Environmental Research

The program is now closed to applications. The following guidelines were provided to assist applicants to the 2025 round in preparing expressions of interest.

• Environmental Research Grants Program guidelines 2025
• Environmental Research Grants Program: How to design and develop your environmental research project 2025
• Letters of Support – tips and sample (DOCX 86KB)
• The role of the external manager – tips and information
• 2025 Environmental Research Sample Workplan.

Applicants submitted their expressions of interest via the Grant Management System.

From 2022–23 onward, all aspects of planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (including expenditure) will be managed through the online Grants Management System. Instructions for using the Grants Management System are available through either:

• the Grants Management System (for registered users)
• by contacting the program Grant Administrator at: info@environmentaltrust.nsw.gov.au.

More information on planning and reporting can be found on the Trust's planning and reporting page.

Workplan

Grantees under the 2022–23 round onwards must implement a project management framework that includes a workplan (previously known as Monitoring and Evaluation Plan).

You will develop a workplan that builds on information you provided in your application. The workplan:

• assists grantees to plan and manage their projects over the duration of the grant
• improves grantee and Trust understanding of what projects will deliver and how, and sets indicators that tell us whether projects have achieved their intended outcomes
• outlines how activities will be implemented, monitored and evaluated
• provides a basis for annual reporting.

If you are awarded a grant, your workplan will be further developed in consultation with your Grant Administrator and the Trust's Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting officer.

Monitoring

The Trust expects and supports effective and consistent monitoring of project activities. Monitoring methods will vary depending on the nature of the work being carried out.

We ask you to ensure that minimum standards are created by establishing the following:

• Consistent monitoring methods are used to measure activity implementation and progress – for example, photo monitoring, mapping, participant surveys, et cetera.
• Benchmarks/baseline data is captured at the commencement of projects and individual activities that may be used to demonstrate the outcomes your work is achieving over the life of the project.

Evaluating

Methodologies also vary between projects. They should be part of your project's annual review (incorporating adaptive management concepts) and reporting process.

This may involve people from your organisation, with relevant stakeholders/partners, examining the implementation of your workplan over the previous stage, assessing strengths and weaknesses then integrating improvements/changes.

Grantees from the 2022–23 round onwards will submit milestone reports at the end of each milestone using the online Grants Management System.

Research grantees under the 2021 round and prior should use the progress and final reporting form (DOCX 83KB) template for your reports.

Reports provide an opportunity to reflect on the implementation of the project and identify opportunities for adaptive management.

Each report is reviewed by a representative of the Trust with technical expertise relevant to your project. If your report demonstrates that your project is progressing well, the next instalment of your grant will be authorised, and your Grant Administrator will provide you with feedback from the reviewer.

When your project finishes, you will submit a final milestone report detailing the project outcomes.

Financial reports

You must submit a current financial report with progress and milestone reports.

If you need to change your project's budget, you should apply for a budget variation.

Research grantees under the 2022–23 round onwards will submit financial reports via the workplan section in the online Grants Management System.

Research grantees under the 2021 round and prior should use the forms provided on the financial reporting page.

You will need to submit a certified financial report as a part of your final project report.

Where to send reports

Grantees under the 2022–23 round and onward will submit milestone reports directly through the Grants Management System.

Grantees under the 2021 round and prior should email reports and other documents to info@environmentaltrust.nsw.gov.au (50MB limit).

If you have any questions about the reporting process or requirements, please contact your Grant Administrator by emailing info@environmentaltrust.nsw.gov.au.

Acknowledgement requirement

Please acknowledge the funding you have received from the Trust in all publications and materials related to your project. We ask that you say:

This project has been assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust.

You also need to use the New South Wales Government logo. See Funding acknowledgement and logos for details.

The successful 2023–24 grants have now been announced. The Trust:

• received 70 expressions of interest
• invited 13 organisations to submit full applications
• received 13 applications requesting a total of $2,490,061
• awarded funding to 6 projects totalling $1,133,834.

See the Project summaries.