Welcome to our Funding Opportunities Newsletter

Welcome to our Funding Opportunities Newsletter where you’ll find details of selected grant submissions from around the region, which will be sent in the middle of the month, every month.

We wish you all the best with the Funding Opportunities below.

Featured Grants

Funding to Build Better Regions
Round two of the $481.6 million Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) is now open. This program supports the Australian Government’s commitment to create jobs, drive economic growth and build stronger regional communities into the future. The BBRF program will fund projects in regional Australia outside the major capital cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra

There are two streams of funding available under the program:
Infrastructure Projects Stream: The Infrastructure Projects Stream supports projects which involve the construction of new infrastructure, or the upgrade or extension of existing infrastructure that provide economic and social benefits to regional and remote areas.

Community Investments Stream: The Community Investments Stream funds the following community activities, new or expanded local events, strategic regional plans, and leadership and capability strengthening activities These projects will deliver economic and social benefits to regional and remote communities. Infrastructure activities are not eligible for the Community Investments Stream.

A mapping tool is available to assist determining the project location.

Applications close at 5pm Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time on 19 December 2017

Heritage Grant Opportunities Open Until End Of The Month
Local councils and community organisations are being encouraged to take advantage of the latest round of NSW Government heritage funding, before funding applications close at the end of the month.
The NSW Heritage Grants program aimed to help local communities preserve their heritage for future generations.

The latest NSW Heritage Grants were available in three streams:

• Aboriginal Heritage grants of up to $70,000 for projects that conserve and promote items of Aboriginal cultural heritage listed on the State Heritage Register or gazetted as an Aboriginal Place;
• Projects which support the promotion, protection and celebration of NSW heritage can apply for grants of $25,000 to $50,000; and
• Councils can also apply for grants to prepare heritage reports and heritage planning studies.

The NSW Heritage Grants are open for applications until 29 November. Applications can be for both state and locally listed heritage projects.

For more information, please visit www.environment.nsw.gov.au/Heritage/funding/

$134 Million in Smart Farming Funding
The Government recognises and supports the important role Landcare plays through community and industry organisatons in protecting and improving the condition of soils, vegetation and biodiversity on-farm. The condition of these natural resources underpin the productivity and profitability of the agriculture sector and deliver community benefits. The next phase of the National Landcare Program will provide financial support for the following agriculture related programs (Note: information about the National Landcare Program, including the environment only elements and joint agriculture and environment elements, are on the nrm website):

Smart Farms Program
Applications now open for Smart Farming Partnerships grants program. This first round opened on 19 October 2017 and closes at 2:00 pm AEDT on 21 December 2017.

The Government is allocating $134 million to support the development and uptake of best practice, tools and technologies that help farmers, fishers, foresters and regional communities improve the protection, resilience and productive capacity of our soils, water and vegetation, in turn supporting successful primary industries and regional communities.

The program will focus on protecting and improving the condition of soil, vegetation and biodiversity and support agricultural systems to adapt to change.

The Smart Farms Program will run over six years from 2017 18. It is made up of the following three elements:

• Smart Farming Partnerships is a $60 million grants program for medium to large scale projects to encourage the development, trial and roll-out of new and innovative tools and farm practices.
• Smart Farms Small Grants is a $50 million grants program for on-ground projects to support the adoption of practices that improve the management and quality of our natural resources and increases on-farm productivity.
• Building Landcare Community and Capacity will allocate $24 million to support the sharing of knowledge and achievements in natural resource management and promote community leadership.

There is also information on the nrm website in video format concerning the Smart Farms program.

Growing Local Economies (State Government Grant)
As part of the NSW Government’s $1.3 billion Regional Growth Fund, funding will be made available through the Growing Local Economies fund over four years to turbocharge new regional economic opportunities and enliven local economies.

Growing Local Economies is designed to unlock growth in regional NSW by delivering the infrastructure that supports projects of economic significance. This could include road works, natural gas mains and pipelines, water supply, sewerage connections and telecommunications (including data networks). The program is expected to deliver long–term growth benefits.

