Search Grants & Funding

The Start Strong for Community Preschools program provides funding to deliver affordable quality preschool education for 3 to 5 year old children enroled in eligible community and mobile preschools in NSW.

From 2023, fee relief for families announced as “Affordable Preschool” in the context of the NSW Government's Early Years Commitment will be integrated into Start Strong and provide community and mobile preschools with sustainable long-term funding to deliver at least 600 hours of low, or no cost preschool to eligible children.

Start Strong for Community Preschools funding is provided for children in the two years before school and supports enrolment of at least 600 hours per year or 15 hours per week. Evidence shows that this level of participation in a quality early childhood education program in the two years before school is associated with better outcomes for children.

Start Strong, including the now integrated Affordable Preschool initiative, promotes universal access and priority of access by providing:

• higher program funding rates for preschools which operate within the lower range of Socio-Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA) score of relative socio-economic disadvantage
• additional funding for children aged 3 years and above from low income families, children with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background, and children with disability or additional needs
• loadings for preschools that operate in outer regional, remote and very remote areas
• further loadings and subsidies as outlined in Section 3.2
• up to $4,220 per year in fee relief for 3 to 5 year old children in community and mobile preschools.

The Program Payment and Fee Relief Payment are both calculated based on the data entered in the Annual Preschool Census, including the number and hours of enrolment, and the number and characteristics of children enroled.

The Indigenous Apprenticeships Program (IAP) plays a pivotal role in increasing Indigenous employment opportunities across the APS. Since 2015, the IAP has given over 1,800 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people opportunities to join the APS. These are people with diverse backgrounds, including people leaving school, finishing study or looking for a new career. ’s a great way for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to make a difference in the lives of Australians.
The 12-month program offers:
    a permanent, full-time, entry-level job in government
    job security with a competitive salary
    opportunities to progress your career, including a nationally recognised certificate or diploma qualification.

It also offers a range of roles across a number of departments and agencies. You could work in:
    administration
    policy and program development
    service delivery
    finance
    human resources
    information technology.

When you apply, they will ask you which department or agency you’re interested in and they will consider your application for all participating departments and agencies.

They will also ask where in Australia you’d like to work. You can apply for a role in one or more locations. If you’re successful, they will take your preferences into account when we offer you a job. They may offer you a job at more than one department or agency, you can then select the one that is best for you.

A $10,000 First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) is available when you buy or build your first new home.

Your first new home can be a house, townhouse, apartment, unit or similar that is newly built, purchased off the plan or substantially renovated.

Grants are available to eligible events that have previously received triennial funding through the Flagship Event stream to support initiatives that have a direct impact on increasing overnight visitation to the event.

The Event Development stream supports the strategic growth of proven events that demonstrate a clear rationale for the continued development of its tourism potential.

Applications for the 2023-24 Event Development stream are now open and will remain open until available funds are exhausted. Applications to the Event Development stream must be received by Destination NSW in sufficient time prior to the next event to allow for assessment and delivery of the initiative for which funding has been requested.

The Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) is a one off payment of up to $5,000. It’s to help eligible students with the cost of moving to study. This is for study after you’ve finished year 12 or equivalent.

To get the payment you need to meet some rules. These include:

• moving from a regional or remote area for tertiary study
• starting tertiary study in the year after finishing year 12 or equivalent.

You can claim this payment in your first year of tertiary study only.

To get this payment you must also be all of the following:

• an Australian resident meeting residence rules
• from an inner regional, outer regional, remote or very remote area
• moving to study at a tertiary education provider that’s at least 90 minutes away from your family home by public transport
• have completed year 12 or equivalent
• studying a tertiary course at certificate IV or above in the year after year 12 with no gap year
• 22 or younger on the day you start your tertiary course
• have parents or guardians whose income is under the current combined parental income limit of $250,000.

You must also meet all of the study rules. You meet the rules for qualifying study if you do both of the following:

• study a certificate IV or above at an accredited Australian tertiary education provider
• study at least 75% of a full-time study load
• study a course with a minimum duration of one academic year.

This program provides re-imbursement funding to support regional and remote airports to meet requirements of the Screener Accreditation Scheme. The program aims to provide transitional support through the implementation of the new scheme with funding concluding in 2024.

The objectives of the program are to:

• support regional and remote airports to meet requirements of the Screener Accreditation Scheme
• increase the delivery and effectiveness of education, training and testing for screening officers and air cargo examination officers
• reduce the cost burden of airport security to regional airports
• support regional airport compliance with the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004.

