Special Entertainment Precinct Kickstart Grant Program

Special Entertainment Precinct Kickstart Grant Program
The purpose of the Program is to encourage take-up and implementation of trial Special Entertainment Precincts (SEPs) across NSW and support the creation of sustainable and successful permanent SEPs.
On this page

Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: $50,000 - $200,000 per Council
  • Application opened: 21 November 2024
  • Application closed: 12 March 2025, 3:00 pm

Program objective

The purpose of the Program is to encourage local councils to take up and implement Special Entertainment Precincts (SEPs) across NSW and support the creation of sustainable and successful permanent SEPs. It will also support actions under the NSW 24-Hour Economy Strategy to foster collaboration and create vibrant, diverse and coordinated precincts. 

Funding allocated to eligible local councils through the Program may be used for activities directly related to establishing one or more SEP/s in the council’s LGA, such as for strategic planning activities, preparing acoustic criteria and/or undertaking community engagement. 

Please refer to this link for a downloadable copy of the guidelines.For more information please review the SEP Kickstart Grant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). 

Image Credit: RH Photography & Design.

This program is administered by Create NSW.

Eligibility

1

Who can apply

To be eligible for the Program, applicants must: 

  • be a local council in NSW; and
  • have an existing endorsed mandate or resolution to establish the SEP/s, which must identify a specific location, map and boundary for the SEP/s; and 
  • have adopted a night-time economy strategy or another strategy document or strategic planning statement in which the night-time economy is identified as a priority, objective, pillar or key action or have resolved to prepare a night-time economy strategy and have other demonstrated strategic context including a visitor economy strategy or plan or economic development strategy or plan. 

Note: As part of the EOI application form you will be required to show evidence of the above. This includes a copy of approved minutes for mandate/resolution, and a copy of the relevant strategy or Council resolution, including complementary visitor economy strategy/plan or economic development strategy/plan.

2

Who the grant is targeted towards

The SEP Kickstart Grant is targeted towards NSW Councils who are committed to increasing the potential of their night time economies, encourage more live music performance, and support vibrant going-out precincts within their LGAs.

To encourage regional SEPs to be established, $100,000 (exc. GST) of the total fund will be reserved for priority allocation to councils located outside of the Sydney Metropolitan Area as defined in this Program using the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s (DPHI’s) map of ‘Regional Boundaries NSW’.

3

Types of projects funded under this grant

This funding is only available for the planning and development of SEP/s.

4

What costs you can apply for

To be eligible, costs must be: 

  • Directly related to the establishment of a new SEP (i.e. the cost must relate to a step/s in the SEP Guidelines) 
  • Incurred within the funding period (this is the 6 month period between execution of the funding agreement and Milestone 1), unless otherwise approved by DCITHS 
  • Reasonable and reflect competitive market rates 

Eligible expert and consultant costs include, but are not limited to: 

  • Labour expenditure for temporary employment for the new SEP/s 
  • External or third-party costs, such as: 
    • Acoustic specialists to prepare the sound management framework 
    • Strategic planning consultants to prepare internal reporting and maps, lodgement of planning proposal, draft DCP provisions, and/or draft precinct management plan 
    • Community engagement consultants to develop consultation strategies and undertake engagement activities (such as letterbox drops or drop-in sessions) 
    • Costs associated with marketing and communication of the SEP/s prior to the trial period being approved. 

Successful applicants will be asked to verify project costs, e.g. supplier contracts, quotes and invoices. 

The Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner may use industry cost benchmarks to assess whether costs are reasonable and will make the final decision on whether a claimed cost is eligible and/or reasonable (and will only pay the reasonable amount). 

