Grants Assessment Panel Community Representatives

Expressions of Interest closed Thursday 9 July 2026

We are seeking Expressions of Interest from local residents, who have expertise in the following sectors, to fill community representative positions on each of the following panels:

Arts and Creativity Grants Assessment Panel: 2 individual community representatives - local residents of the Northern Beaches with expertise in arts and culture. Aboriginal-identified people with expertise in arts and culture are highly encouraged to apply.
Community Development Grants Assessment Panel: 2 individual community representatives - local residents of or have strong affiliation with the Northern Beaches with skills, experience or expertise in community development, grants programs and/or actively participate in local community groups and services.
Environmental Grants Assessment Panel: Up to 2 individual community representatives

About the Panels

The purpose of the Assessment Panels is to provide independent expert advice to Northern Beaches Council, assess and score each eligible application received, for 2026/27 grant funding. The full Terms of Reference documents for each stream are available below.

The Panel will put forward to Council the recommended list for funding:

Arts and Creativity Grants up to the value of $100,000
Community Development grants up to the value of $120,000
Environmental Grants up to the value of $50,000

Panels comprise up to 4 members:

2 community members
2 Council staff members

Grants Assessment Panel member responsibilities

The primary responsibility of the Panel is to provide independent, expert advice to Council. All members of the Panel have an obligation to:

Review all eligible applications
Score and provide comments for each eligible application against each of the assessment criteria
Attend all meetings scheduled for the Panel
Share knowledge, encourage discussion and actively participate in Panel deliberations
Communicate and seek feedback from each other to achieve consensus on recommendations, and where consensus is not possible for any reason, respect the Panel’s majority decision regarding advice provided to Council
Respect the values of the communities that may be affected by Panel advice
Treat fellow Panel members and Council staff professionally and act in good faith
Maintain confidentiality as appropriate and as required
Serve independently with the ability to give impartial advice without financial interest and without representing the specific interests of specific groups or individuals
Demonstrate a robust approach to actual or perceived conflicts of interest and provide relevant updates as required.

Two to four Panel meetings will be held, during business hours, at a venue to be determined, or online via Microsoft Teams. The Panel will operate from August – September 2026.

There is also an option to extend the term to include grant assessment for the 2027 round, which will be reviewed by both parties at the end of the 2026 term.

Fee paid to representatives

Members are paid a fee, which covers all preparatory time such as review of applications, scoring, Panel meetings and other relevant business required by the Panel.

The fee provided per panel member will be dependent upon the volume of applications received in the 2026/27 grant round;