Apply for venue hire support

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.

Assessors will look at the social or community need at the centre of your proposal, including its relevance, timing and potential impact.

They may consider how the project addresses a gap, builds on existing work or offers something new, and if there will be any consequences if it doesn’t go ahead.

Assessors will consider how your proposal benefits selected priority communities, supports inclusive participation and shows local support and partnerships. They will also look at how people from priority communities are engaged and involved in project leadership or key roles.

Assessors will consider if your proposal shows appropriate planning and resources. This may include the skills and experience of key people involved, a realistic budget and a clear, achievable timeline.

Assessors consider how your proposal clearly addresses a funding priority or priorities.

Step-by-step: what you need to do

1. Check your eligibility
2. Visit the hireable indoor spaces page and choose a suitable venue
3. Submit a booking enquiry and request a quote
   
   Note in the enquiry that you’re applying for a grant and include your application number
4. Receive a tentative booking and fee quote
5. In your grant application, enter your booking reference, the value-in-kind amount requested (ex GST) and upload the quote

Apply now

Step-by-step: what you need to do

1. Check your eligibility
2. Identify a suitable space in one of our landmark venues in Sydney Town Hall, Customs House or Paddington Town Hall.
3. Submit a venue enquiry about availability and request a quote
   
   Note in the enquiry that you’re applying for a grant in the ‘additional information’ section and include your application number
4. Arrange a site visit to confirm our spaces are right for you
5. In your grant application, enter the value-in-kind amount requested (ex GST) and upload the quote and your correspondence with the landmark venues team

Apply now