Frequently Asked Questions

The Play Her Way Innovation Program (the Program) provides support to eligible State Sporting Organisations and State Sporting Organisations for People with Disability to develop and deliver bold new initiatives to enhance career pathways, build cultures of diversity and inclusion and increase participation of women and girls in sport, both on and off the field. 

Eligible Organisations are encouraged to partner with other organisations, including those with specific experience working with women and girls and under-represented communities.

The Program aims to increase opportunities for women and girls, both on and off the field, throughout NSW. 

The key objectives of the Program are to: 

• Increase the number of women and girls participating in sport
• Improve the retention of adolescent girls
• Increase the number of women working in the sport sector
• Improve gender inclusive sporting cultures and environments
• Increase the capability of the sector to respond to emerging trends and challenges

Funding is available across two tiers for the Program. The maximum amount of funding that can be awarded to any one organisation is $50,000.

Tier 1 - Grants between $3,000 and $5,000

• Career Activations
  • Projects that promote information on range of roles and career pathways in sport.

Tier 2 - Grants between $10,000 and $45,000

• Career Pathway Support
  • Projects that aim to support young women to advance on their sport career pathway.
• Participation
  • Projects that aim to reduce barriers to participation for women and girls and create innovative, inclusive sport experiences that reflect what women and girls want.
• Capability
  • Projects that aim to build the capability of Organisations to increase the participation of women and girls both on and off the field, and projects that build gender inclusive sporting cultures and environments.

Eligible projects include but are not limited to:

Yes, the salaries of persons directly involved in the delivery of the project for project related activity is an eligible project cost.

Projects or project components ineligible to receive funding include: 

• Projects that are not aligned with or contribute to Play Her Way objectives.
• Project location is not in NSW.
• Retrospective funding, where projects have commenced or are completed prior to the execution of a funding agreement.
• Projects that have already been funded by the NSW Government unless significant new and additional project scope is identified.
• Any costs associated with preparing and submitting the application.
• Project administration costs and staff wages not directly related to the project.
• Appearance fees, prize money, trophies and presentation functions.
• Entertainment, hospitality and catering not directly related to the Project. The purchase of alcohol will not be funded in any circumstances.
• Events that are organised for the primary purpose of fundraising, including charity fundraising events.
• Purchase of land, rental of premises for the organisation’s administrative and operational requirements, or associated occupancy payments.
• General running costs, maintenance or replacement including capital equipment or office equipment.
• Insurance costs (public liability, general liability, etc.)
• Costs associated with feasibility, design, or development stages including feasibility studies, business cases and masterplans.
• Infrastructure projects (e.g. construction, upgrade, maintenance, and repairs). 

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.

Applying for the Play Her Way Innovation Program is a simple process using the SmartyGrants platform. 

Before you apply, please read the Program Guidelines and related materials to make sure you understand all the relevant requirements. 

Applications must be lodged by 1pm, Thursday 30 April 2026. 

An applicant may make multiple applications; however, the maximum amount of funding that can be awarded to any one organisation is $50,000.

Projects previously funded by the NSW Government will be eligible only if the funding request is for significantly new and additional scope.

No. The application process is competitive. It is anticipated there will be a significant number of applications competing for the funding available.

No, projects that have commenced or have been completed at the time of application are not eligible for funding through this Program.

Late applications can only be made where an applicant has started an application in SmartyGrants prior to the closing date/time. If for some unforeseen reason you are not able to lodge your application on time, you must contact the Office of Sport (grants@sport.nsw.gov.au) at the earliest possible time and within one hour of the closing date/time.

A late application will only be considered where its acceptance would not compromise the integrity and competitiveness of the process. The final determination on whether a late application will be accepted will be made by the Grant Assessment Panel supported by a probity advisor. Full details of the Office of Sport’s policy on late applications and late supporting documentation can be found in the Program Guidelines.

If any document is not available prior to the closing date/time and you would like to submit this for consideration you must contact grants@sport.nsw.gov.au.

Late supporting documentation will only be accepted for applications already submitted in SmartyGrants before the closing date and time and will only be considered where its acceptance would not compromise the integrity and competitiveness of the process. 

The final determination on whether a late supporting documentation will be accepted will be made by the Grant Assessment Panel supported by advice from an independent probity advisor.

There is no mandatory financial contribution. The total project cost should reflect only the scope of works for which grant funding is being sought. Value of in-kind contributions cannot be calculated toward the financial co-contribution.