The Bridges Renewal Program is an Australian Government initiative to fund the upgrade and replacement of bridges to enhance access for local communities and facilitate higher productivity vehicle access.

Up until now, these programs invited applications separately through specified, time-limited funding rounds. The Australian Government will now consider projects on an ongoing basis with applications accepted all year round to provide increased flexibility and permit projects to be submitted when they will most benefit Australia’s bridges and heavy vehicle infrastructure.

The Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program (HVSPP) is an Australian Government initiative to fund infrastructure projects that improve the productivity and safety outcomes of heavy vehicle operations across Australia.
Up until now, these programs invited applications separately through specified, time-limited funding rounds. The Australian Government will now consider projects on an ongoing basis with applications accepted all year round to provide increased flexibility and permit projects to be submitted when they will most benefit Australia’s bridges and heavy vehicle infrastructure.

The Traffic Route Lighting Subsidy Scheme (TRLSS) is a scheme administered by Roads and Maritime Services whereby councils may apply for a subsidy for providing a higher level of lighting than might normally be provided on certain major routes, with the aim of decreasing night time road crashes. The amount of the subsidy depends on the number of certain types of inventory installed as detailed by each council.

You may be eligible for up to 12 months free mail redirection if a major natural disaster impacts your mail delivery. Australia Post will let affected residents in the region know if this is available .

If you and/or your small business are impacted by floods in October 2022, they can help you with free mail redirection. Call in to your nearest Post Office for more information and to apply.

If you have been impacted by a natural disaster which is making it difficult to manage your payments and obligations with Revenue NSW, we can offer a range of options to help you based on your specific circumstances.

These may include:

• extending payment or lodgement time frames
• arranging payment plans
• lifting licence or registration sanctions
• putting debts on short term hold
• assisting with hardship applications
• considering the emergency situation when assessing requests for review.

You can apply for an additional Child Care Subsidy for Temporary Financial Hardship due to a natural disaster.

If your home or essential household contents were damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, you may be eligible for the Disaster Relief Grant for individuals.

The financial assistance is provided to help people to recover from the effects of a disaster and re-establish a basic standard of living. It is not provided to replace insurance or compensate for losses.

The grants assist low-income residents who have no other means of restoring their homes to a safe and habitable condition following a disaster event.

Assistance falls into two categories: 

1. Essential Household Contents Grants to assist with the cost of re-establishing essential household items considered necessary to maintain a basic standard of living.
2. Structural Grants as a contribution toward essential structural repairs to homes for households unable to meet the cost of repairs. The Structural Repair Grants are commonly delivered in the form of either grants to contribute toward essential structural repairs to homes or full rebuilds of property which has been rendered uninhabitable. 

If the natural disaster event has caused damage to a temporary dwelling, assistance provided will depend on the type of temporary dwelling. There are several types of temporary dwelling support available, including support for people living in caravans, houseboats and relocatable homes and rough sleepers.

If you're unable to return to your home due to the floods and need support to enter the private rental market, you can contact the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) Housing Contact Centre. A rental bond loan and a grant for advance rent may be available.

• Rentstart Bond Loan – An interest-free loan where you can apply for up to 100% of a rental bond. In exceptional circumstances, Housing NSW may provide a loan of up to 100% of the bond. Your repayment plan is based on how much of your income is spent on rent.
• Advance Rent – A grant that's provided to clients who already have a Rentstart Bond Loan, but are finding it difficult to meet the set-up costs of their tenancy. It's also available to help clients who are moving into caravan parks, or registered boarding houses and hostels where a deposit is needed, rather than a bond having to be lodged with the Bond Board. In this instance, up to 100% of the key money, or security bond, or other deposit is provided. Advance Rent is a grant and doesn't need to be repaid.

Farm Household Allowance (FHA) provides assistance to farming families experiencing financial hardship. This program focuses on helping farmers make important decisions to improve their long-term financial situation.

The support available includes:

• a fortnightly payment for up to 4 years in each specific 10-year period
• supplementary allowances such as rent assistance, telephone and pharmaceutical allowances and a Health Care Card
• individual case support with a Farm Household Case Officer (FHCO)
• a financial assessment of the farm enterprise worth up to $1500
• up to $10,000 in activity supplements that gives farmers an opportunity to develop skills, access training and pay for professional advice to better manage their business into the future