Regional Growth Fund

Resources for Regions

A family riding on a bike trail in Parkes

The Resources for Regions program supports communities across regional NSW impacted by mining.

On this page

Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: From $50,000
  • Application opened: 12 August 2022
  • Application closed: 30 September 2022, 5:00 pm

Program objective

Round 9

Resources for Regions Round 9 will provide up to $140 million for new infrastructure and community projects that support economic and social prosperity, and the program has also been expanded to include support for communities where gas exploration may occur.  

The Resources for Regions program aims to support the ongoing prosperity of mining communities in regional NSW by providing economic opportunities, improved amenity and positive social outcomes.

This program is funded and administered by Department of Regional NSW.

Eligibility

Who can apply

Local councils in one of the eligible Local Government Areas listed below, that are identified as being mining or gas exploration affected communities.

Eligible Local Government Areas
  • Bland Shire Council
  • Blayney Shire Council
  • Bogan Shire Council
  • Broken Hill City Council
  • Cabonne Council
  • Cessnock City Council
  • Cobar Shire Council
  • Gunnedah Shire Council*
  • Lake Macquarie City Council
  • Lithgow City Council
  • Liverpool Plains Shire Council*
  • Maitland City Council
  • Moree Plains Shire Council*
  • Mid-Western Regional Council
  • Muswellbrook Shire Council
  • Narrabri Shire Council*
  • Narromine Shire Council
  • Newcastle City Council
  • Orange City Council
  • Parkes Shire Council
  • Singleton Council
  • Upper Hunter Shire Council
  • Warrumbungle Shire Council*
  • Wentworth Shire Council
  • Wollondilly Shire Council
  • Wollongong City Council

*Local Government Areas impacted by gas exploration

Eligible councils are encouraged to submit joint applications, particularly for larger scale infrastructure projects across Local Government Areas.

Joint Organisations of Councils are eligible to apply as a lead applicant providing the project is located in one or more eligible Local Government Areas and the Joint Organisation of Councils has the support of an eligible council/s to allocate a portion of the council’s allocated funds towards to the project. This support can be demonstrated through a letter of support from the eligible council/s.

Who can’t apply

  • Councils not included on the list
  • Community groups. Councils are expected to work with community groups to identify priority projects and submit applications on behalf of these organisations. Councils are encouraged to consider project partnerships, however, only councils can apply on behalf of a community group. 

Eligible projects

Projects must be for infrastructure or community programs that support the ongoing prosperity of mining and gas exploration communities. Examples are shown below:

Project types and examples

Grant amounts

Project type

Minimum grant funding

Maximum funding

Infrastructure

$250,000

The individual Local Government Area’s funding allocation

Program

$100,000

$500,000 per program

Business cases and future project planning

$50,000

$500,000 in total for all Business Cases

Project categories

Project category

Application documents required

Category 1 - $50,000 to $5 million funding requested

  • Completed application form
  • Completed project plan  
  • Completed budget (with evidence of estimated costs)
  • Landowner’s consent (if applicable)
  • Evidence of $20 million Public Liability Insurance.

Category 2 - over $5 million funding requested

  • Completed application form
  • Business case in the template provided
  • Landowner’s consent (if applicable)
  • Evidence of $20 million Public Liability Insurance.

Example projects

  • Service infrastructure such as road or bridge upgrades or waste infrastructure
  • Upgrade, new or improved tourism projects that align with the region’s Destination Management Plan
  • Infrastructure projects aligned to the Local Government Area’s local endowments as articulated in the relevant Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS) or a relevant NSW Government strategy (e.g. State Infrastructure Strategy 2018-2038, Future Transport 2056, Regional Growth Plans)
  • New or enhanced public spaces, recreational facility upgrades, walking and cycling tracks, community centres and halls
  • Sports facilities, local pool or other publicly owned health and fitness facility upgrades
  • Main street or town centre beautification projects
  • Civic centre or art gallery upgrades, libraries or community or cultural spaces
  • Upgrades to community infrastructure that improves accessibility and inclusion
  • Common infrastructure such as amenities or other improvements to public spaces
  • Environmental improvement projects
  • Targeted skills development programs
  • Industry development or business innovation workshops
  • Projects related to the development of tourism products that align with the region’s Destination Management Plan including the development of new or enhanced tourism experiences and digital product development
  • Larger scale sporting festivals, arts, culture or cultural heritage projects that are accessible and inclusive and support community involvement
  • Promotion of local culture or history or land care projects
  • Community programs that support or encourage mining workers or their families to relocate to the region or support wellbeing outcomes for residents of mining communities
  • Aboriginal tourism or cultural heritage projects
  • Inclusiveness training for mainstream services to enable community participation
  • Community events to enable community networking and relationship building
  • Business case development, feasibility studies or master planning to inform future investments.
What you can't apply for

