Safer Cities: Her Way 2

• Applicants must be a local council within NSW.
• Applicants may submit applications for both Tier 1 and Tier 2 funding (maximum of one application per tier).
• All NSW councils are eligible, with the exception of Safer Cities: Her Way 1 council partners who are not eligible for Tier 1 but may apply for Tier 2.
• Must obtain a letter of support from the council General Manager, or equivalent delegated officer.

Projects in both tiers must:

• Focus on a walking and/or cycling route or a journey to a public transport hub. The chosen route must:
  • be within 800m radius of a transport hub; and
  • provide a walking or cycling connection linking the transport hub to/or through the town or local centre.
• Be located in public spaces:
  • along the chosen route; and
  • on council-owned or managed land.
• Include engagement with local women, girls and / or gender diverse people both before and after the implementation of the project to inform the development and evaluation of the project. At a minimum, engagement must include:
  • at least one daytime ‘before’ walkshop;
  • at least one nighttime ‘before’ walkshop;
  • at least one co-design session;
  • for Tier 1, at least one ‘after’ walkshop;
  • a community survey, online and/or face-to-face, before and after the delivery or trial pop-up using the Community Survey Tool for Public Space and Public Life;
  • Place evaluation before and after the delivery or trial pop-up using the Evaluation Tool for Public Space and Public Life; and
  • Use of the Core Indicators
• Identify relevant stakeholders, key decision makers and community (including targeted subgroups such as women, girls and / or gender diverse people) that will be engaged to inform and evaluate the project.
• Demonstrate alignment with at least two areas of impact in the Women’s Safety Charter for the Public Domain - Places and Transport.
• If applying for Tier 1 and 2, the Tier 2 project should not duplicate Tier 1’s proposal and should expand the project in scope, scale, or be in a different location.
• Tier 1 projects must also deliver initiatives in at least three of the six identified categories of gender-inclusive placemaking initiatives (see page 12).
• In Tier 2, projects must:
  • deliver a strategy, plan or policy, public education or communication campaign or behaviour change program;
  • conduct a pop-up trial on the chosen route, across the LGA, or where appropriate, another format to test the project prior to finalisation.
• Start in May 2026 and acquit no later than May 2028.

Projects are encouraged to:

• Involve and/or leverage existing relationships with local community organisations and groups or, local institutions (e.g. schools, universities, libraries) in the delivery or pop-up trial with a focus on women, girls and gender diverse people.
• Support local employment, businesses and/or creatives through the delivery or pop-up trial, with a focus on women, girls and gender diverse people.
• Obtain a letter of support from external stakeholder groups, organisations or institutions outlining the need and their intended participation.

 Projects may:

• Extend the scope of an existing project currently in planning or design phase to include a focus on outcomes with local women, girls, and gender diverse people. The proposal should identify how the existing scope will be amended to change the project’s focus and outputs. For example, expanding a public space project to include engagement specifically with women, girls and gender diverse people to determine additional and/or the types of lighting, artwork and amenities (Tier 1), or an Active Transport Strategy to add a dedicated section on actions to improve women’s perception of safety and cycling participation (Tier 2).
• Include temporary, semi-permanent or permanent improvements to public space (Tier 1 only). 
• Include events or activities to celebrate the completion of works (Tier 1 only).  
• Include council and/or sponsor co-funding.

Funding may be used for: 

• Research and engagement with community and/or stakeholders (e.g. co-design sessions, walkshops, and use of the Community Survey Tool for Public Space and Public Life), including reasonable associated costs.
• Delivery of initiatives along selected walking or cycling routes (within 800m of a transport hub), such as placemaking trials, pop-ups, lighting, or events.
• Event and activity infrastructure, including leasing or purchasing equipment such as chairs, tables, marquees, lighting, or wayfinding elements.
• Partnerships with local organisations or groups (e.g. cultural, creative, or educational) for program development and delivery.
• For Tier 1 projects, the installation of temporary, semi-permanent or permanent public placemaking initiatives, such as public art, murals, or festoon lights, where they support safer journeys and activations.
• Promotion and marketing of initiatives or events.
• Re-engagement and/or evaluation of the project.
• Expanded scope of existing or planned initiatives, if the project area or impact is substantially increased.
• Funding of council personnel, staff positions or contractors may be considered for up to 10% of the total funding and subject to approval by Transport for NSW. Funding cannot be used for existing salaries or staff expenses, must be directly associated with the delivery of the project, and must be requested and approved by Transport for NSW through a labour cost exemption as part of the application process.

Funding cannot be used for: 

• Permanent capital works (other than eligible gender-inclusive placemaking initiatives such as murals, festoon lighting, or public art).
• Routine maintenance or council business-as-usual works.
• Retrospective funding for projects already underway or completed.
• Delivery of works on land not owned or managed by the applicant.
• Offsetting costs of existing projects or initiatives (funding may only support expanded scope or new initiatives).
• Projects that use funding for ongoing staff salaries or operational costs not directly tied to project delivery.

• An existing project already being delivered, beyond the planning or design phase, as above.
• Projects that do not include required community and stakeholder engagement and co-design to inform and evaluate the success of the project.
• Projects located outside the 800m radius of a transport hub, town or strategic centre
• Projects that do not clearly identify a walking or cycling route within 800m of a transport hub.
• Projects that do not align with at least two focus areas of the Women’s Safety Charter for the Public Domain - Places and Transport.
• Projects that do not include a trial pop-up (Tier 2 only).
• Projects that do not deliver initiatives aligned with at least three on-the-ground initiative categories (Tier 1 only).

Example Tier 1, on-the-ground projects include:

• Creative lighting and wayfinding connecting places in the town centre to the train station. The wayfinding includes banners depicting local women, co-designed by a women’s collective and is supported by a program of evening music events by women artists to activate the spaces after dark.
• A walking connection is improved with ramps for accessibility, lighting and increased care where vegetation is cleared to improve sightlines, enabling community to feel safe walking after dark.
• Improved amenities in a park adjacent to a key walking route to the town centre, including a community garden, water bubbler, BBQ, and shade structure, supported by gardening workshop events for women and girls and signage to encourage uptake.

Example Tier 2, strategic projects include:

• A woman’s safety strategy focused on a key town centre. One action is tested through temporary lighting improvements and events along the walking route.
• A behaviour changeprogram to encourage women and girls to increase their uptake of bike riding. One action is tested through a partnership with a local cycling organisation along the route to support people who may be hesitant to ride, offering lessons, guidance, and confidence-building opportunities.
• An addition to an active transport plan focused on the needs of women, girls, and gender-diverse people across an LGA. One action is tested through a behaviour change program, a partnership with a local running club, encouraging women of all ages to run after dark

Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria above. 

Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.