- include a declaration by the applicant organisation that if successful they will provide Public Liability Insurance with a minimum $5 million cover.
Eligible Organisations are encouraged to partner with other organisations, including those with specific experience working with women and girls and under-represented communities.
Types of projects funded under this grant
Career Activations
Projects that aim to promote information on range of roles and career pathways in sport.
- Host a career activation to showcase career opportunities, featuring information on a range of roles in your sport
- Participate in a Career Expo or event in your local community, school or university to profile your sport and career pathway
When the project can start and end
The project must be completed by 31 December 2027.
Who can’t apply
Ineligible applicants are any organisation types not listed in the ‘Eligible Applicants’ section, and include (but are not limited to):
- any organisation not recognised as an SSO/SSOD by the Office of Sport
- sporting clubs and associations
- individuals and groups of individuals
- schools, universities and TAFE’s
- parents and Citizens (P&C) Associations
- NSW Institute of Sport, Australian Sports Commission (incorporating the Australian Institute of Sport) and Regional Academies of Sport
- State and Federal Government departments and agencies
- 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
Types of projects not funded under this grant
Projects or project components ineligible to receive funding include:
- Projects that are not aligned with or contribute to Play Her Way objectives.
- Project location is not in NSW.
- Retrospective funding, where projects have commenced or are completed prior to the execution of a funding agreement.
- Projects that have already been funded by the NSW Government unless significant new and additional project scope is identified.
- Any costs associated with preparing and submitting the application.
- Project administration costs and staff wages not directly related to the project.
- Appearance fees, prize money, trophies and presentation functions.
- Entertainment, hospitality and catering not directly related to the Project. The purchase of alcohol will not be funded in any circumstances.
- Events that are organised for the primary purpose of fundraising, including charity fundraising events.
- Purchase of land, rental of premises for the organisation’s administrative and operational requirements, or associated occupancy payments.
- General running costs, maintenance or replacement including capital equipment or office equipment.
- Insurance costs (public liability, general liability, etc.)
- Costs associated with feasibility, design, or development stages including feasibility studies, business cases and masterplans.
- Infrastructure projects (e.g. construction, upgrade, maintenance, and repairs).
Project budgets should not include any ineligible costs, and these will be removed by assessors if included, at the absolute discretion of the Office of Sport.
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
All applicants should consider providing the documentation as outlined in the Program Guidelines 2.3 - Supporting Documentation.
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.
Start the application
Step 1: Check your eligibility
- See Eligible Applicants section of these Guidelines to see which organisations can apply for funding.
- If you are not eligible, you may be able to partner with an eligible organisation, although they will need to be the applicant organisation and submit the application
Step 2: Understand the requirements
- Before you apply, please read these guidelines and related materials including the application checklist to make sure you understand all relevant requirements, including whether you are eligible to apply.
- You can find the relevant information on the Office of Sport’s website:
Step 3: Prepare your application
- Gather your evidence including letters of support, funding commitments, development approvals/exemptions, images/plans, quotes, participation data etc.
- Consider using the SmartyGrants tool, SmartyFile. The tool allows organisations to collaborate with team members, pre-fill information into forms and manage, view, search and sort submissions across multiple funders in one spot. Applicants with an ABN can use this function.
Step 4: Submit your application
- Applying for a grant is a simple process using the SmartyGrants platform.
- The Office of Sport recommends that applicants familiarise themselves with the online application form ahead of preparing the application and plan to submit ahead of the closing date to reduce the risk of missing the deadline.
- Complete your application by filling in each of the sections. The SmartyGrants portal will not accept submission of an application unless all mandatory documents have been uploaded.
- Submit your application as soon as possible and before the closing date and time.
- You will be asked to declare that “The responses in this application and all supporting documents provided are to the best of my knowledge true and correct”. The application may be deemed ineligible if the application contains false or misleading statements.
- Projects must be submitted through the SmartyGrants website to be considered eligible.
Successful submissions will be issued with a SmartyGrants system generated acknowledgement email containing a PDF copy of the application which will confirm the time the application was submitted.
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: Minister for Sport
The Play Her Way Innovation Program is a targeted, competitive grant program where eligible applications will be assessed on their merits against other criteria and be compared with other applications. The Play Her Way Innovation Program is administered by the Office of Sport in two stages:
- Eligibility check
- Merit assessment
Throughout the assessment process the Office of Sport may request additional information from the applicant.
An independent probity advisor will oversee the grant process
The Minister for Sport will consider the recommendations of the Grant Assessment Panel and make decisions relating to the approval of funding.
Anticipated assessment outcome date is June 2026
Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is Within two weeks of notification of outcome
Support and contact
Office of Sport staff are available to provide information to potential applicants on interpretation of these Guidelines including types of projects eligible for funding. They can also provide advice relating to the online application process. Please direct enquiries to grants@sport.nsw.gov.au.