The Office of Sport staff are available to provide advice to applicants on interpretation of the Program Guidelines including types of projects eligible for funding. Staff can also provide advice relating to the online application process. However, staff cannot provide advice that may be perceived as providing an unfair advantage to one applicant over another.

No. The Office Sport personnel cannot review or provide feedback on any grant applications.

Eligible applications will be assessed against the Program’s objectives and assessment criteria in the Program Guidelines under Supporting Documents on the Program website.

Universal Design is about creating an inclusive society. It helps everyone navigate their environment easily and makes them feel that they belong in that place. 

That means Universal Design can be applied to anything and everything that is designed, programmed, or participated in throughout our everyday lives and environments. 

Applying an intersectional lens recognises that some women and girls are affected by more than one form of discrimination and disadvantage, and that these groups may require targeted support to address the barriers and disadvantage they face. 

Targeted or under-represented groups include: women with disability, Aboriginal women and girls, women and girls from cultural and diverse backgrounds, women and girls in rural and regional communities, LGBTQI+ women and girls.

Please refer to section 5 of the Program Guidelines for an overview of these requirements. A template funding agreement is also available under Supporting Documents on the Program website.

Successful applicants will be supported with evaluation requirements in partnership with Sydney University’s SPRINTER (SPort & Recreation INTervention & Epidemiology Research) program.

All successful applicants will be required to: 

• Attend an online evaluation workshop that will support the monitoring and evaluation of the projects
• Provide pre and post organisational data and progress reports against project milestones
• Develop a case study to share and promote successful approaches and/or strategies
• Participate in a semi-structured qualitative interview to explore changes in organisation capability and capacity to reduce gender inequities.

If you have been successful in receiving a grant from the Office of Sport and need to change the contact details, please send your updated details to grants@sport.nsw.gov.auand identify the grant program and your grant number and we will make the amendments for you.

Successful applicants must acknowledge the NSW Government’s support through the provision of funding as per the NSW Government Funding Acknowledgement Guidelines and supporting evidence.

Funding recipients will typically require a statement of funding acknowledgment in the applicant’s annual reports and media releases; and a statement and the NSW Government logo included on building signage, related websites and invitations and other funding related materials. Funding recipients will receive full guidelines, logo and signage template files.

Further details about acknowledgment of NSW Government funding for projects can be found here.

Successful applicants must acknowledge the grant in any press releases or media interviews, in any material published, whether electronic or physical, or at any sporting event or other function in relation to the project.

The Office of Sport acknowledges that unexpected challenges may occur that will impact grant recipients and projects at any time. Any variation requested by a successful applicant to a project that constitutes a change to the original application will require a revised assessment of the application to determine whether the project should still be funded in accordance with the Program Guidelines.

Any variation to the project as detailed in the application form must be agreed to in writing by the Office of Sport and may require Minister approval. In these circumstances, the grant recipients must request a variation via SmartyGrants. Requests for variations to the terms and conditions or changes to the project will only be considered in limited circumstances. 

To reduce the need for variations, applicants are encouraged to ensure their application includes accurate cost estimates and realistic timelines. 

The acquittal requirements are outlined in the template funding agreements available under Supporting Documents on the Program website.

If you are provided a grant, it is your responsibility to put in place adequate controls to prevent fraud and corruption and avoid negligence. This requirement is stipulated in the funding agreement terms and conditions.

Fraud is defined by the Independent Commission Against Corruption as “dishonestly obtaining a benefit, or causing a loss, by deception or other means”, and corruption as “deliberate or intentional wrongdoing, not negligence or a mistake”. Grant recipients may experience fraud, corruption or negligence when dealing with contractors in the project, or within their own organisation or its governance. In general, negligence can be defined as the failure to take proper care over or for something.

Appropriate management of procurement processes, the management of contracts and contractors, the establishment of appropriate project management practices (including governance and oversight), and the declaration and management of conflicts of interest are common controls used to prevent or control such incidents. The Office of Sport does not cover the loss of project funding due to fraud, corruption or negligence on behalf of the grant recipient which may also result in the termination of a funding agreement for a grant.

If you experience fraud, corruption or negligence, you should notify the Office of Sport. The Office of Sport can help your organisation work any variations required, except additional funding, to manage the impact on the project.

Fraud and corruption should always be reported to the police. More information about reporting fraud and corruption can be found at:

https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/crime/frauds_and_scams

https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/report-fraud

https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/buying-products-and-services/scams