The Community Services Grants are open to support programs or projects that help increase equality in the local area, develop resilient and adaptive communities and support strong governance and civic engagement for sustainability.

The program assists organizations to trial innovative services or establishes a program that addresses an unmet need for City of Sydney residents, workers and visitors.

Funding Priorities

Priority areas include digital inclusion, food security, social isolation, tenancy support, programs and services that strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and support to vulnerable community groups.

Funding supports projects that:

1. Connect people: Build diverse, cohesive and connected communities:
   • Increase participation of people who are at risk of isolation
   • Increase trust, awareness and understanding between people and across communities
   • Facilitate inclusion and equitable access to facilities, services, open spaces and community life
   • Provide access to information and training.
2. Increase opportunity: Reduce vulnerability and disadvantage:
   • Facilitate access to education, training and employment opportunities
   • Improve social and physical wellbeing through a prevention and early intervention approach
   • Facilitate access to high quality, affordable housing
   • Facilitate access to high quality, affordable child care
   • Address financial and transport disadvantage.
3. Build community capacity: Increase capability and coordination of community services and participation in decision making:
   • Raise awareness about social sustainability in the community
   • Strengthen governance and accountability in community organizations
   • Improve collaboration and coordination of community support and services
   • Encourage participation in civic and community activity
   • Address emerging issues for vulnerable groups including food insecurity, digital inclusion, social isolation and housing

Funding Information

• Funding is available in amounts from $5,000 to $50,000 per year for up to 3 years.
• Value-in-kind in the form of street banner and venue hire fee waiver is also available.
• This year, additional priority areas include but are not limited to projects that;
  • Increase digital inclusion, address food security, reduce social isolation and provide tenancy support, strengthen and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities;
  • Support vulnerable community groups including people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, young people, older people, people with disability, international students, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, women, LGBTIQ communities and low income earners.

Program Outcomes

• Applications can contribute to one or more of the following outcomes:
• Increased participation in community and civic life and local decision making
• Increased engagement in healthy, active living including mental health
• Increased community capacity to address local needs/opportunities
• Strengthened social cohesion, sense of belonging and connection to place
• Reducing disadvantage and increasing access to opportunities

Eligibility Criteria

• An applicant must operate within the City of Sydney local government area or be able to demonstrate benefits for the city’s residents, workers and/or visitors.
• These individuals and organizations can apply:
• Not-for-profit organizations
• Individuals or unincorporated community groups auspice by a not-for-profit that is eligible to apply in their own right.
• Applicants are encouraged to select an aspiring organization that is relevant to the sector and can support the development of the proposal.

For more information visit City of Sydney