Council supports event organisers and community groups to deliver events, festivals, sporting celebrations and conferences across the city, which benefit the community and support the outcomes of our Event and Festival Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2028.

The program aims to fund meaningful, creative and high-quality events for our community and visitors.

Seed Funding and Sponsorship is prioritised for events and festivals that:

• celebrate community and Lake Macquarie's unique culture and identity
• assist in building diverse and economically strong communities
• are attractive to visitors
• are engaging, surprising and entertaining

Seed Events and Festivals Funding and Sponsorship round one is for events held within 10 July 2026 - July 2027.

To be eligible for all funding categories, the following criteria must be met:

1. Conduct the event/activity within Lake Macquarie City.
2. Contribute to one or more of the key themes in Council’s Event and Festival Strategy and Action Plan.
3. Demonstrate social, economic and environmental benefits to Lake Macquarie City, as per the assessment criteria.
4. Provide an event budget (income and expenditure) and demonstrate that the event/activity is financially viable with or without Lake Macquarie City funding. (Tip: your budget should be realistic, viable and make good use of the funding)
5. Obtain all regulatory approvals for the event/activity such as an event license.
6. Hold current and relevant Public Liability Insurance to the value of $20 million.
7. Commence the event/activity between six* and 12 months from the application cut-off date (retrospective funding is not available).
8. Organisations/individuals must have the ability to provide evidence of experience in delivering events.

To be eligible for Community Event or Local Event funding, the above criteria must be met plus the following:

• Be a not-for-profit entity or have a not-for-profit entity manage the funding on your behalf.

Funding assistance will not be considered for the following:

• capital expenses
• ongoing operational or administrative costs
• individuals
• government agencies
• payment of debt or insurance premiums
• committees of Lake Macquarie City Council
• religious ceremonies
• the core business of educational, religious and medical organisations
• organisational programs
• activities that duplicate existing services
• political parties
• academic research, coursework or fees, or projects seeking financial support for research, studio work or activities that will be submitted for academic assessment
• Events that are primarily driven as fundraisers

• Email: jhemsley@lakemac.nsw.gov.au
• Website: https://www.lakemac.com.au/council/contact-us