Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) Kickstart Grant Program​ Round 3 ​

To be eligible for the Program, applicants must: 

• be a local council in NSW that has not previously received funding from the NSW Government to establish a Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP); and 
• have a Council resolution to:  
  • establish the proposed SEP/s, identifying the specific location and boundary; and  
  • establish a Special Entertainment Precinct working group (PWG); and 
  • investigate Purple Flag accreditation for the same boundary as the proposed SEP/s during the project period; and 
• meet one of the following strategic alignment requirements:  
  • an adopted night-time economy strategy; or 
  • another adopted strategy or strategic planning statement that identifies the night-time economy as a priority, objective, pillar or key action; or 
  • have a Council resolution to prepare a night-time economy strategy or plan, supported by other relevant strategic documents such as a visitor economy or economic development strategy or plan; and  
• demonstrate that the decision to establish the SEP/s has been informed by early engagement with the local community and businesses; and 
• demonstrate the council’s capacity to establish the SEP/s and investigate Purple Flag accreditation; and 
• be able to deliver the project within the required project period and in accordance with the SEP Guidelines. 

DCITHS cannot consider your application if it does not satisfy all eligibility criteria. 

Important note – council resolution wording

Strict requirements apply to the council resolution to establish the SEP/s. Resolutions containing terms such as “investigate”, “discuss”, “consider”, or similar wording that does not provide a clear council commitment will not be eligible.

Please read these Grant Guidelines carefully to ensure you understand the requirements.

Refer to Appendix A for more information.

The funding is available to undertake the following:

• $20,000 to $200,000 (excluding GST) for the purpose of establishing a SEP/s; and
• an additional $10,000 to $50,000 (excluding GST) for the purpose of investigating Purple Flag accreditation including the costs of preparing a Purple Flag self-assessment report (unless a council already has an existing Purple Flag accreditation that covers a boundary within the proposed SEP/s)

to the total value of $250,000 (excluding GST) per eligible council.

While the grant requires all councils establishing SEPs (without an existing Purple Flag accreditation) to investigate Purple Flag accreditation and prepare a Purple Flag self-assessment report, the request for additional funding is optional. For example, councils may not require the additional funding if they have sufficient internal resources to do this work.

The SEP Kickstart Grant does not require councils to obtain Purple Flag accreditation. The accreditation will be subject to a separate assessment and process. For further details, click here.

A total of $1.2 million, excluding GST, is available through the Program. 

Eligible councils may apply for up to $250,000, excluding GST, comprising: 

• between $20,000 and $200,000 to establish one or more Special Entertainment Precincts 
• an additional $10,000 to $50,000 to investigate Purple Flag accreditation. This additional funding is optional. 

Eligible SEP costs : 

To be eligible, costs related to the establishment of the SEP/s must be a direct cost related to activities outlined within Step 1 (Establishing a SEP) of the SEP Guidelines. Costs associated with marketing and communication of the SEP/s must not be the only costs requested.  

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

• labour expenditure for temporary project employment 
• external or third-party costs such as: 
  • acoustic specialists to prepare or test a sound management framework 
  • strategic planning consultants to prepare reports, maps, planning proposals, draft Development Control Plan provisions or a draft precinct management plan 
  • community engagement consultants to develop engagement strategies and undertake consultation activities 
  • marketing and communication costs associated with establishing the SEP, provided these are not the only costs requested 
  • monitoring, data collection and evaluation costs incurred in preparation for and during the SEP trial. 

Eligible Purple Flag costs: 

To be eligible, costs related to the investigation of Purple Flag accreditation must be to: 

• coordinate working group meetings and manage stakeholder engagement activities related to the Purple Flag framework, self-assessment, and/or accreditation 
• undertake activities related to investigating Purple Flag accreditation including developing a Purple Flag self-assessment report, developing a precinct map, and compiling other supporting information to progress a Purple Flag application, such as a precinct snapshot and precinct overview. For more details, see Section 3 of the Purple Flag Program Guidelines which can be accessed here. 

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

• temporary project employment to coordinate the Purple Flag project 
• external or third-party costs such as:
  • stakeholder engagement 
  • data collection 
  • preparing of documentation 

All costs must: 

• be incurred within the approved project period 
• be directly related to eligible project activities and is not an ineligible cost
• reflect competitive market rates 
• represent value for money 
• be a true and accurate reflection of the costs required to deliver the activities

Applicants must provide at least one written item of supporting evidence for each eligible cost type. This may include a quote, cost estimate, reasonable cost assumption or evidence from a comparable project prepared within the previous 12 months.

The following are not eligible to apply: 

• individuals, groups or organisations that are not NSW councils 
• NSW councils that have previously received funding from the NSW Government to establish a SEP
• NSW councils that do not meet all the eligibility requirements or cannot provide the required supporting evidence 
• NSW councils that cannot complete the project within the required project period or in accordance with the SEP Guidelines. 

Councils with an existing Purple Flag accredited precinct may still apply for funding to establish a SEP. However, they cannot apply for the additional funding available to investigate Purple Flag accreditation where the existing accreditation covers a boundary within the proposed SEP.

Funding cannot be used for: 

• activities that will not be delivered prior to the end of the grant project period, per agreed project milestones in the funding agreement, unless otherwise approved by formal variation 
• activities that have commenced or been completed prior to the execution of the funding agreement made to successful councils (i.e. no retrospective funding) 
• permanent staff salaries 
• costs incurred in the preparation of a grant application or related documentation 
• projects requiring ongoing funding from the NSW Government 
• projects that are ongoing or constitute the normal course of business. 

For SEPs, the grant cannot be used to fund the following activities  

• other than minor boundary changes, establishment of a SEP/s in a different location than originally proposed in the grant application  
• physical activation of the SEP/s once established 
• capital works or physical works within the SEP/s 
• funding for works that are part of the council’s ongoing maintenance and management of the SEP/s 
• the purchase of land or property  
• marketing and communication of the SEP/s if this is the only cost requested - costs associated with marketing and communication of the SEP/s must not be the only costs requested.  

For Purple Flag, the grant cannot be used to fund the following activities:  

• the investigation of Purple Flag for a precinct or part of a precinct that is already Purple Flag accredited  
• ongoing operational costs such as staff salaries, rent, utilities, maintenance/repairs and administrative overheads. This excludes the costs associated with the appointment or funding of temporary employment for the project. 

The Department may determine whether a proposed cost is eligible and reasonable and may offer less funding than the amount requested.