The $12 million Sport Priority Needs Program (the Program) is part of the broader $207 million 2022 Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program. The Program is a key recovery measure of the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund to help communities in eight highly impacted Local Government Areas respond to immediate opportunities to assess, repair, reconstruct and build flood resilience into sport facilities. The Program will help enable communities to recover as fast as possible by returning to sport activities including training and competition.
The purpose of the Sport Priority Needs Program is to prioritise funding to support LGAs whose sport and recreation facilities are considered most impacted. The Program supports applicants to:
- undertake detailed damage and technical assessments, feasibility studies, planning, detailed designs and options for investments to mitigate risks for impacted essential community sport facilities.
- repair, reconstruct and support future resilience in sport facilities to ensure safe and accessible facilities are immediately available for return to training and competition.
- promote and support environmental sustainability and climate resiliency measures in design, construction and operation.
The Program objectives are as follows:
- be informed and co-designed with and by communities to reflect the needs of impacted communities and to reduce the burden on applicants
- incorporate a range of support measures to allow flexibility for applicants and that reflects community-specific capability and capacity
- be based on evidence of impact to essential community assets to provide targeted support
- be designed and delivered with a focus on supporting asset repair, rebuild and/or projects that include a focus on supporting future resilience.
Up to $12 million has been allocated to the Sport Priority Needs Program from the $55 million Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund announced by the NSW Government in May 2022.
The Sport Priority Needs Program is based on a notional funding allocation up to $1.5 million to eight highly impacted LGAs. The eligible LGAs are Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Hawkesbury, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed.
The eight eligible LGAs are listed in the 62-disaster declared LGAs outlined within the Australian Government Reference Number (AGRN) 1012. The Sport Priority Needs Program is targeting the Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Hawkesbury, Lismore, Kyogle, Richmond Valley and Tweed LGAs due to the extensive and disproportionate impact experienced in these LGAs.
The following councils are eligible applicants for the Program:
- Ballina Shire Council
- Byron Shire Council
- Clarence Valley Council
- Hawkesbury Council
- Kyogle Council
- Lismore City Council
- Richmond Valley Council
- Tweed Council.
No. You must be one of the eight eligible applicants to apply. Sporting entities in the eligible LGAs should bring their projects to the attention of eligible councils. Further information on other measures under the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund will be provided in September 2022.
The grant amount requested by an applicant must be a minimum of $15,000 and cannot exceed $500,000.
No
The Sport Priority Needs Program has been designed to assess, repair, reconstruct and build flood resilience into sport facilities that have been significantly impacted by the devastating storms and floods. NSW Government offers other funding and assistance packages for smaller grant requests. This includes natural disaster financial assistance to help sporting and recreation clubs directly affected by a declared natural disaster including flood, fire or storm damage. This low interest rate loan up to a maximum of $10,000 can help meet the costs of restoring essential club facilities, equipment or other assets that have been damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster. Further information can be found at: Disaster relief loans - Sporting and recreation clubs (nsw.gov.au).
Further information on NSW Government grants and funding including the Local Sport Grant Program is available at: Grants and funding | NSW Government.
No. The Sport Priority Needs Program does not include costs incurred in the clean-up and make safe of their community and recreation assets or for non-fixed equipment (e.g. computers, office goods, footballs, clothing and footwear, ride-on mowers). Exemptions for non-fixed equipment replacement such as shelving in a storage shed, damaged goal posts on a playing field may be considered eligible if part of a larger project.
Applications will be assessed in line with the Sport Priority Needs Program Guidelines. Assessment process is undertaken in two stages by the Office of Sport:
- Eligibility check
- Completeness check.
Applying for the Sport Priority Needs Program is a simple process using the SmartyGrants platform.. You can download a copy of the application form prior to commencing your application.
Applications must be lodged by 2pm on Friday 23 September 2022, via SmartyGrants.
October 2022 onwards.
The Sport Priority Needs Program is based on a notional funding allocation up to $1.5 million to eligible councils. Project must meet the eligibility criteria. Council’s will prioritise projects based on the identified need and community benefit. The notional allocation should be a consideration in determining the number of projects to submit as part of the application process.
There is no limit on the number of projects submitted in council’s application as long as the projects meet the criteria of the Program. Eligible councils will submit their application including information and documentation for each prioritised project. Council must advise of their project priority ranking through the application form.
If an eligible council is submitting eleven (11) or more projects the applicant will need to lodge an additional submission through the same SmartyGrants link. Both SmartyGrants submissions will then be assessed as one application.
No. Packaged up projects will only be accepted if integrated into the community sport facility that include multiple facility components and are proposed to be delivered within one sporting precinct/site. For example, the repair of a damaged clubhouse and field drainage upgrade at the same site.
Applicants need to supply proof of damage to the sport facility that is a direct result of the disaster event (outlined within the Australian Government Reference Number 1012) which may include photographs, aerial maps, insurance assessment reports, damage assessment reports, quotes for replacement/restoration etc.
No. Applicants cannot duplicate grant funding from another NSW or Australian Government grant program for the same project scope.
It is anticipated the Program and expenditure will conclude by December 2024.