Ineligible project types include those that: 

  • are not in an eligible location or do not provide direct benefit to an eligible Local Government Area
  • are for the day-to-day delivery of essential or core council services
  • are for a privately-owned asset or are on private land unless there is a clear public benefit, and the landowner has provided documented consent
  • have exclusive private benefits or provide direct commercial and/or exclusive private benefit to an individual or business 
  • are for marketing, advertising or product promotion
  • are the recipient of duplicate grant funding from another NSW or Australian Government grant program for the same project, including the Regional NSW – Business Case and Strategy Development Fund.

Ineligible project costs include:

  • costs related to buying or upgrading non–fixed equipment or supplies, unless considered essential to program delivery and are incidental costs to the overall project budget
  • financing, including debt financing, insurance or rental costs 
  • purchase of land, buildings and vehicles such as cars, trucks, vans, motorhomes and boats
  • costs relating to depreciation of plant and equipment beyond the life of the project
  • non-project related staff training and development costs
  • operational expenditure, including but not limited to regular repairs and maintenance
  • ongoing or recurrent funding that is required beyond the stated timeframe of the project
  • for infrastructure projects, funding for any ongoing staff or operational costs 
  • for community programs, funding for ongoing staff or operational costs beyond the scope and timeframe of the funded project 
  • retrospective funding to cover any project component that is already complete before funding is announced
  • costs related to accommodation services, such as tourist parks unless for a common infrastructure such amenities or improvements to public spaces.
  • project management and administration costs that exceed 10 per cent of the total project cost
  • project contingency costs that exceed 25 per cent of the total project cost

All costs will be assessed by the Department of Regional NSW against program criteria with a focus on how the project delivers benefits linked to the key objectives of the Resources for Regions program.

View the Program Guidelines

For all information about Resources for Regions, including further details about program eligibility and assessment criteria, please see the Program Guidelines (PDF 18.37MB).

Online Information Session

The Department of Regional NSW hosted an Online Information Session for Resources for Regions in August 2022. It included an overview of the Program Guidelines (PDF 18.37MB) and participants were able to ask questions about the program and the application process. 

A recording of the webinar is available for your information.

Frequently Asked Questions

View Frequently Asked Questions to assist in preparing your application.

 

Most recent recipients

All recipients (113)

What your application needs to include

1

Prepare your application with this checklist

  • Read the program guidelines (PDF 18.37MB)
  • Ensure the applicant is local council located in an eligible Local Government Area as listed above
  • Ensure the project addresses the eligibility criteria regarding type and costs
  • Attend the Online Information Session
  • You may also view the Frequently asked questions
  • Prepare your documentation including the resources listed below
  • Complete and submit your application
2

Resources for applicants

After the application is submitted

Following receipt of applications, the Department of Regional NSW will review projects against the Eligibility Criteria and then arrange for the assessment of projects against the Assessment Criteria. 

Projects will be assessed as a ‘Yes/No’ against the assessment criteria. Projects will not be competitively assessed across Local Government Areas.

Successful applicants will be notified by email and/or letter. Applicants will be required to keep the grant confidential for a period if an announcement is likely to be made by the NSW Government.

Support and contact

It is strongly recommended that applicants seek input from the Department of Regional NSW prior to applying to ensure applications are consistent with Resources for Regions key objectives, are well-developed and investment ready. Contact us via the details below and please state the Local Government Area you are enquiring about.

