General questions
Applications must be lodged by the date stated in the program guidelines that can be found on the Office of Sport website. The application must be lodged via the Office of Sport’s SmartyGrants platform.
It is good practice to complete the application in SmartyGrants well prior to the closing time. You are responsible for ensuring you have adequate technical capability, including sufficient bandwidth, to complete the application in SmartyGrants.
Late applications can only be made where an applicant has started an application in SmartyGrants prior to the closing date/time.
If for any reason you are not able to lodge your application on time, you must contact the Office of Sport within 1 hour after 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.
If any document is not available prior to the closing date/time and you would like to submit this for consideration you must contact infrastructuregrants@sport.nsw.gov.au to request late document submission and list the documents your request relates to.
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 an independent probity advisor.
Applying for the grant is a simple process using the SmartyGrants platform. The application can be found on the Office of Sport SmartyGrants Page.
Before you apply, please read the guidelines and related materials to make sure you understand all the relevant requirements.
Save or scan any hard copy letters or quotes and save them as a PDF. These can then be uploaded in the relevant sections of your application.
The Office of Sport staff are available to provide advice to applicants on interpreting the Grant Program Guidelines. However, staff are not able to provide advice that may be perceived as providing an unfair advantage to one applicant over another.
No. The Office of Sport cannot review or provide feedback on any grant applications. Frequently asked questions and answers are available on the grant program webpage and updated as required.
An applicant may submit up to two applications; however the maximum amount of funding that can be awarded to any one organisation is $50,000. There is no reserved funding allocation for each funding category. If an applicant submits more than one application, they will be required to prioritise their projects, which may be considered when determining the allocation of funding.
No. The application process is competitive. It is anticipated there will be multiple applications competing for the funding available. Successful applications will be those that best meet the objectives, focus, and aim of the program and the assessment criteria.
There are no appeals for unsuccessful applications. Feedback on your application will be provided with the grant outcome notification letter. You may apply again in the next round of the program or to other suitable grant programs which are listed on the Office of Sport website and the NSW Government Grant and Funding Finder.
Your organisation/association treasurer should have a certificate of incorporation, or you can search for your incorporated status with:
No. Applicants that do not have an ABN must provide a signed ATO Statement by Supplier form that can be downloaded from the Australian Tax Office website.
Financial and co-contribution
The grant amount requested by an applicant must be a minimum of $10,000 and cannot exceed $50,000.
A financial contribution is not mandatory, organisations who are able to make a financial co-contribution will be looked upon more favourably during the merit assessment process. 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.
Discounts are not permitted as in-kind support or considered a co-contribution.
Contingency amounts proposed should be relevant to the size and complexity of the project, as a guide.
Category 1 projects that have a single fixed price quote, that is fully inclusive of all costs to deliver the project, do not need to provide contingency.
Category 2 projects should provide a contingency of at least 5%, and up to 10% of total project cost.
Organisations registered for GST: exclude GST from the amount of funding requested in your project budget. GST will be paid to your organisation if successful.
Organisations not registered for GST: include GST in the costs for your project budget. Please ensure that quotes you receive include GST charged by tradespeople or suppliers.
You can determine if your organisation is registered for GST by looking at your ABN details. If you do not have an ABN, you are not registered for GST.
Assessment criteria and announcements
Eligible applications will be assessed against the Fund’s objectives and the following assessment criteria:
Criterion 1: Strategic justification
Criterion 2: Project scope and detail of inclusive design
Criterion 3: Project affordability, value for money and deliverability
Assessment criteria for each category is detailed in the Safe Shooting Program Guidelines in the supporting documents section of the webpage.
To demonstrate project need, you may upload letters of support from the local MP, council, and/or community groups. Results of venue performance or safety audits may be provided. Photos of existing condition to show level of dilapidation or inadequacy are also very useful.
Project Scope
No. Grant funding is available to cover only the capital cost of a project and any directly related project administration costs up to 10% of total costs.
