Funding
Community Sponsorship Program
The Community Sponsorship Program supports opportunities for Council to partner with our community and upholds the community vision as found in the Community Strategic Plan. Through this funding, Council harnesses the ideas, energy and knowledge of our community to plan and deliver programs and projects that support a connected, healthy, resilient and inclusive Hawkesbury.
Working together in partnership with the community to identify and respond to the needs within the community is one of the important responsibilities of Council.
There are three categories within the Community Sponsorship Program: Participation, Access to Facilities and Resilient Hawkesbury. There are two rounds of the Community Sponsorship Program each year.
Read our Community Sponsorship Program Policy, with the Assessment Criteria Matrix available to read from page six (6) onwards.
Note: Grants are highly competitive, so it is important to read the Community Sponsorship Program Policy, the FAQs and if applicable, the Assessment Criteria Matrix, before applying to ensure that your application fulfils the requirements for funding.
You can only apply once for Participation funding in a financial year and only once for Resilient Hawkesbury funding in a financial year.
The Community Sponsorship Program application forms will open on 1st October 2026 and close on the 31st October for Round 1 Community Sponsorship Program 2026/2027.
Round 1 of the 2026/2027 Community Sponsorship Program is now open!
Resilient Hawkesbury
Council may provide funding to community programs that help to build a connected, healthy, inclusive and resilient Hawkesbury. Maximum funding of $3,000.
Under the Resilient Hawkesbury category, the funding aims to:
- Encourage community groups to develop and implement projects, events or activities that occur in the Hawkesbury LGA that reflect the communities’ priorities as outlined in the Community Strategic Plan
- Enable delivery of creative, recreational, social, environmental and cultural projects, events or activities that enrich the community
- Support community groups to respond to emerging challenges within the community and engage in capacity building activities
- Foster community partnerships and encourages cooperations between organisations to improve access to community services or skills for residents of the Hawkesbury
- Provide equipment for local organisations to increase their community services beyond their current capability
- Promote the Hawkesbury as a vibrant, diverse place to live and/or visit
- Encourage alignment with the principles of access, inclusion and equity
To be eligible for funding under the Resilient Hawkesbury category, applicants must be either a registered not-for-profit organisation, an incorporated community group or a registered charity.
All applicants must have an ABN. The applicant’s details will be checked on the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). The organisations annual revenue must be below $5 million based on ACNC data.
If an organisation is not required by the ACNC to have audited financial statements or an organisation has only been registered within the previous 12 months and an audited financial statement is not available, the following will need to be provided:
- Profit and Loss statement (certified by an accredited accountant)
- Organisational balance sheet (last 10 months)
- Provide evidence of appropriate insurance coverage.
It is not a requirement that organisations be located in the Hawkesbury LGA, but projects must demonstrate that the majority of project participants or beneficiaries are residents of the Hawkesbury LGA.
Organisations that do not have an ABN must have their activity auspiced by a not-for-profit organisation with an ABN that can manage the funding on its behalf.
Participation
Financial assistance may be provided to support the participation of residents who have been selected to represent the Hawkesbury in state, national, or international sporting, artistic, education and musical performance competitions.
Funding is available as follows:
- State competitions $150
- National competitions $250
- International competitions $500
To be eligible an applicant will be required as part of their application to provide the following:
- The name, date and location of the competition or event
- A letter from their coach or the organisers of the competition or event confirming their selection and confirming the amount paid for the competition or event
- If an applicant is under 18, their parent/guardian will need to counter-sign the application.
- If an applicant is under 18, consent must be given by their parent/guardian for the participants name to be published in the Council report. If consent is not given, the participants name will remain confidential.
Access to Community Facilities
Community groups located in the Hawkesbury or providing services to the Hawkesbury, can apply for
financial assistance for a subsidy of 50% off the cost of hiring a Council or community facility up to a maximum contribution of $750.
To be eligible an applicant must be located in the Hawkesbury or providing services to the Hawkesbury.
As part of their application, applicants will need to provide the following:
- Confirmation of organisational status
- A copy of a current public liability insurance
- The name of the facility being hired
- A written quote for the cost of hiring the community facility
Council's Community Event Sponsorship
Information on Council’s Community Events Sponsorship can be found at
Hawkesbury City Council Events Sponsorship page or contact Council’s Event Team on (02) 4560 4444 or email council@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au
General Guidelines for Resilient Hawkesbury
An application assessed as eligible to receive the Community Sponsorship Program is not a guarantee of sponsorship. The decision as to whether sponsorship is approved and the amount to be provided to an applicant rests with Council. Where the amount requested exceeds available sponsorship funds, the assessment criteria matrix score of applications may assist Council in prioritising the allocation of funds.
All funding recipients must enter into a sponsorship agreement and meet all requirements of reporting and acquittal.
An organisation is only eligible to apply for the Community Sponsorship Program once per financial year, excluding auspice arrangements.
Council will not provide in-kind services such as waste removal, site set up, or equipment.
