Social Cohesion Grants for Local Government

This grant seeks to identify social cohesion opportunities and challenges in local communities and support local councils and their community partners to deliver innovative solutions.

Local councils are well placed to design and implement initiatives that build stronger, more resilient, and cohesive communities. Councils can embed principles of social cohesion across various areas – from strategy and planning to civic engagement, tracking and monitoring.

The NSW COVID-19 pandemic has added to factors affecting social cohesion at the local level, highlighting the importance of locally led responses to disruptions caused by the pandemic. For this reason, the NSW Government is administering a local government social cohesion grants program and is encouraging applications from all local councils across NSW.

The NSW Social Cohesion Grants for Local Government program aims to:

• Build resilience of local community leaders and groups
• Track and measure social cohesion within the local area
• Encourage civic engagement and participation
• Enhance community cohesion and cultural inclusion
• Enhance places and spaces that reflect diverse local character, stories and needs
• Build partnerships and networks to strengthen social cohesion within the community  

Successful submissions will:

• be local government led, in partnership with one or more community organisations or local councils and
• provide innovative solutions to social cohesion opportunities and challenges.

This grant program is assessed through a two-stage process. Expressions of interest must be submitted by 5pm on the 11th of March. Short listed candidates will then be invited to submit a detailed application between the 21st of Marchand the 25th of April 2022.