It is not mandatory to have a current approved Development Application; however applicants who can demonstrate the project is ready to be delivered by providing evidence of an approved Development Application or that development consent is not required will be prioritised.
Yes. Where applicable, all applicants should provide a signed letter of consent from any landowners for the project on the land on which the facility is to be developed. The template Landowner Consent Form is available on the Office of Sport Grants website should be used.
Yes, all eligible applicants must be organisations approved by the NSW Firearms Registry.
The NSW Gun Safe Clubs and Ranges Portal is a secure online platform developed to enhance regulatory oversight and streamline compliance processes under the Firearms Act 1996. It allows the NSW Firearms Registry to receive and manage essential data about individual licensees’ club memberships and participation status.
Firearm clubs nominate authorised officials to access the portal, enabling them to view club approvals, committee details, and monitor member compliance.
The portal supports annual reporting and other statutory obligations, making it a vital tool for improving service delivery and ensuring clubs remain compliant.
Applications must be limited to constructing new or enhancing existing shooting facilities and new or upgraded firearms equipment.
Eligible projects and project components include can be found under Section 2.1 of the Program Guidelines.
Projects or components that do not meet the criteria outlined in the 'Eligible Projects' section are considered ineligible.
Ineligible projects and project costs can be found under Section 2.1 of the Program Guidelines.
Note that project budgets should not include any allocation of grant funding towards ineligible costs. These will be removed by assessors if included, at the absolute discretion of the Office of Sport.
Universal Design is about creating an inclusive facility/society. It helps everyone navigate their environment easily and makes them feel that they belong in that place.
It is not a type of product, building style or even a set of standards – it is a design thinking process.
That means Universal Design can be applied to anything and everything that is designed, programmed, or participated in throughout our everyday lives and environments.
Designs should go beyond Construction Code of Australia or Access standards to ensure facilities are accessible to more people.
For further information see:
NSW Government Architect - Urban Design for Regional NSW
What is Universal Design | Centre for Excellence in Universal Design
Inclusive and accessible facilities consider Universal Design in their approach.
Refer to the Universal Design Australia for more information.
Applicants applying for more complex construction projects are encouraged to present detailed design plans; however, DA concept design plans will also be accepted (where applicable). The more progressed a project’s design the greater level of confidence there will be in project cost, risk profile and delivery schedule.
Requirements of funded projects
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 Infrastructure Grants infrastructuregrants@sport.nsw.gov.au and identify the grant program and your grant number.
All successful applicants will receive detailed information about how they must acknowledge NSW Government funding for infrastructure projects. Projects funded 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 temporary and permanent building signage, related websites and invitations and other funding related materials. Successful applicants will receive full guidelines, logo and signage template files.
Further details about acknowledgment of NSW Government funding for infrastructure projects can be found here.
Physical onsite works that are part of the installation of fixed capital equipment or the commencement of project construction. These works include, but are not limited to, early works construction packages, site clearing and demolition, upgrades or installation of capital equipment, earthworks or building works. You should not commence works until a Funding Agreement has been executed (signed by both parties). Any costs incurred prior to execution of the Funding Agreement are undertaken at the applicant's own risk.
The Office of Sport will contact the successful applicants to claim the grant within two weeks of being notified of success. Failure to claim the grant within two weeks of notification may result in the Office of Sport withdrawing the offer of funding.
Grant payments will not be made until an executed funding agreement (terms and conditions) is in place and the Office of Sport will not be responsible for any project expenditure until this time.
A financial acquittal will be required within 30 days of project completion within SmartyGrants. This will require you to provide evidence of expenditure on the project e.g. copies of receipts, paid invoices, remittance advice, transaction listings from your finance system, bank statement or similar. The acquittal certificate must be signed by two office bearers of the recipient organisation stating that the funding had been spent in accordance with the grant application and terms and conditions.
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