30 October 2009
The Sport and Recreation Grant Program was established over 10 years ago. Whilst there have been assessments of some individual grant programs during this period, until now there has been no review of the overall grant program.
The priorities for Government and the sport and recreation industry have developed over the past 10 years, evidenced most recently in the NSW State Plan and Game Plan 2012 – the five year plan for the sport and recreation industry.
In order for the Sport and Recreation Grant Program to reflect current Government and industry priorities and maximise the use of available funds to achieve Government and industry outcomes, a review of the program was carried out.
The key changes arising from the review will ensure that funding programs support increased participation in recreation and sporting activities and that investment is prioritised to achieve the most effective outcomes for the community.
The future focus of Sport and Recreation funding programs will be on:
From 2009/10 the Sport and Recreation Grant Program will be consolidated around three key focus areas that are aligned to NSW Government priorities:
In addition, a new fund for Sport and Athlete Development Initiatives is available to support projects that contribute to industry and development and reduce barriers to participation in sport. This will realign previous allocations that supported sport or athlete development. A range of priority target groups have been identified in new program guidelines to ensure that previous priority groups continue to be targeted and funding contributes to achieving the most effective outcomes.
The new approach to the Sport and Recreation Grant Program will deliver significant benefits to the sport and recreation industry, other organisations that support increased participation in recreation and sporting activities and to the community more broadly.
A major improvement for the people of New South Wales will be the introduction of an online grant application system. Applicants will be able to enter their project details via a secure online website (an option of completing a hard copy application form will be available).
The major benefits of the new grant programs and the online system include:
The consolidation of funding programs will also increase flexibility so that funding can adapt to changing circumstances and community needs.
New consolidated funding guidelines and application forms have been developed to achieve these benefits.
The guidelines, sample application forms and information about the online application process for the new funding programs are available on the website: www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/grants.
Note: the opening date for applications under the Facilities Development Program will be in December 2009.