Female Friendly Community Sport Facilities and Lighting Upgrades

The NSW Government has committed up to $25 million to the Female Friendly Community Sport Facilities and Lighting Upgrades Grant Program (the Program). The Program investment will revive sport facilities by providing new and redeveloping existing sport facility bathrooms and change rooms. Funding will also support the provision of new and upgraded lighting that will enable more women and girls to train and compete in sport in asafe and inclusive environment.

The Program will support quality projects that meet community need demonstrated by consultation with women and girls to deliver a quality facility that makes women and girls feel safe, welcome and included. Quality infrastructure is not only reflected in the physical form, but how it is designed, integrated with its environment, maintained and through the ongoing sport activities it supports.

The Program will support the delivery of sport facility projects that can directly support sport participation across all levels by providing programs for women and girls across New South Wales The NSW Government is supporting local communities to provide sport infrastructure that is universally designed and moves beyond compliant and provides dignified inclusion and accessibility for all.

The grant amount requested by an applicant must be a minimum of $50,000 and cannot exceed $500,000. All applications are required to provide a minimum 25% financial co-contribution of the grant amount requested (e.g., if an applicant’s grant amount requested is $200,000, they should demonstrate at least a $50,000 financial co-contribution, therefore the total project cost will be $250,000).

Applicants that cannot meet the funding co-contribution expectation may apply for financial hardship. A financial hardship application provides applicants the opportunity to outline why they should be exempt from the requirement to provide a minimum 25% financial co-contribution of the grant amount requested. Financial hardship applications are to be made as part of the application process.

Financial hardship may be granted where a project is located in a disadvantaged area of NSW and/or is recovering from a significant natural disaster or pandemic (e.g., COVID-19 or other exceptional circumstances). The Socio-Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA), published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), will assist in measuring disadvantage.