Project commencement varies depending on the project. It may include the awarding of contracts, engagement of consultants, undertaking detailed damage assessments, feasibility studies, detailed designs and technical reports, and preparation of business cases. It may include the physical construction or preparation of materials offsite. For large and complex projects, it may be approval from council to proceed with the project through a council resolution or executive minute.
Physical works that are part of the project construction. These works include, but are not limited to, early works construction packages, site clearing and demolition, earthworks or building works and the physical construction or preparation of materials offsite.
Councils should bring this funding opportunity to the attention of local sporting organisations and sport facility asset owners/managers and work with them to identify project partnership opportunities and priority projects in their LGA. Sporting entities may collaborate with council to ensure projects with high community need, urgency and support are considered.
Partnerships between council and sporting groups are encouraged however, council must apply on behalf of a sporting club or association. Council may seek support from sporting organisations and sport facility asset owners/managers in the preparation of applications. The council will be the grant recipient and will enter into a funding agreement with the Office of Sport to deliver the project.
Eligible councils are encouraged to consult with community groups to identify priority projects. Council can provide information on the community consultation process and upload any relevant supporting documentation, including project letters of support as part of the application.
Each council can spend up to a maximum of 5% ($75,000) of their notional allocation of $1.5 million for work related to the preparation of their grant bids, scoping of projects and preparation of applications. Costs can include engagement of consultants and contractors to undertake community consultation and prepare grant documentation.
Council will need to budget for this expenditure and recognise the expenditure will be deducted from their allocated funds. As part of the application process council can identify their intention to claim expenditure incurred. Council will need to demonstrate that they have incurred the expenses over and above their normal operations, and how the funding has been used. Expenditure up to $75,000 is for total expenses incurred in submitting all projects in a council’s application. Expenditure may be occurred prior to application lodgement. Council will claim expenditure as part of the first milestone payment.
The first milestone payment will be made on execution of the Funding Agreement. This is expected to be October/early November 2022. The Office of Sport will support successful applicants to finalise project milestones, establish and execute a funding agreement.
The NSW Government through Resilience NSW and in partnership with the Australian Government has declared 62 NSW LGAs as impacted by a natural disaster following severe weather and floods from 22 February 2022 onwards.
The declaration and list of disaster declared LGAs is outlined within the Australian Government Reference Number (AGRN) 1012 at Natural Disaster Declarations.
Further information on the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund – Essential Community Sport Assets Program for disaster declared LGAs outlined in (AGRN) 1012 will be coming soon. Please register your interest for further information on the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund .
In May 2022, the NSW Government announced the $55 million Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund to support the repair, reconstruction and betterment of flood and storm damaged sport facilities. The Fund is part of the $207 million 2022 Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Package. The Sport Priority Needs Program is the first stage of funding under the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund. It is a key recovery measure for highly impacted LGAs. The second stage of funding under the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund will be the Essential Community Sport Assets Program.
Up to $43 million has been allocated to the Essential Community Sport Assets Program from the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund.
Further information for the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund – Essential Community Sport Assets Program will be available from September 2022.
Please register your interest for further information on the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund .
Further information for the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund – Essential Community Sport Assets Program will be available from September 2022.
Please register your interest for further information on the Sport Infrastructure Recovery Fund .
Yes. The purpose of the program is to support future resilience in sport facilities and to promote and support environmental sustainability and climate resiliency measures in design, construction and operation.
Infrastructure Betterment is repairing or building-back an asset that can better withstand future natural disasters while delivering benefits associated with improved resilience and generating productivity, economic and social outcomes. Betterment is made up of the following core values:
- Resilience – Reduce the risk of impact to an asset over its lifecycle to better withstand natural disasters, and improve the ability to respond, recover and adapt after asset disruption.
- Productivity – Maintain or improve the level of service and sustainable function that an asset provides.
- Economic – Achieve net benefits across the asset lifecycle based on the betterment value proposition and provide a return on investment.
- Social – Maintain or improve a community’s ability to function during and after a disruption to an asset.
Councils should provide evidence in support of the cost estimates in their application. This may be supplier/builder quotes or estimates by a council engineer. Council’s procurement of goods and services for projects funded under the program must comply with OLG Tendering Guidelines and the council’s procurement policies.
Background on the 2022 Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program
The 2022 Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program (2022 CLIRP) is a $207 million package to support the social wellbeing of NSW 2022 flood-impacted communities through community focused, social recovery measures. The 2022 CLIRP will support the rebuild, repair and betterment of essential community assets targeted for arts and culture, sports and Aboriginal communities.
The program will be delivered in two stages;
- Priority Needs Program
- Essential Community Assets Program
An Essential Community Asset is an asset that is not an essential public asset defined by the DRFA 2018 and plays a demonstrated, important role in providing one or more of the following:
- basic social, cultural and recreational amenity to local residents and visitors
- help support or safeguard community cohesion and/or wellbeing
- support the preservation and continuation of cultural significant items and practices for Aboriginal communities.
The $30 million Priority Needs Program (PNP) is the first stage of funding to be delivered under the 2022 CLIRP. The PNP will support the short-term needs for essential community assets for the arts and culture, sports, and Aboriginal communities. Create NSW, Office of Sport and Department of Aboriginal Affairs will deliver aligned Priority Needs Programs for their respective communities. Program Guidelines specific to each sector are available on each agency’s website.