Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: From $1,500 to $10,000
- Application opened: 1 July 2026
- Application closes: 22 July 2026, 4:00 pm
Program objective
Successful applications funded under this grant round will address all the Program objectives:
- Increase access to activitiesIncrease the availability of free, structured recreational and social activities for young people aged 12–24 years during school holiday periods.
- Reduce barriers to participationAddress financial, geographic and accessibility barriers that may limit young people’s ability to participate in activities within their local communities.
- Support inclusive and targeted deliveryEncourage activities that are inclusive and responsive to the needs of diverse groups of young people, particularly those who may experience disadvantage or exclusion.
- Promote positive youth developmentSupport activities that build young people’s skills, confidence, creativity and social connection in a safe and supportive environment.
- Encourage community engagement and connectionStrengthen connections between young people, their peers and their local communities through meaningful participation in shared activities.
This program is administered by Department of Communities and Justice.
Eligibility
Who can apply
To be eligible to apply for the grant program you must be:
Local government organisations, boards or groups:
- NSW local councils operating under the Local Government Act 1993 (LG Act)
- Joint Organisations (s400O of the LG Act)
- Regional Organisations of Councils (which are voluntary groupings of councils).
- the Lord Howe Island Board
- the Unincorporated Far West group
- Section 355 Committees of Councils (must apply in the name of the relevant Council and must have permission to apply)
Indigenous and Aboriginal Organisations
- a Local Aboriginal Land Council
- an Indigenous Corporation (registered under Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006)
Other
- Not-for-profit organisations and community organisations registered with the Australian Charities and not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
- Incorporated organisations registered with NSW Fair Trading under the Associations Incorporations Act 2009.
During the assessment process, checks will be conducted to confirm the eligibility of organisations. Registers such as the ACNC, ASIC, ABN Lookup, ORIC and the NSW Office of Fair-Trading Register will be considered.
Your organisation name must match your ABN names in the application. If your organisation’s name does not match the details for the ABN, please visit www.abr.gov.au to update your details prior to submitting your application.
Other Mandatory Criteria
The following are mandatory program requirements:
- maintain adequate and current insurance cover including, but not limited to Workers Compensation Insurance, Professional Indemnity Insurance, Personal Accident Insurance.
- have public liability insurance of at least $10 million per claim or be willing to purchase it. Please note that the Office for Youth will not enter into a Funding Agreement with an eligible entity until the evidence of such an insurance is provided.
- address the NSW National Redress Scheme sanctions.
- not have outstanding acquittals with the Department of Communities and Justice or the Office for Youth.
- The organisation must be operating in NSW, and all proposed activities or events must be delivered in NSW for young people living in NSW. LGAs or Unincorporated Areas on border locations within NSW may be eligible to conduct projects and activities in their neighbouring state if declared during the application process.
- Activities or events must be held during relevant school holidays period.
- Each organisation may submit one application only for the program. If an organisation submits more than one application, only the first submitted application will be considered. All other applications will be deemed ineligible.
Who the grant is targeted towards
The Program supports a diverse range of activities for young people primarily aged 12–24 years who may face different needs and challenges in accessing recreational and social activities within their communities. Some young people experience greater barriers to participation, including financial, geographic or social barriers.
Applicants are encouraged to design activities that are inclusive of all young people, or that specifically target one or more of the priority cohorts listed below.
- Aboriginal young people
- Young people living with a disability
- Young people that are carers
- LGBTQIA+ young people
- Young people at risk of engaging with the justice system or in detention centres
- Young people experiencing socio-economic disadvantage
- Culturally and linguistically diverse young people
- Young people from a refugee background
Types of projects funded under this grant
Eligible projects must demonstrate value for money and include age appropriate social and recreational activities for the exclusive participation of young people aged 12-24 years.
Outcomes for projects funded under this grant
The intended outcomes are:
- Increased participation of young people in free, structured activities during school holidays
- Improved access to inclusive recreational and social opportunities across NSW
- Enhanced wellbeing, social connection and engagement of young people
- Greater reach of activities to young people experiencing barriers to participation
- Stronger community connections and positive engagement outcomes for young people
What costs you can apply for
Eligible costs are those directly associated with the delivery of activities and may include:
- activity materials and consumables
- venue, equipment or facility hire
- transport and entry costs for participants
- staff and delivery costs (including facilitators and support workers) – limits apply as per below.
- promotion and communication activities - limits apply as per below
- administration costs related to the project - limits apply as per below
The following limits apply:
Combined Administration Costs must not exceed 40% of the total grant amount requested (this includes any regional and remote subsidy requested as well) and apply to applicant staff and any external suppliers or downstream recipients.
These include, but are not limited to:
- Marketing and promotion
- Activity-related insurance
- Wages for administering, designing, planning, travelling, and managing the activity or project
- Travel, accommodation, and meal expenses
All costs must be reasonable, justified and directly linked to project delivery.
Even where costs are within the 40% threshold, the Office will assess the reasonableness of administrative and staffing expenditure as part of the overall value for money assessment. Proposals with disproportionately high on-costs relative to anticipated outcomes may be considered to demonstrate poor value for money.
What costs you can't apply for
Grant funding must not be used for:
- activities that impose any costs on participants (e.g. entry fees, club memberships, fundraising to cover participation costs). Activities must be free for participants.
- ongoing operational or “business as usual” expenses
- hire of facilities and/or equipment owned by the applicant
- capital works or major equipment purchases
- any activity of a commercial nature that is for profit
- activities that generate private or commercial benefit
- costs not directly related to the approved project
- existing debt or budget deficits
- purchases of gift cards, vouchers, prepaid cards, or other cash equivalents are not permitted.