Applicants may be offered less than their requested amount in the application if: 

  • Insufficient funds remain in the Program to cover the full requested amount and/or 
  • Ineligible costs have been identified in the proposed expenditure. 
5

Who can’t apply

Ineligible applicants:  

  • Individuals, groups or organisations that are not NSW councils. 
  • NSW Councils that do not meet the eligibility requirements of the grant. 
6

What costs you can't apply for

The grant cannot be used to fund the following activities: 

  • Other than minor boundary changes, establishment of a SEP in a different location than originally proposed in the grant application 
  • Activities that will not be delivered prior to the end of the funding period, per agreed project milestones, unless otherwise approved by formal variation 
  • Activities that have commenced or been completed prior to an offer of funding made to successful applicants (i.e. no retrospective funding) 
  • Physical activation of the SEP/s once established 
  • Permanent staff salaries  
  • Capital works or physical works within the SEP 
  • Funding for works that are part of the council’s ongoing maintenance and management of the SEP. 
7

Additional eligibility requirements

  • Only one complete application (EOI and Detailed application form) per Council will be accepted. However, each application can comprise of more than one SEP (to be consolidated as maximum one (1) planning proposal).
  • Funded activities must be completed 6 months after the funding agreements have been signed or by 31 December 2025 (whichever date is sooner).

Most recent recipients

What your application needs to include

1

Prepare your application with this checklist

The SEP Kickstart Grant Program follows a two-stage application process comprising: 

  1. Expression of Interest (assessed against the EOI Eligibility Criteria)
  2. Detailed Application (assessed against the Detailed Application Criteria).

A complete application is made up of an Expression of Interest and a Detailed Application.  To complete the above you will need to: 

  • Read the guidelines 
  • Check your eligibility  
  • Collect your evidence for your EOI form:
    • Copy of the Council minutes, or other official documentation demonstrating an endorsed specific Council mandate/resolution (must include a map or description of the location including boundaries).
    • Evidence of Council's strategic alignment with the Night-Time Economy. This can be:
      • An adopted Night-Time Economy Strategy; or 
      • Another strategy document or strategic planning statement in which the night-time economy is identified as a priority, pillar or key action; or
      • A resolution to prepare a night-time economy strategy and have other demonstrated strategic context including a visitor economy strategy or plan or economic development strategy or plan.
  • Collect evidence for your detailed application form: 
    • Engagement or Consultation Outcomes Report demonstrating that the SEP/s location has been informed by community and business consultation. 
    • Project plan or scoping plan that outlines the objectives of the SEP. 
    • Timeline detailing expected progress of the SEP. 
    • Proposed budget with evidence as to how costs have been calculated (including costs). 
    • Project team information 
2

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.

3

Address the assessment criteria

The SEP Kickstart program is a non-competitive, open, demand-driven grant. Therefore, applications are assessed based on whether the eligibility criteria is met, and in the order they are received.  

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: the Secretary, Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport (DCITHS) or the Executive Director Data, Strategy and Coordination, Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner (O24HEC), Screen and Sound, DCITHS

The grant program is a non-competitive, open, demand-driven grant. This means that: 

  • EOI submissions will be assessed as they are received, in the order of the time and date of submission
  • EOI submissions that are assessed as meeting the EOI Eligibility Criteria will be invited to submit a detailed application, which provides a response to the Detailed Application Criteria. Detailed applications are required to be submitted within 6 weeks of notification of the outcome of the EOI assessment, unless otherwise approved by DCITHS.   
  • Detailed applications will be assessed in the order of the original EOI submission date, provided that they are received within 6 weeks of invitation to submit a Detailed Application, or other approved date confirmed by DCITHS.  
  • Detailed applications that are assessed as meeting the Detailed Application Criteria will be recommended for approval by the Program decision maker; the Secretary, DCITHS OR Executive Director Data, Strategy and Coordination; 24-Hour, Screen and Sound; DCITHS
  • The Program decision maker will not approve funding if there are insufficient funds remaining in the Program. 

Assessment process considerations

 Applicants should note that:    

  • The NSW Government typically receives far more applications than it can support.   
  • If you are successful, your application may not be funded to the amount you requested.    
  • DCITHS’s decision is final in all matters including: 
    • application eligibility 
    • the assessment outcome 
    • the approval of the grant; and 
    • the grant amount to be awarded. 

