NSW Regional Events and Partnerships (Active Regional Communities Package)

Grants from $750K-$2M for NSW regional events and infrastructure
50% co-contribution required
EOI closes March 30th, 2026

The NSW Government’s Active Regional Communities (ARC) – Regional Events and Partnerships stream supports significant events in regional NSW that deliver ongoing local benefits. The program is designed to strengthen regional liveability and resilience by helping communities attract or grow events and improve the infrastructure and assets that enable those events to be hosted more frequently and reliably.

Funding can support projects that attract or develop new events, expand existing events through new and/or upgraded permanent infrastructure or activation of under-used assets, and increase the frequency of events by addressing barriers to regular use of assets or temporary facilities.

Applications use a two-stage process: Stage 1 is an Expression of Interest (EOI), followed by Stage 2 (invitation-only) for a detailed application addressing the selection criteria with supporting evidence.

Key Requirements

Deliver ongoing local benefits from significant events in regional NSW. Projects must clearly contribute to the stream’s objective and expected outcomes (economic growth, social outcomes, liveability and resilience).
Co-contribution requirement. Applicants must make a financial contribution of at least 50% of total project cost (with limited exemptions). Australian Government grant funding can be included in the co-contribution; NSW Government grants cannot be counted toward the minimum co-contribution.

What is eligible for funding?

Attract or develop new events in regional NSW that deliver ongoing benefits (e.g., economic growth and improved social outcomes).
Expand existing events through new and/or upgraded permanent infrastructure or activation of under-used assets.
Increase event frequency by addressing barriers to regular/reliable use of assets or temporary facilities.
Event facilitation costs such as engaging temporary staff, programs or service providers linked to delivering the event and ongoing benefits.
Construction costs for infrastructure development/expansion/upgrades aligned to the program objective and not “business as usual.”
Example projects (guidance only): attracting/hosting a major event including operations (safety, communications, community engagement) with community activities (e.g., sport clinics); infrastructure enabling music/cultural/industry/sporting events; upgrading showgrounds (power, lighting, surface improvements) for recurring markets/festivals.

What companies are eligible for funding?

Eligible entity types include:

A company incorporated in Australia
An incorporated association or co-operative
Legally binding partnerships or trusts
An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation (CATSI Act 2006)
Incorporated Aboriginal community organisations (as described on the page)
Local Aboriginal Land Councils
Incorporated not-for-profit organisations
Local councils, Section 355 committees, or joint organisation of councils
Sporting bodies (State or National associations)
Lord Howe Island Board
Unincorporated Far West groups

Important considerations (for companies/businesses): must hold an ABN, demonstrate financial viability (most recent 3 years of financial statements), and hold/commit to $20m public liability insurance, plus meet the other compliance declarations listed on the NSW page.

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

Industry analysis presentation
Competitor Analysis Presentation
Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.

This grant is open

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