- equipment purchases exceeding $250 in total, for example gaming consoles, furniture, laptops, mobile phones, computers
- activities that encourage gambling such as bingo, or the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
- existing programs/projects/activities/events.
- donations or commissions to third parties.
- staff training and professional development
Example projects
Examples of activities that may be eligible for such funding include, but are not limited to:
- cooking and life skills activities
- sports and recreational activities
- creative and cultural activities
- music, art and theatre workshops
- outdoor and sight-seeing activities
- science and technology activities
What co-contributions are required
Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to provide a cash or in-kind contribution to support the delivery of project activities.
Co-contributions may include, but not limited to:
- staff time (coordination and administrative support)
- venue provision (access to office spaces, meetings rooms, community centres, event spaces and recording studios)
- equipment (video and photography) or materials (marketing and promotion)
- partner organisation support (guest speaker, workshop facilitator, industry mentors).
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
Please refer to the following documents before starting your application.
- the Grant Program Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
- Application Checklist
- Budget Checklist
- SmartyGrants Portal – help guide for applicants
- Grant Applications – Answers Bank – sample answers
Join an online Information Session to hear our Grants team will guide you through the application process, explain how applications are assessed, and share practical tips to help you submit a strong application.
Date: Tuesday 7 July, 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Online via Microsoft Teams
Register here to attend the session.
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.
Address the assessment criteria
This is an Open and Competitive grant program and funding is not guaranteed.
All eligible applications will be assessed against the criteria below. Applications must demonstrate how the proposed activities or events align with the Program objectives and will contribute to achieving the intended outcomes.
1. Alignment with program objectives and community benefit
The application must demonstrate:
- how the proposed activities will increase access to free, structured activities for young people aged 12–24 years (noting that activities may target a specific age subgroup, e.g. 12-16 years).
- a clear benefit to young people in the local community; and
- how the project will support participation, engagement and social connection.
2. Responding to barriers, inclusion and reach
The application must demonstrate:
- an understanding of the needs of young people in the target community,
- how the project will address barriers to participation (e.g. cost, transport, accessibility), and
- how the activities will be inclusive and accessible to a diverse range of young people
Applicants must:
- describe how the activity has been designed to meet the needs of young people and/or priority cohort(s) targeted, and
- outline partnerships, referral pathways, and promotion to support participation
3. Quality of activities and youth outcomes
The application demonstrates that the proposed activities:
- are age-appropriate, safe and well-designed
- provide engaging and meaningful experiences for participants, and
- support positive outcomes for young people, including wellbeing, skills development, confidence and social connection.
4. Delivery capability and value for money
The application demonstrates:
- organisational capacity and experience to deliver the project,
- a clear and achievable delivery plan within the required timeframes, and
- a detailed and reasonable budget that represents value for money.
Start the application
Step 1 – Check your eligibility
Before you start an application, read these Guidelines fully to make sure you understand all the relevant requirements, including your organisation’s eligibility (see 2.9Eligibility Criteria).
Step 2 – Prepare your application
Once you have confirmed that your organisation is eligible to apply, you can commence the application process.
- Applications must be submitted via SmartyGrants, an online grants administration system.
- The application form can be accessed via https://ORY.smartygrants.com.au/SSHB2027
Before submitting your application, you should:
- Review the Program Objectives to ensure alignment with the program.
- Review the Grant Fund Expenditure and Exclusions to ensure proposed costs are eligible. Also consider any applicant contributions.
- Review the Assessment Process to understand how applications will be assessed.
As part of the application process, applicants must:
- Provide organisation’s bank details (EFT), and upload supporting evidence (e.g. bank statement showing account name, BSB and account number)
- Ensure Organisation’s contact details are current and accurate
- Nominate a Project Contact (the SmartyGrants user) who will be responsible for all communications and reporting.
- Provide details of the Organisation’s two authorised representatives who can enter into the funding agreement, authorise expenditure and submit acquittals.
- Applicants are responsible for managing conflicts of interest, including ensuring that Project Staff or Project Contacts are not engaged as third-party suppliers for project delivery.
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: The Minister or delegated Office for Youth officer
All applications will be assessed through the multi-step process outlined below:
Eligibility assessment: An Office for Youth delegated staff member conducts a review to ensure eligibility against the eligibility criteria and general compliance with these guidelines. Only eligible applications will go through to the next steps of the assessment.
Competitive, merit-based assessment: Each eligible application will be assessed against the criteria by an assessment team.
Next step in the Assessment will be the Prioritisation process. The Office for Youth may prioritise applications with consideration of the following:
- the variety of activities proposed for young people
- a variety of providers are supported by the program
- the range of Priority Youth Cohorts supported ensuring as many groups as possible are reached
- the accessibility and inclusiveness of activities
- the number of young people reached (noting that a smaller reach may be appropriate where activities are targeted to priority groups)
- the geographical distribution of activities to support a balanced spread
- the value for money and efficient use of funds
- the applicant’s capacity and capability to deliver the activities
- evidence of community need or local demand
- collaboration or partnerships that enhance reach and impact
- anticipated outcomes and benefits for young people, including social connection and wellbeing
- the extent to which the activity avoids duplicating existing activities or services in the community or by the applicant (e.g. business as usual)
The assessment team/panel will make recommendations to the Decision Maker.
Anticipated assessment outcome date is From 1 September 2026
Support and contact
Office for Youth
Ground Floor,
219-241 Cleveland Street,
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
E: grants@officeforyouth.nsw.gov.au