Environmental Trust

Protecting Our Places 2025

Protecting our places cover image 2025

The Protecting Our Places program encourages and empowers Aboriginal communities to protect, conserve and restore landscapes and waterways important to them.

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Key information

  • Status: Open
  • Grant amount: Up to $120,000
  • Application opened: 16 June 2025
  • Application closes: 31 July 2025, 5:00 pm

Program objective

The program has 3 key objectives:

  • Enabling Aboriginal communities to gain more autonomy over their projects, strengthening their ability to deliver favourable results for their cultural heritage, cultural practices and the environment.
  • Promoting the sharing and safeguarding of cultural knowledge among Aboriginal groups, government agencies and the community. This enables Aboriginal people to influence the management and preservation of their cultural and environmental resources on their ancestral lands.
  • Ensuring land that is culturally important to Aboriginal communities is protected, restored, improved and managed by local Aboriginal groups, land managers and other stakeholders in a way that fosters Healthy Country. This approach deepens the connection between Aboriginal people and their traditional lands and waterways.

Grants of up to $120,000 are available over 2 stages:

  • Stage 1 Planning – up to $20,000 for project planning.
  • Stage 2 Implementation – up to $98,000 to complete the project on-ground works, plus $2,000 quarantined for the mandatory financial audit, totalling $100,000.

This program is funded and administered by Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Eligibility

Who can apply

The following NSW Aboriginal community organisations/groups may apply:

  • NSW Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs)
  • NSW Aboriginal Corporations registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006
  • NSW Incorporated Associations registered under Associations Incorporation Act 2009
  • Non-distributing NSW Co-operatives registered under Co-operatives National Law and associated Acts
  • NSW Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate (RNTBC).
  • Australian Public Company Limited by Guarantee operating as a Registered Charity under the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
    Note: applicants under this category must also demonstrate that their organisation's primary objective is to support members and/or persons of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) descent in New South Wales.

Other Aboriginal organisations and groups are eligible to apply, however, these entities will need the support of another organisation that will perform the role of External Manager.

Associations and Co-operatives will undergo additional eligibility checks to ensure they are not-for-profit/non-distributing and that the organisation's objectives and activities seek to provide benefits for and involves the participation of local Aboriginal people and communities.

Charities registered under the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission must provide a copy of their constitution to prove that their primary objective is to support ATSI persons and, where possible, a letter of support from either the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, their Local Aboriginal Land Council or another registered Aboriginal organisation listed above.

Who can be involved in the project?

All projects must be led by an Aboriginal organisation. However, you should consider partnering with relevant groups or individuals. These could be:

  • other Aboriginal groups
  • local councils
  • state agencies (for example, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)
  • non-government organisations
  • local community groups
  • universities
  • private businesses
  • landholders.

Who can’t apply

We won't fund applications from:

  • non-Aboriginal groups, organisations, or companies
  • individuals
  • industry joint ventures
  • profit-distributing corporations or co-operatives (limited by shares).
  • If you are unsure if your organisation can apply, contact the Trust.

Types of projects funded under this grant

Our Places grants program guidelines 2025 (PDF 6.87MB) explains what we will fund.

  • Different activities are eligible in each stage – planning and implementation. No on-ground works will be funded during the Stage 1 Planning stage.

What can’t you apply for

Ineligible activities are outlined on pages 25 and 26 of the Protecting Our Places grants program guidelines 2025 (PDF 6.87MB).

What your application needs to include

You can download the full guidelines, read the applications guide or visit the Environment and Heritage website:

Read these resources to help you complete your application:

1

Prepare your application with this checklist

Application submission

Please use this checklist (found in Part D of the application form) to ensure your application is complete and accurately reflects your project.

It is important that you have read the program guidelines and application guide to ensure your submission aligns with the program’s objectives and rules, especially the sections on eligibility and assessment criteria. 

Is your application complete?

  • Answer all questions in the application form.
  • Type only in the spaces provided in the form.
  • Attach an A4-size project location map as Attachment 1.
  • Attach an A4-size project works map as Attachment 2.
  • Has your application been authorised by the appropriate person?
  • Have you included letters of support from project partners/stakeholders?
  • Have you included a letter of endorsement from your organisation’s governing body/board?
  • Name your application form as ‘Your organisation name – POP Application’. Follow other document naming instructions as set out in the application guide.
  • Submit your entire application by email. Postal or faxed submissions will not be accepted.
  • Only submit one application per email. Email subject line must be ‘Organisation Name – POP Application’.
  • If you are submitting 2 applications, number them accordingly (i.e., 1 or 2).
  • Do not ZIP your application documents. ZIP files will not be accepted by the Trust.

Letters of support

Applicants need to include letters of support from project collaborators/partner organisations to demonstrate their contribution and commitment. Letters of support can be provided at the application stage (preferred) or at the conclusion of Stage 1 – Planning. They must be attached in the supporting documents section of your application.

Project collaborators/partner organisations may include local or state government, volunteer groups, universities and peak bodies, as well as private landholders where project activities are planned for implementation on private land.

Project in-kind support contributions may be in cash, volunteer contributions or organisational resources such as staff, equipment, office space or contractor engagement.

Providing a general statement of support of the application is not advisable. Letters need to be prepared by each collaborator/partner organisation, ideally be no longer than one page in length and should provide specific information, such as:

  • the name of the organisation and their relationship/involvement in the proposed project
  • types of contributions being made (refer to above)
  • the specific funds committed and/or estimated value of the contributions.

View a sample letter of support (DOCX 88.44KB).

Letter of endorsement

Applicants need to include a letter of endorsement from their organisation’s governing body/board for the project to demonstrate their understanding of the project and their commitment to supporting the proposed activities. This letter of endorsement must be attached in the supporting documents section your application.

Project in-kind support contributions may be in cash, volunteer contributions, student contributions; organisational resources such as staff, equipment, office space, contractor engagement and materials; or other contributions such as those from partner organisations and landholders.

Providing a general statement of endorsement of the application is not advisable. Letters are to be ideally no longer than one page in length and need to include specific information such as. 

  • details that the governing body/board is aware of the application (insert the project title) and endorses the application and approves the organisation’s involvement in the proposed project
  • types of contributions being made (refer to above)
  • the specific funds committed and/or estimated value of the contributions
  • details of the tenure of the land where the project is proposed to be implemented
  • acknowledgement that whoever owns/manages/leases the land (whether it is private or public, the applicant organisation or other) has been consulted and that they agree for the project to be implemented on their land.

View a sample letter of endorsement (DOCX 89.31KB).
 

Start the application

It is important that you have read the program guidelines and application guide to ensure your submission aligns with the program’s objectives and rules, especially the sections on eligibility and assessment criteria. The application guide provides important guidance for completing your application.

Include any additional relevant documents, such as a management plans or environmental reports, if they support and enhance the merit of your application.

Review the final checklist (Part D of the application form) before emailing your completed application and attachments to: apply@environmentaltrust.nsw.gov.au by the closing date above.

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: NSW Environmental Trust. Applications are assessed by an independent technical review committee with members from the general community, industry, and government. Most members of the committee are Aboriginal.

All applicants will be notified of the outcome. Unsuccessful applicants will receive constructive feedback to help strengthen future submissions.

Please note that late, incomplete or ineligible applications will not be considered.

 

Support and contact

If you have any questions, please contact the Trust:

Telephone: 02 8837 6093

Email: info@environmentaltrust.nsw.gov.au  

Program evaluation

The applications will be assessed and both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified.

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