Apply for funding for a social and community project

• Confirm you’re eligible – each grants program has its own eligibility requirements, and you must also meet the City of Sydney’s general eligibility criteria
• Review our application tips and grants resources
• Gather supporting documents – such as quotes, letters from community members and partners, and any other materials that strengthen your application
• Prepare a project plan– including a timeline of activities
• Prepare a detailed, balanced budget
• Prepare risk management details – required if you’re applying for more than $25,000 in cash per year
• Arrange your documentation for any value-in-kind support – if applicable
• Applying for a grant takes time and preparation. Our step-by-step guide shows you what to do before you submit your application.

Accessible application options are available.

Applicants with disability, or from diverse cultural and language backgrounds, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants may apply in alternative formats, including verbal applications.

Accessible applications are assessed in the same way as all other applications.

Get in touch early and allow extra time for us to provide this support.

To find out more or to access this support, call us on 02 9265 9333 or email [email protected].

You can also contact us through the National Relay Service. You’ll need to provide our phone number: 02 9265 9333.

• be an individual or legal entity, or have an auspice willing to enter into a contract with the City of Sydney
• operate in the City of Sydney local area or demonstrate significant benefits to our communities
• meet the specific eligibility criteria for the grant program you’re applying for
• comply with the City of Sydney’s ethics framework
• have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) if you’re applying as a business
• have satisfactorily completed any previous City of Sydney grants projects
• be free of any debts owed to the City of Sydney.

For the economic, social and community, creative and environmental programs, you can apply for 3 projects in total.

If you work with an auspice, we encourage you to choose an organisation relevant to your sector so they can support the development of your proposal.

We welcome applications from social enterprises, community groups and individuals. To apply, you must be a legal entity.

We don’t provide grants to applicants or projects that:

• duplicate existing services or programs
• have already occurred
• breach the City of Sydney’s ethics framework or policies
• didn’t comply with their contractual obligations for previous grants
• didn’t complete a previous grants project satisfactorily
• appear to be associated with a previous recipient or grants project that didn’t comply with their contractual obligations or complete the grants project satisfactorily
• could be perceived as benefiting a political party.

Grants can’t include:

• general donations to charities, which are covered by our support for charities policy
•  funding for operational costs or overheads for the core business of an organisation
• funding for City of Sydney fees, including development applications, outdoor venue hire, health inspection fees, health approvals, street closures and other approvals or charges beyond what is specified in the grant programs
• design, printing and distribution services or cleansing and waste services already supplied by the City of Sydney.

City of Sydney employees:

• may not apply for, or benefit from, a grant directly
• should not write letters of support for grant applications.

For environmental grants, an owners corporation can still receive funding even if one of its lot owners works for the City of Sydney. This is allowed as long as the employee:

• does not own most of the lots (not a majority owner)
• has no involvement in preparing the grant application or in the grant assessment process.