2020/21 Community Grants Program

The 2020/21 Community Grants Program provides grants of up to $10,000 to eligible individuals and organisations to support projects and initiatives that deliver direct benefit to local people, communities and the environment of the Northern Beaches Local Government Area.

Council allocated $280,000 to the 2020/21 Community Grants Program. This includes $240,000 shared between the Arts and Creativity and Community Development grants streams, with $47,184 allocated to five multi-year applications, approved in 2019, leaving $192,816 available for this year’s grant round. There is also $40,000 to the new Environmental grants stream.

The number of grant applications received for 2020/21 far exceeded the number that Council is able to support within the adopted budget. Due to the high number of applications, only 20% of the applications received have been recommended for funding. Council received the following applications to each grant stream:

The number of applications recommended for funding are:

The delivery date for these new projects has been extended from 30 June to 31 December 2021, in response to COVID-19. Once successful applications have been approved, the unsuccessful applicants will be notified and provided with feedback on their application.

Community Development stream

Council received 96 applications to the community development stream with 91 applications proceeding to assessment after eligibility checks. The ninety 91 applications requested a total of $750,546.72.

The Community Development stream was assessed with the following criteria: 

1. Has a clear rationale with identified community need 
2. Addresses at least one of the funding priority areas 
3. Addresses at least one of the project outcomes including how this will be measured 
4. Demonstrates use of community development principles 
5. Demonstrates value for money with the capacity to manage the funds requested and detailed income and expenditure. 

Following the assessment of the 91 applications the Panel recommended 17 projects for grant funding of $97,566.00. This includes four projects for full funding and 13 projects for partial funding.

• Applications recommended for funding

Multi-year funding

Multi-year funding of up to three years was supported in the 2019/20 Community Grants Program as a trial to evaluate whether social outcomes can be increased over three-year successive funding. Five applications were approved for multi-year funding with $47,184 allocated for each of the three years. The commitments towards these projects are funded from the $240,000 allocation of funding for the Arts and Creativity and Community Development grant streams, resulting in a reduced starting base of $192,816 available for new applications in these streams.

Five projects were recommended in the 2019/20 Community, Arts and Culture Grants Program for multi-year funding totalling $47,184.00 to be funded for years 2020/21 and 2021/22. This is the second year of funding, which will be reviewed upon completion of the three years to determine the merits of multi-year funding in increasing social outcomes and building community capacity.

Applications recommended for multi-year funding will receive an email informing them of the outcome of their assessment process. Applicants recommended for funding will also receive a Funding Agreement which needs to be signed and returned before payment will be made.

• Applications recommended for multi-year funding

Enquiries

For more information and to enquire about your application please call 8495 6612 or email: communitydevelopment@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au

Join the notification list

Email grants.officer@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au to be added to the grants mailing list and be kept informed about Council's grant programs and future grant writing sessions.