Phone: 1300 679 673
Email: regionalnsw.business@regional.nsw.gov.au

Program evaluation

Findings of the Process Evaluations of Resources for Regions Round 9 and Stronger Country Communities Fund Round 5

Supporting Regional Communities to Develop Community Infrastructure, Programs, and Events

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has invested in several programs that deliver enhanced social infrastructure, community programs and events for regional communities. That funding has been designed to improve the lives of people living in regional communities by improving access to and facilitating participation in community-based activities.

The Stronger Country Communities Fund (SCCF), and the Resources for Regions (R4R) Programs provided two pathways for regional communities to access funding for social and community infrastructure. Since 2017, the SCCF has provided $660 million for more than 2,530 regional projects across five rounds. Beginning in 2012, R4R ran for nine rounds and delivered $560 million into regional NSW to support 355 projects. R4R was designed to support regional NSW communities impacted by mining, and later included communities impacted by gas exploration.

Recent Process Evaluations of the final rounds of each of those programs (SCCF Round 5 and R4R Round 9) have considered the implementation strategies for each program. The similarities and differences between the funds, in terms of their design and outcomes, provide insights that can inform funding strategies for the provision of community-focused infrastructure, programs and events into regional communities into the future.

Of the $160 million allocated to SCCF5, $157 million was allocated - $109 million to local Councils and $48 million to Community Organisations. R4R9 funded the highest number of projects in the program’s history and provided up to $140 million of funding for 113 projects across 26 eligible Local Government Areas (LGAs). Most projects supported economic and community infrastructure.

Summary and Recommendations

The outcomes of both Process Evaluations are similar. There remains demonstrable strong support for programs that enable community-based social infrastructure. There is also ongoing support for programs and events, which typically are delivered by community organisations. Both SCCF5 and R4R9 were fully subscribed, with the number of eligible applications exceeding the available funding. 
Both SCCF 5 and R4R 9 also showed Councils are reliable funding partners and can work with community organisations to deliver infrastructure, programs and events. However, supporting community organisations to identify projects needed by their local communities is critical. Both programs also illustrated the importance of early and effective communication between the Department and its stakeholders.

One of the differences between the two programs is that while SCCF5 was a competitive funding opportunity, R4R9 provided Councils with certainty about the amount of funding available. This facilitated planning and prioritisation for Councils and their local partners. It also meant that when faced with decisions about where to deploy resources to ensure submission deadlines were met, Councils prioritised R4R9 over SCCF5. In other words, non-competitive funding allows better planning by (and so better applications from) Councils and the local community organisations with which they collaborate. Timely announcements of that funding allow for the Department to better support Councils and community organisations in the preparation and delivery of their applications.

The R4R9 evaluation report includes three key strategic recommendations related to funding models and program communication.

The SCCF5 Evaluation Report includes four considerations for implementing programs in the future. These related to the sequencing of application windows for multiple programs, and opportunities to further strengthen program communication, application and assessment processes.

Round 8 - Successful Projects 

Resources for Regions Round 8 delivered $75 million in funding to support 93 projects directly aimed at improving the lives of people in mining communities in regional NSW.  

Round 8 ensured a base amount of $1 million was secured for each of the 24 eligible councils, with a further $51 million weighted to the most mining-affected communities. 

Previous rounds

Resources for Regions Strategic Review 

In 2019 a strategic review of the Resources for Regions program was undertaken, in consultation with key stakeholders. 

The Program was refreshed for Round Seven in 2020, and it incorporated key findings from the review including a new set of funding criteria, to reshape and refocus the program. Key changes included prescribed allocations of funding guaranteed for eligible councils to ensure funding will flow where it is needed most; and community programs being eligible in addition to infrastructure projects.  

A summary report (external link) (PDF 137.05KB) (PDF, 140kb) of the review, outlining key findings, the consultation process and recommendations is now available.  

The University of Technology Sydney’s Institute for Public Policy and Governance undertook research and analysis to inform the review of the Resources for Regions program.

Download as PDF Print this page
Top of page