The Environmental Trust is an independent statutory body established by the NSW government to support exceptional environmental projects that do not receive funds from the usual government sources. The Trust is empowered under the Environmental Trust Act 1998, and its main responsibility is to make and supervise the expenditure of grants. The Trust is administered by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW).
The Trust is chaired by the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment. Members are the Director-General of DECCW and representatives from the Local Government and Shires Associations, the Nature Conservation Council and NSW Treasury.
Objectives
The objectives of the Environmental Trust are:
- to encourage and support restoration and rehabilitation projects
- to promote research into environmental problems of any kind
- to promote environmental education in both the public and private sectors
- to fund the acquisition of land for the national parks estate
- to fund the declaration of areas for marine parks and for related purposes
- to promote waste avoidance, resource recovery and waste management (including funding enforcement and regulation and local government programs)
- to fund environmental community groups and
- to fund the purchase of water entitlements for the purpose of increasing environmental flows for the State's rivers and restoring or rehabilitating major wetlands.
The Trust also reimburses NSW Treasury for approved forestry restructuring payments under the Forestry Restructuring and Nature Conservation Act 1995.
Notification of grant decisions 2009
The Trust has made decisions on the Eco Schools, Lead Environmental Community Groups, Protecting our Places, Research Seeding and Urban Sustainability Planning grants programs and applicants have been advised accordingly. A total of 114 grants were awarded across the five programs totalling $2,894,957. Details of successful projects can be accessed by selecting the relevant program on the side menu.
Announcements on all other programs are expected in December 2009 or January 2010.
The table below outlines the grant programs that were offered in 2009.
Grants for 2009
The Trust offered ten competitive grant programs in 2009 up to a value of $6.75 million. All grant programs opened on 21 March 2009 however closing dates were staggered. The Education and Research (major and minor categories) programs had a two-stage application process. See below for a summary of the programs and amounts that were offered in 2009.
|
Summary of Environmental Trust Grant Programs - 2009 |
| Program |
Detail |
Closing date |
Funding available 2009 |
|
Education
(Community) |
Application -
by invitation only |
CLOSED |
$500,000 |
|
Education
(State and Local Government) |
Application -
by invitation only |
CLOSED |
$500,000 |
|
Research
(Major and Minor Categories) |
Application -
by invitation only |
CLOSED |
$1,000,000
total program
|
Research
(Seeding Grants) |
Application |
CLOSED |
|
Eco Schools |
Application |
CLOSED |
$150,000 |
|
Protecting Our Places |
Application |
CLOSED |
$500,000 |
|
Restoration and Rehabilitation
(Community) |
Application |
CLOSED |
$1,500,000 |
|
Restoration and Rehabilitation
(State and Local Government) |
Application |
CLOSED |
$1,500,000 |
|
Urban Sustainability Program
(Sustainability Planning) |
Application |
CLOSED |
$500,000 |
|
Lead Envvironmental Community Groups |
Application |
CLOSED |
$1,800,000
over 3 years |
For further information on any of these programs, select the relevant link above.
For further information on the application process: grant assessment process
Information on grants awarded in previous years can be accessed by selecting the relevant program from the side menu.
Dissemination program
This program provides funding each year to a number of high achieving, completed projects to extend the learnings and benefits more widely across NSW.
For further information, please contact the Environmental Trust on (02) 8837 6093
Environmental Trust
PO Box 644, PARRAMATTA 2124
Phone: (02) 8837 6093
E-mail:info@environmentaltrust.nsw.gov.au
