Apply for subsidised rent for a Glebe office space

It is anticipated that the spaces will be used as offices.

• Suite 1, office space, 26 metres square
• Suite 3, office space, 44 metres square

They are available to support community, cultural, social, educational or environmental sustainability uses.

These may include providing physical, social, cultural or intellectual development or welfare services, administrative, clerical, professional or similar activities.

The tenancies share kitchen facilities with an oven, bar fridge, sink and shelves as well as a common area meeting room, toilet, and shower.

Benledi House is a historic building. All level 1 spaces have stair access only. There are 2 steps to access the front entrance and no level access directly into the building.

Benledi House is located at 186 Glebe Point Road, Glebe. Formerly the Homoeopathic Hospital, it’s now used to support our communities.

Adjoining the heritage building are City of Sydney-owned facilities: the Glebe Library, neighbourhood service centre and St Helen’s Community Centre.

The building includes a mix of spaces for cultural and community use on level 1 and a space offered for community hire on the ground floor.

Level 1 contains 4 individual rooms for use by community, cultural and creative organisations, a shared meeting room for tenant use, and shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.

The following spaces are on the property but aren’t included in this opportunity:

• Two level 1 rooms currently tenanted through the accommodation grant program, occupied by the Pride History Group and Screen Culture (who run Antenna Film Festival)
• A space offered for community hire on the ground floor
• A community garden.

Applicants must:

• 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.

Tenants are expected to:

• activate and use their spaces regularly
• communicate with and manage relationships between the local community and City of Sydney
• manage their opening hours and promotion, including advertising events and activities on the City of Sydney’s What’s On platform where appropriate and through their own channels
• comply with the agreement requirements, including managing work health and safety, identifying any risks and promptly notifying the City of Sydney of any building-related issues
• comply with the City of Sydney’s ethics framework.
• contribute to research by providing data and feedback to support project evaluation and annual grant reporting.

• work with tenants to identify opportunities for activation, community development and program delivery
• organise regular meetings with tenants
• keep tenants informed about building works and City of Sydney procedures
• support tenants to maintain safe working environments.

You will receive an email confirming we’ve received your application.

If you are not successful, we can give you feedback and let you know how to keep up to date with other opportunities.

You will be required to enter into an agreement with the City of Sydney. The agreement will cover the terms under which you have access to the building, venues and/or rooms, including rental amounts, period of tenancy and reporting requirements.

You will be required to report on your agreement at least once a year.

Accommodation grants program tenants must supply a $500 (excluding GST) performance bond to the City of Sydney for each tenancy. The City of Sydney holds the bond for the duration of the tenancy.

You will also be required to provide:

• a work health and safety plan
• a risk management plan within the first 3 months of the tenancy or licence
• certificates of currency for insurance your organisation holds, including $20 million public liability, and workers compensation
• demonstration of your commitment to comply with child safe standards.

Rent, based on the subsidy provided, is paid monthly in advance and is subject to a 3% yearly increase.