Funding
Funding pool 1: Local councils outside of Greater Sydney
$2.5 million (and any remainder from funding pool 2)
Funding pool 2: Local councils within Greater Sydney
$7.5 million (and any remainder from funding pool 1)
This approach will ensure newly included councils outside of Greater Sydney are evaluated separately from councils that have had previous experience with the grant program, access to data, and the Greener Neighbourhoods program.
Grant funds may be spent on contractors to undertake any part of the project. Councils are responsible for overarching grant project management including all reporting and communication with the Department of Planning, Housing and Industry. Councils are encouraged to estimate the value of staff time working on grant projects and include that as ‘in-kind’ contribution in grant application budgets.
Grant funds cannot be allocated to staff costs paid through councils’ salary or wages payroll systems, even if they are employed on a temporary contract. This includes internal staff costs associated with the planting of trees and understorey plants.
Yes, grant funds can be used for consultants or contractors to undertake essential community engagement to support tree and biodiverse understorey planting activities.
12 months is the maximum establishment period to be funded under this program. Councils may choose to extend the establishment period using council resources before including all plantings in councils’ ongoing regular maintenance program.
Up to 10% of a grant can be used to fund the 12-month establishment period (including for external contractors), with council to provide the remainder. Regardless of funding, council is to commit to completing the 12-month establishment period for all plantings and their ongoing maintenance beyond this period.
Applications for projects connected with other unconfirmed funding sources may be submitted. The dependencies of every project should be clearly identified in the application. Please ensure your application includes all up-to-date information and any risks to the project proceeding. Details regarding the unconfirmed funding should be included in your application as a risk for consideration during assessment.
Yes, funding for all those items may be included in an application and fall under site preparation.
It’s council’s responsibility to ensure comprehensive record keeping of financial information. As part of each milestone report, council will be required to submit a project expenditure report which outlines all costs incurred. The Department may request copies of receipts or invoices.
It’s council’s responsibility to propose a budget as part of their project application that is based on reasonable cost assumptions, drawing on recent quotes, invoices, and other documentation where possible. Councils are encouraged to build contingencies into budgets to cover any unexpected price increases and to plan projects in such a way as to mitigate price increases, as much as possible.
Eligibility
Green walls and facades are ineligible for grant funding. They are ineligible for funding under this program, but they can be funded by councils and included as their in-kind contribution to a larger urban greening project.
Publicly accessible green roofs are eligible for grant funding; however, projects should be designed primarily around trees with biodiverse understorey planting. Councils may consider covering or contributing to the costs associated with a green roof as their contribution to the overall project. For all applications, including those with publicly accessible green roofs, council must be satisfied that the proposal meets all relevant building codes and has the necessary approvals.
No. Bush regeneration is ineligible for funding under this grant round. Bush regeneration is defined as “The process of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed vegetation areas. Also known as natural area restoration.” (National Trust)
Projects cannot plant weeds or invasive species. Councils are encouraged to check both council and neighbouring councils’ weeds lists. Exotic species are eligible.
Projects should consider ‘the right tree in the right place’ when designing projects.
Councils are encouraged to provide reasons for species selection in applications. Councils are encouraged to refer to resources such as Which Plant Where, Gardening Responsibly, and Woody Meadows when choosing species.
The grant guidelines identify eligible projects to include “on council-owned or council-managed land or property (e.g. publicly accessible rooftops)”. This includes projects on state-owned, council-managed land.
Where proposed, supporting material such as planning documents, copies of correspondence, etc. may be included as supporting documentation to demonstrate that landowners do not have any plans or intentions that may negatively impact grant-funded projects in the future.
If there is doubt about the longer-term security of land on which the project is proposed or council is unable to include land-owner confirmations of that security, council should exclude that land from the grant application. Alternatively, council may wish to make a separate grant application to plant on land that is not under council’s longer-term control. That way, any doubt about less secure land may not disadvantage council’s other applications to plant on council-owned land.
Planting details
The grant guidelines provide the following definition of a tree: ‘For the purposes of the Greening our City program, a tree is a tall, long-lived, woody plant that casts shade and provides a cooling effect.’ Whilst no minimum height is included in the definition, the program’s expectation is that trees will grow to be at least 3 meters, as this is the height at which the program’s canopy data begins measuring canopy trees. The guidelines specify that planting trees of 45L pot size or larger is recommended. Smaller plantings may be considered as part of biodiverse understorey plantings.
Biodiverse understorey plantings are highly encouraged to support all tree plantings. They are diverse, flowering, and layered plantings which include shrubs, grasses, and groundcovers that enhance the biodiversity value of the various typologies that are present across urban areas (e.g. roads, streets, laneways, campuses, district, local and pocket parks, cemeteries, reserves, disused lots, etc).
For the purposes of this grant round, understorey planting includes woody shrubs, grasses, and herbaceous groundcovers of less than 3m in height at maturity, including within planter boxes, but does not include lawn or turf. Recommended pot sizes for these plants are 50mm, 75mm, 140mm, 150mm or 200mm. Applicants are also encouraged to consider their planting approach, including plant density, set out, and layering of plants as part of the planting design. Refer to the Biodiversity in Place framework for further information.
Application form
If the projects have the same objectives, councils are encouraged to include them in 1 application; however, nothing is preventing multiple applications from the same council. No more than 3 applications will be accepted from each council.
Other
Yes. The aim of the program is to increase tree canopy cover across the Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Lower Hunter, and Illawarra-Shoalhaven regions. LGAs with high canopy cover often include suburbs or areas with low canopy coverage.
Partnerships between council and other entities are eligible as part of the grant program. Projects funded in previous rounds have included partnerships with other state and federal funding agencies, universities, utility providers, other councils, regional organisations of councils, Not for Profits, and the private sector. Where partnerships are proposed, council is ultimately responsible for the delivery of the project as the sole signatory of the funding agreement.
Projects that are located within and adjacent to low and mid-rise housing areas demonstrate alignment with the NSW Government’s policy. Refer to the Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy Indicative Map for more information.
For enquiries or more information, contact the team at [email protected]