Organisations must include these activities as part of their budget expenses and can be applied for as part of the funding.
Applicants will be required to return the funding if the event is not held within 12 months of the date of the signed sponsorship agreement or if there is a scope change.
Note: Applications may be recommended for full funding, partial funding, or no funding.
Frequently Asked Questions
General questions about the Community Sponsorship Program (CSP)
- When will we find out if our application is successful? When will we receive the funds?
A report will be submitted to Council within two Council meetings following the round closure date, for review and determination by Council. You will be notified as to the success of your application after the council meeting. Funding to the successful applicants will be processed subsequently. - We received CSP funding in a previous round in the same financial year – can we apply again i.e. twice or three times in any given financial year?
No. You can only apply once for CSP funding in each category, in each financial year i.e. You can apply once for Resilient Hawkesbury, once for Access to Facilities and once for Participation in each financial year. - We received CSP funding last financial year – can we apply again this financial year?
Yes. - Can we apply for funding to run a series of activities?
Yes. You may want to run a series of workshops or get help to establish a weekly group. You can apply under the CSP, however there is no funding obligations of Council beyond the successful round. There are no on-going commitments on behalf of the Council for any CSP funding. - Can we apply for more than one category under the Community Sponsorship Program? i.e. Participation and Resilient Hawkesbury? Or Resilient Hawkesbury and Access to Facilities?
Yes. - I am not contributing any funds from the organisation. Will that affect the outcome of my grant?
The CSP funding aims to provide for activities where applicants are providing a clear financial or in-kind contribution. There may be instances where Council still chooses to fund activities without in-kind contributions. - Can a for-profit organisation apply?
To apply for the Resilient Hawkesbury or the Access to Facilities grants you must be a not-for-profit organisation or conducting a not-for-profit activity within the Hawkesbury region. - Do we need an ABN?
Yes. You must be either an Incorporated Association or a Registered organisation with an ABN to apply. Individuals cannot apply. If you are an individual and want to apply, you must be auspiced by an organisation. Please contact Council staff for more information on auspicing and to find out about organisations within the local area that may consider auspicing individuals. - Can we apply if our organisation isn’t based in the Hawkesbury but the program benefits residents in the City of Hawkesbury?
Yes. - What are the community priorities in the Council’s Community Strategic plan?
The current priorities of the Council’s Community Strategic plan are to partner with the community and service providers to build a connected, healthy, inclusive and resilient Hawkesbury. - What is an auspice arrangement? How would an auspice arrangement benefit me?
An auspice arrangement is when an organisation provides support and guidance to another smaller organisation, group or individual. An auspice organisation might offer support with your grant application, assist with insurance cover for activities, or manage the grant funds on behalf of the smaller organisation, group or individual.
If you would like to know more about an auspice arrangement or would like help to find an auspice organisation within the Hawkesbury, please contact the Community Planning and Partnership team at Hawkesbury City Council. - Whose bank account details/ABN/GST details should we provide under payment details?
Provide the details of the organisation who will be managing the funds. For Resilient Hawkesbury and Access to Facilities categories, the bank account details must not be that of an individual. - We can’t apply online, can we still apply?
Yes, we can arrange for a form to be posted to you, and you can return that form by post. Be mindful of closing dates and allow plenty of time for Hawkesbury City Council to receive your application. - Will our information be available for the public to access?
If you apply for the CSP, there is certain information that will be included in the agenda for the Council meeting for review and determination by the Councillors. The agenda, attachments, and the minutes are available on the website for everyone to view. For the participants category, the applicants name, sport and recommended amount are included in the reports. For the Access to Facilities category, the applicant, proposal and recommended amount are included in the reports. For the Resilient Hawkesbury Category, the applicant, proposal (a short description of the program that is being put forward) and the recommended amount are included in the report. The Assessment Matrix for each Resilient Hawkesbury applicant is included in either the report, or in an attachment, irrespective of the whether the applicant is successful or not. - We have another question – what can we do?
For more information on the Community Sponsorship Program, please contact the Community Planning and Partnership team at Hawkesbury City Council.
How to locate Grant Funding and find Grants?
Below are some good options to keep across for available funding options for your Community group or Organisation.
NSW Government Grants and Funding
Find a NSW Government initiative, grant or funding program to help support your business, your project or your community.
Create NSW: Funding and Support
For all NSW Government funded arts and culture grants.
GrantConnect provides centralised publication of forecast and current Australian Government grant opportunities and grants awarded.
FRRR: Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal
A not-for-profit organisation, we connect common purposes and funding from government, business and philanthropy with the genuine local needs of rural people and places.
Community Connective - Funding Opportunities
Sign up to the following newsletters to stay connected with grant opportunities direct to your email.
We specialise in community e-Newsletters for not-for-profits, local government, social enterprises and for-purpose businesses. Grant opportunities from the public and private sector are listed on the page. Click on the subscribe button to receive email updates fortnightly.
For more information, please contact our Community Planning and Partnerships Team by phoning (02) 4560 4444 or email council@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au.
Page ID: 164477