More details:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/improving-nsw/regional-nsw/regional-growth-fund/growing-local-economies/
Closing date: Unknown

Closing in November

Export Market Development Grants (Austrade)
Closes 30 November
Total Pool: Unknown
Minimum: $7,500 Max: Unknown

The Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) scheme is a key Australian Government financial assistance program for aspiring and current exporters. Administered by Austrade, the scheme supports a wide range of industries.

The EMDG scheme:

• encourages small- and medium-sized Australian businesses to develop export markets
• reimburses up to 50 per cent of eligible export promotion expenses above $5,000 provided that the total expenses are at least $15,000
• provides up to eight grants to each eligible applicant.

Chobani Food Incubator
Closes 30 November
Total Pool: Unknown
Up to $10,000

Chobani has partnered with Monash University and the Food Innovation Centre (FIC) to create the most robust incubator program in Australia. By combining Chobani’s expertise in sales, marketing and customer engagement with the FIC’s facilities to support new product development, innovation, and quality, our program will help start-ups improve Australia's food industry.

Closing in December

Australian International Education: Enabling Growth and Innovation Program
Closes 15 Dec 2017
Up to $250,000
Total Pool: $2,100,000

Available to Local, State / Territory Governments, businesses, universities, Not-for-Profits, Schools and TAFEs with funding to support the implementation of the National Strategy for International Education 2025.

Women’s Leadership Development: Farming and Agriculture
Closes 15 December
Total Pool: Unknown
Up to $8,000

Scholarships are available across three different management levels; early career, mid-level, senior or executive level to undertake applicable courses run by Women & Leadership Australia.

Closing in 2018

TCR into Social and Emotional Wellbeing for Indigenous Peoples
Closes 24 Jan 2018
Up to $Unknown
Total Pool: $5,000,000

Available to Universities and Not-for-Profits for research projects into the social, emotional wellbeing and mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants, children, adolescents and young adults and fostering wellness.

NSW Regional Conferencing Development Grants Pilot Program
Closes 30 June 2018
Up to $100,000 in matched funding

Available to  local communities, councils, entrepreneurs, associations, professional conference organisers etc. for events to attract existing businesses to events in Regional NSW.

Aboriginal Benefits Foundation Grants
(Ongoing)
$500 - $5,000

Available to Aboriginal communities and individuals for projects in line with the Foundation’s goals.

Archives in the Bush
(Ongoing)
Total Pool: $40,000 per State
Assists seven Regional Archive Repositories to manage, preserve, digitise and maintain local State archives stored on behalf of SARA in regional NSW.

Australian Communities Foundation Funding - Support for Charitable Organisations
(Ongoing)
Total Pool: Unknown
Available to Not-for-Profit organisations who fit certain criteria for projects in the areas of community development & advocacy, community services & welfare, disability, education, health, overseas aid, arts & culture.

Community Led Grants - Australian Government
Ongoing
Amount Undisclosed
Available to Not for Profit organisations or individuals in the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community for projects in the areas of Education, Employment and Economic Development and / or Community Safety.

Google Grants
Ongoing
Up to USD$10,000 per month in kind
Total Pool: Unknown
Available for Not-for-profits to advertise their mission using Google Adwords.

Poverty and Disadvantage Small Grants Program
Ongoing
Up to $10,000
Total Pool: Unknown
Available to Not-for-Profit organisations in the support of and aiding to alleviate the negative effects of poverty and disadvantage.

Social Enterprise Development and Investment Funds (SEDIF)
Ongoing
Amount Undisclosed
Available to social enterprises to help them grow their business and impact more people with the result of their work.

Sponsorship Grants - Multicultural NSW
Ongoing
Amount Undisclosed
Available to Not for Profit organisations to support initiatives promoting community cohesion and the benefits of a multicultural society.

Innovation Connections
Ongoing
Up to $50,000
Available to businesses to connect them with an Innovation Facilitator to help identify knowledge gaps and opportunities to grow their business