Lead Environmental Community Groups Program

Aim of the Program

The Lead Environmental Community Groups (LECG) program aims to assist eligible lead environmental community organisations in NSW by contributing towards their administrative costs. This particular program is the only Trust program to offer this type of support.

Objective of the LECG Program

The objective of the LECG program is to provide administrative funds to assist eligible lead environmental community organisations in NSW to value, conserve and protect the natural environment through:

• actively involving the community in projects to protect and enhance the natural environment
  raising community awareness and understanding of, and gathering information on, environmental issues with a view to bringing about behavioural change across the community
• being effective advocates in expressing the community's environmental concerns and
• being actively involved in program and policy development initiatives with governments and industry bodies on environmental issues.

Eligibility

To be eligible applicants are required to meet specific criteria as outlined in the LECG Guidelines.

Your organisation must:

• have its own constitution and be incorporated under the law of a state or territory as an incorporated association, company or cooperative society at the time of lodging the application. Non-incorporated organisations cannot apply using the incorporation status of another organisation
• have the protection and enhancement of the natural environment as one of its primary objectives. (If this is not one of your organisation's principle objectives, but you have established committees or elements which do meet this criteria, you are not eligible for funding)
• be a national, or state body operating in NSW which deals with environmental issues of state significance, that can demonstrate a substantial degree of community support and representativeness in NSW (for the purposes of the LECG program, state and national organisations have been defined in the LECG Guidelines)
• A National organisation would be expected to have a broad NSW membership, a broad perspective on a wide range of environment interests and an acknowledged NSW leadership role, with significant operations in NSW that benefit the NSW environment. National organisations will be required to submit supporting documents with details of operation and costs within NSW. Funding through the LECG program cannot be used to support administrative functions in other states
• A State organisation is one that has a NSW focus, provides a resource for community action in NSW addresses state issues of significance and promotes state environmental objectives within NSW. It could include organisations that address environmental issues of state significance on a whole of NSW basis, or with very substantial geographic coverage
• be a non-government, non-profit organisation, have annual audited financial statements and
  have either:
  a) a minimum voting financial membership of 50 (for organisations whose membership consists primarily of individuals) and/or
  b) a minimum membership of five affiliated bodies with an aggregate membership of 200 or more (for organisations whose membership consists primarily of other bodies)
• be undertaking two or more activities which are consistent with the four criteria within the LECG's Program objective, as previously listed.

Grants awarded in 2009

The Trust has committed $600,000 per year for this program for the next three years. It received thirty-five applications requesting $4,707,944 and awarded 21 grants totaling $1,800,000. A list of successful projects is available on the 2009 Lead Environmental Community Groups grants page.

In line with the LECG program guidelines the Trust decided to allocate funds to as many eligible and worthwhile organisations as the program funding would allow taking into account the following issues:

• the need for an even spread of funds across similar organisations
• State/regional needs and interests
• funding history and profile
• the maximum benefit for the natural environment
• other priorities as determined by the Trust.

Funding for 2009

The Trust offered $600,000 per year for the Lead Environmental Community Groups Program. Grants of up to $80,000 per year were available to eligible organisations.

Guidelines and application forms

Note: the following documentation is for information only and will be updated at the next call for applications, which is not expected to occur until 2012.

Help on downloading and completing application forms.

Grants awarded in previous years

For information on previous grants awarded please select the relevant program from the side navigation menu.

Further information

For further information please contact the Environmental Trust staff:

Environmental Trust
Level 2, 1 Fitzwilliam Street
PO Box 644, PARRAMATTA   NSW  2124
Phone: (02) 8837 6093
E-mail: info@environmentaltrust.nsw.gov.au

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