Lead Environmental Community Groups Program

Aim of the program

The 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
• being actively involved in program and policy development initiatives with governments and industry bodies on environmental issues and
• undertaking activities that support Goals 22 to 24 of NSW 2021
  
  NSW 2021
  
  NSW 2021 is a 10 year plan to rebuild the economy, return quality services, renovate infrastructure, restore accountability to government, and strengthen our local environment and communities. It replaces the State Plan as the NSW Government’s strategic business plan.  NSW 2021 can be found on the NSW 2021 website.
  
  Specific NSW 2021 goals that relate to the LECG program are:
  
  Goal 22     Protect our natural environment
  Goal 23     Increase opportunities for people to look after their own neighbourhoods
                     and environments
  Goal 24     Make it easier for people to be involved in their communities

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 on a whole of NSW basis.

  Organisations that do not address issues on a whole of NSW basis may still be eligible where:

      (a)    their main focus of activity relates to a specific issue(s) where those issues are
               geographically limited (e.g. limited to coastal areas, rainforests, rangelands etc) or;

      (b)    they are umbrella organisations whose activities are multi-focussed and integrated
               and have substantial geographic coverage

  and are recognised as lead community environment organisations.

• 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)    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 and
• be undertaking activities that contribute towards NSW 2021 targets.

Grants awarded for 2012/13

The Trust recently made its decisions on applications to the LECG program.

A total of 22 applications were received requesting $1,428,426, and the Trust awarded 18 one-year grants totalling $600,000.  The Trust offered funding for one year only in this round. The program will be evaluated during 2012/13 and the findings of this evaluation will determine any future directions.

Call for applications

A total of $600,000 was offered for the program in 2012, with grrants of up to $80,000 made available to eligible organisations. 

Guidelines and application forms

The documentation below is for information only.

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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