The purpose of the Active Regional Communities Package is to enhance the liveability, resilience and long-term sustainability of regional NSW by investing in community events, infrastructure and locally driven activities that strengthen social cohesion, support community participation, and improve the amenity of regional places.

The Active Regional Communities Package has 3 streams to target activities, with proportionate investment, to achieve the overarching objective of the Active Regional Communities Package. The Streams enable funding to support a wide range of projects that work together to attract and retain residents and workers essential to regional economic success and provide communities opportunities needed to thrive and adapt to economic or environmental change.

This program is for the Community Participation Stream - Stream Two.

The Community Participation Stream is a $25 million investment from the Regional Development Trust Fund and delivers priorities identified in the Regional Development Trust Fund Investment Strategy in the following Key Focus Areas of the strategy:

• Community connection and capacity building
• Improving regional service delivery.

The overarching Active Regional Communities Package aims to make regional NSW a great place to live and work.

The objective of the Community Participation Stream is to:

• Increase liveability and social cohesion of communities through greater participation in community activities that contribute to the wellbeing, social or economic participation of residents

The minimum grant amount is $100,000 and the maximum grant amount is $1 million (GST exclusive).

Eligible applicants are:

• incorporated not-for-profit organisations
• incorporated Aboriginal community organisations (i.e. initiated by, controlled and operated by Aboriginal people and/or governed by a board or committee of Aboriginal people)
• Local Aboriginal Land Councils
• Lord Howe Island Board
• Unincorporated Far West groups
• Local government
• Section 355 committees of a local council.

Eligible applicants must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be located in NSW
• provide appropriate evidence of not-for-profit and incorporation status
• be financially viable and able to demonstrate they are financially viable by providing the most recent 3 years of financial statements
• hold or commit to obtaining public liability insurance of not less than $20 million per occurrence prior to executing a funding deed with the department
• be a fit and proper person/legal entity
• not be insolvent, bankrupt or subject to ongoing legal proceedings
• declare in the application form that the applicant is not aware of any issues which could cause reputational or other risks to the NSW Government.

• Email: regionaldevelopmenttrust@dpird.nsw.gov.au