NSW Surf Club Facility Program 2025/26

Grant application open until 10 November 2025 for Category 2 and Category 3 projects.
Grants up to:
- $100,000 for Category 2 – Facility Design and Planning Projects
- $1,000,000 for Category 3 – Construction Projects
Total funding pool: $5,458,000 allocated for the 2025/26 program

The Surf Club Facility Program supports Surf Life Saving Clubs across New South Wales to upgrade or develop facilities that are safe, inclusive and accessible. The program is designed to improve the quality of surf club infrastructure by encouraging best practice design principles. It seeks to increase the use of these facilities by both the public and community groups, while actively removing barriers to participation for underrepresented communities, including women and girls, people with disability, First Nations peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. Additionally, the program aims to strengthen the financial and environmental sustainability of surf clubs, ensuring they remain viable and welcoming spaces for generations to come.

Key Requirements

Projects must commence within 6 months of notification.

Applicants must provide:

Minimum 30% co-contribution of total project cost.
Minimum 20% contingency for cost escalation.

Landowner consent and relevant approvals are required.

Funding agreements must be executed within 6 weeks of notification.

Projects must be completed by:

Feb 2027 for Category 2
Feb 2029 for Category 3

What is eligible for funding?

Category 2 – Facility Design and Planning Projects:

Design documents (schematics, floor plans)

Development applications and technical reports

Feasibility studies, business cases

Environmental and engineering assessments

Universal Design audits and community engagement plans

Category 3 – Construction Projects:

New or upgraded buildings (e.g. club rooms, change rooms, kitchens)

Modular facilities

Rescue/safety infrastructure (e.g. storage racks, beach access mats)

External project management (up to 10% of total cost)

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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