NSW Sustainable Communities Program Early Investment Round

The $15 million Early Investment Round (EIR) will provide immediate opportunities for investment into southern Basin communities anticipated to be impacted by the Australian Government’s Voluntary Water Purchase Program purchasing activities in 2024-25. EIR will support eligible investment-ready projects that can contribute to achieving the outcomes and objectives of the broader Sustainable Communities Program.

The objective of the EIR is to fund immediate, investment-ready economic opportunities in exposed and vulnerable NSW Basin communities. This includes opportunities that:

• Stimulate economic activity
• Provide shared economic benefit
• Create and support jobs
• Support local businesses to grow and diversify
• Deliver new or upgraded infrastructure that contributes to local economic activity and connectivity.

Applications may be submitted for the following project types:

• Between $50,000 and $1 million for Programs and Initiatives
• Between $50,000 and $1 million for Capital Investment Projects
• Between $250,000 and $4 million for Infrastructure Projects.

*All values are GST exclusive.

For full details on the Sustainable Communities Program and the EIR, please visit nsw.gov.au/SCP.

EIR eligibility and assessment criteria are provided in the Program Guidelines.

If you require assistance or advice with your application, please contact economic.programs@dpird.nsw.gov.au for a referral to the appropriate team.

Before completing this Application Form, you should have read the Program Guidelines and have them handy for reference.

All applications should be submitted via the Smarty Grants portal.

Applicants may submit only one application for a project to be delivered in at least one eligible location.

When completing your application, please complete all required fields and attach all required information. Guidance text is included to assist you in completing the application form.
You can save your progress and revisit the application form at any time prior to submitting.

Please note that saving the application form does not 'submit' the form. To submit your application, please first review your submission and ensure all attachments have been provided, sign and click 'submit' in the Declarations section of your application.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email once an application has been submitted.

Each application must include (where relevant) the documents listed in the Application Form including:

• evidence of valid public liability insurance
• evidence of co-contribution (if required)
• evidence of financial viability
• landowner consent if the land is not owned by the Applicant (if required)
• evidence of regulatory approvals (if required)
• partnership deed/agreement to confirm partners and signatories for partnership entities
• current Trust Deed confirming signatories for trust entities
• proof of incorporation for community groups
• evidence of community support for the project
• recent evidence to support the costing of project activities (i.e. quotes)

For projects with a total project cost exceeding $5 million, applicants must attach the following documents: (*optional templates are provided where relevant)

• project management plan
• detailed project budget
• risk management plan

For projects with a total project cost exceeding $10 million, applicants must also include:

• NSW Government compliant Short-Form Assessment or Business Case 

The Applicant acknowledges and agrees that:

• submission of this application does not guarantee funding will be granted for any project, and the Department expressly reserves its right to accept or reject this application at its discretion;
• it must bear the costs of preparing and submitting this application and the Department does not accept any liability for such costs, whether or not this application is ultimately accepted or rejected; and
• it has read the Guidelines for the Program and has fully informed itself of the relevant program requirements.

By submitting this Application Form, the Applicant acknowledges and agrees that:

• if this project application is successful, the relevant details of the project will be made public, including details such as the names of the organisation (Applicant) and any partnering organisation (state government agency or non-government organisation), project title, project description, location, anticipated time for completion and amount awarded;
• the Department will use reasonable endeavours to ensure that any information received in or in respect of this application which is clearly marked ‘Commercial-in-confidence’ or ‘Confidential’ is treated as confidential, however, such documents will remain subject to the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act); and
• in some circumstances the Department may release information contained in this Application Form and other relevant information in relation to this application in response to a request lodged under the GIPA Act or otherwise as required or permitted by law.