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Local Sport Grant Program

The Local Sport Grant Program aims to support grassroots sporting clubs to increase participation, host events, improve access and enhance sport and recreation facilities.

Applications are open for the Local Sport Grant Program 2025

Apply now

Online Information Session

The Office of Sport will be holding an online information session for grassroots sporting clubs and associations on Wednesday 23 July at 7.00pm.

The forum will cover general information about the grant, the resources available to you to support your application, tips on how to submit a strong application, as well as some time for Q&A's. 

Join Meeting

About the program


The Local Sport Grant Program aims to increase regular and on-going participation opportunities in sport in NSW. Through this Program the Office of Sport is working towards our goals to achieve:

  • Sector Growth: Supporting the sector in adapting and growing sport and active recreation at all levels across NSW.  
  • Facilities and Spaces: Enabling an inclusive and accessible network of facilities and places for sport and active recreation.
  • For all People: Facilitating increased opportunities for inclusion in sport and active recreation so every person in NSW can participate throughout their whole life.
     

Important dates

The following dates are indicative and apply only to this round.

  • Applications open Monday 30 June 2025
  • Applications close 1pm Monday 18 August 2025
  • Outcomes advised February 2026 onwards

Key objectives

The key objectives of the Program align to the Office of Sport Strategic Plan (PDF, 4.13 MB) with the specific objectives to:

  • Increase regular and on-going participation in sport.
  • Increase participation opportunities for unrepresented groups including women and girls, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people with disability, First Nations peoples and LGBTQIA+ people.  
  • Reduce barriers and improve access to participation in sport.  
  • Assist sport clubs to provide quality experiences to their members and meet community needs. Increase financial sustainability and improve facilities of community level sporting clubs.

Applications must clearly demonstrate an identified need for the project and articulate how the project outcomes will be achieved. Specifically, applications should demonstrate how the project will address at least one of the above objectives.

Funding availability

Up to $4.65 million is available in 2025 to support sporting clubs and associations across NSW with $50,000 available in each electorate and grants of up to $20,000 available for individual projects.

Funding of $50,000 per electorate will be allocated to all 93 electorates throughout NSW. Applicants must identify their ‘project location’ address to ensure the application is assessed in the correct electorate e.g., your training ground or where your project will take place.

The grant amount requested must be a minimum of $2,000 and a maximum of $20,000.

A single organisation may make multiple applications, however the maximum amount of funding that can be awarded to any one organisation is $20,000.

Eligible applicants


Eligible applicants are:

  • Incorporated, not-for-profit grassroots sport club or association whose primary focus is to:
    • organise sporting activities and;
    • deliver on-going sporting programs and/or;
    • develop member’s skills
  • Aligned with a recognised sport listed in Appendix A

    Sporting clubs associated with licensed organisations can apply provided the project directly benefits the sport, not the administration processes of the licenced club or upgrades of the licensed premises.

    Sports organisations or clubs associated with a school, church or university can apply providing they are a not-for-profit club incorporated in their own right.

    Eligible applicants with an ABN must ensure that the incorporation details and ABN details are for the same organisation.
     

Ineligible applicants


Ineligible applicants are any organisation types not listed in the ‘Eligible Applicants’ section, and include (but are not limited to):

  • Individuals, groups of individuals and unincorporated organisations.
  • Incorporated not-for-profit organisations that are not associated with a sport listed at Appendix A.
  • Clubs whose activities are considered to be of a recreational nature e.g., e-sports/online, remote/radio-controlled activities, fishing.
  • State Sporting Organisations.
  • National Sporting Organisations.
  • Regional Academies of Sport.
  • For profit, commercial organisations.
  • Organisations limited by shares.
  • Government departments and agencies.
  • Educational institutions including schools and their Parents and Citizens (P&C’s), Universities, TAFE, Colleges and childcare centres.
  • Local Government Authorities operating under the Local Government Act, 1993.
  • Local Government Committees.
  • PCYCs/YMCA/Scouts/Girl Guides/Surf Life Saving Clubs or Branches.
  • Organisations named: (i) by the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse on its list of institutions that have not joined or signified their intent not to join the Scheme; or (ii) in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that has not yet joined the National Redress Scheme.
     

Eligible projects


To be considered eligible, the project must be submitted through the Office of Sport SmartyGrants website

Eligible projects include but are not limited to:

  • Projects that contribute to quality sporting experiences
  • Improve access to sporting events by reducing barriers to participation
  • Create, upgrade or repair sports facilities

A list of project examples can be found in the guidelines.

Ineligible projects

Projects or project components ineligible to receive funding include:

  • Ongoing and annual operational costs e.g., staff/coach wages and administration costs that relate to the running of the club/organisation including yearly subscriptions/memberships and venue hire.
  • Subsidised registrations for players, for regular and on-going (weekly, monthly) competitions.
  • Accommodation, food/catering and travel (except where specified as eligible above).
  • Appearance fees, prize money and trophies/medals, trophy cabinets.
  • Functions such as presentation days, AGMs and celebrations.
  • Entertainment.
  • Medical equipment (e.g., defibrillators, first aid).
  • Private or commercial ventures.
  • Events that are organised for the primary purpose of fundraising, including charity fundraising events.
  • Individual scholarships/sponsorships.
  • Insurance of any type (player, public liability, general liability, etc).
  • Retrospective funding e.g., projects that have already commenced and/or purchases completed prior to application submission.
  • Events that are scheduled prior to March 2026.
  • Purchase or rental of land or premises; vehicles; office equipment (e.g., office furniture, television, computers, iPads, printers, photocopiers etc.).
  • Costs associated with preparing and submitting the funding application.
  • Costs associated with feasibility, design, or development stages including feasibility studies, business cases and masterplans.
  • Projects not based in NSW.
  • Subsidy for school sporting activities and events.
  • Projects already funded by the NSW Government for the same project or same component of a project.  

Organisations may only receive NSW Government funding once for the same project or same component of a project from this Program or any other State Government funded grant program. Where the project or components of the project have been funded from any other State Government funded grant program, the Office of Sport reserves the right to not award funding to the project.

Please Note: Project budgets should not include any ineligible costs and these will be removed by assessors if included, at the absolute discretion of the Office of Sport. 

Application process

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Get in touch for more information about eligibility criteria, timeframes, and costs; or if you have any questions about the application process.

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