DCITHS may, at its sole discretion and at any stage of the application process, do all or any of the following:    

  • Require additional information from an applicant.   
  • May request applicants to provide clarification or additional information regarding the Eligibility Criteria.   
  • Change the scope of the requirements of these guidelines.   
  • Vary, amend (including by replacement), or terminate the application process.    
  • Re-open an application after the closing date, provided it doesn’t give the applicant an advantage over other applicants.    
  • Consider any non-conforming or late application.     
  • Request further advice and/or clarification from applicants during the assessment process.     
  • May also consider other factors that may affect our decision to provide the grant including whether there are any conflicts of interest, whether the applicant and any person associated with the applicant are fit and proper and whether there is any reputation risk associated with providing the grant. 

Successful Grant Applications

If your application is successful: you will be sent a funding agreement (contract). This outlines the conditions of funding, how you will be paid and your reporting requirements. As a successful council you must provide:  

  • A Local Government Entity ABN, whereby the ABN matches their entity name 
  • A bank account that has the same name as your ABN.  

Unless otherwise agreed, successful applicants will be subject to the following milestones: 

  • Milestone 1 – within 6 months of executing a funding agreement and no later than 31 December 2025 
    • Submission of progress report, including lodgement documents to DPHI for the Planning Proposal to amend the LEP for the SEP/s  and information relating to expenditure carried out for the project (e.g. invoices, payment remittance). 
  • Milestone 2 –  At the conclusion of the SEP trial period and no later than 30 June 2027 
    • When you complete the project, you must submit a project acquittal report. Project acquittal reports are to include:
      • A signed statement of income and expenditure relating to the grant, and proof of purchases, invoices and payment remittance as required.
      • Identify if and how outcomes of the SEP trial were successful and achieved
      • Include the agreed evidence as specified in the funding agreement
      • Identify the total eligible expenditure incurred and provide evidence of expenditure as required
      • Be submitted within the timeframe and in the format outlined in the funding agreement.
  • Recipients must also provide a six-month and twelve-month post-acquittal report, relating to the long-term success of the SEP/s, to assist with Program evaluation. These reports may include data on, for example:
    • Number of licensed venues participating in the SEP
    • Community sentiment around the SEP
    • Total consumer spend in the SEP
    • Foot traffic in the SEP
    • Safety of the SEP.
  • Acknowledgment of DCITHS funding in all publicity materials.   

DCITHS staff may contact you for additional information as part of this process.  

Contracts will not be issued, and payments will not be made, until all DCITHS outstanding acquittals have been submitted.   

Publication of grants information   

The Grants Administration Guide (Guide) requires that certain information is published in relation to grants awarded no later than 45 calendar days after the grant agreement takes effect (see section 6.5 of the Guide and Appendix A to the Guide).   

This information is also open access information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act), which must be made publicly available unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure of the information.   

In accordance with these requirements, relevant information about the grants awarded will be made available on the NSW Government Grants and Funding Finder as soon as possible after the funding agreement is executed. However, if due to the commercial-in-confidence nature of the information provided, the amount of funding provided will not be published.   

All records in relation to this decision will be managed in accordance with the requirements of the State Records Act 1998 (NSW).   

Please refer to Information for Funding Recipients for more detailed processes for successful applicants.   

This includes:   

  • Program evaluation   
  • Conflict of interest management   
  • Complaint handling, access to information and privacy   

Anticipated assessment outcome date is within 5 weeks of receipt of the completed detailed application (which includes all required information) with either an offer of funding or the opportunity to request feedback if unsuccessful

Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is within 2 weeks of receiving the funding deed

Support and contact

Office of the 24-Hour Economy staff are available to provide general information on the interpretation of these guidelinesand support with the online application process. 

Download as PDF Print this page
Top of page