Grant Fund exhausted by March 2025!

Available cash to assist in net zero and sustainability planning in NSW exhausted early.

Are you a business, an Executive Board member or part of a management team aching to get moving on implementing changes that can reduce your exposure to climate risk? Both physical and financial?

Is your business or entity part of a larger business’ supply chain? Might you soon be asked to supply sustainability information, as part of mandatory reporting requirements by Australian or international regulations? Wait, what? (check my other article).

Not sure where to get started?

Perhaps recruiting a sustainability leader, officer or adding sustainability duties to an existing staff member’s list of duties is on your to-do list this year?

The great news WAS that, if you’re located in NSW, a new funded program would assist with the majority costs of increasing your understanding and “buying in” some expertise to work alongside your team on climate risk and opportunity planning and implementation.

The Program aims to support business with long-term net zero planning and to help NSW business to get moving toward increasing their competitiveness in the global transition to net zero. Up to $30,000 was available from January through to March 2025, until its predicted closure date of May 2025. The grant guidelines insisted it would be fast turnaround, and not-too-onerous application process.

How do you access this?

It’s called the Net Zero Planning Grant, the net zero webpage and funding guideline tells you all you need to know to apply, yet if you want to get moving quickly, with assistance and confidence, Good Natured ESG can help.

What’s the catch?

Eligibility and financial co-contribution.

The program guidelines stipulate eligibility and project outline to include:

• Spend at least $200,000 annually on energy bills at a single site in NSW or a total of $500,000 across multiple sites in NSW. This includes all purchased fuels, except fuel for transport. You will need to upload supporting documentation.
• Must not be a Safeguard facility under the Australian Government’s Safeguard Mechanism.
• Follow a milestone 1 and 2 approach, with set deadlines and an engaged specialist consultant selected by the grantee (you). It is the consultant whom must submit the resulting outputs of the planning (milestone 1) and movement toward implementation (Milestone 2).
• All milestone one activities must be completed by the specialist consultant within 8 weeks from the commencement date of the funding deed.
• Up to $30,000 is available and would represent 75% of a total project cost (your investment is $10,000 across the project you shape with your dedicated consultant).
• There are stipulations around what the grant can’t fund, on the webpage.

How soon must my net zero planning project commence, and when would it need to conclude by?

Funding was open January until early May 2025, with a commitment to a 20-business-day turnaround for an answer on your funding application. 

Applications would be assessed as they are received. This means, if applications fit the funding guidelines, organisations could benefit from the grant funding to get started on planning, in as little as 20-40 days depending on the turnaround, and your ability to sign the funding deed and engage a consultant.

The grant stipulates a project end date 40 weeks after the application submission date.  

For assistance in navigating your position and requirements, from strategy to solutions, to external communication to reporting content or data structures, reach out to make a time to start the discussion with Good Natured ESG.

Why work with Good Natured ESG on this grant application?

1. Kellie has in excess of 20+ years experience in planning and delivering NSW Government science, policy, communications and large infrastructure projects.
2. The grant application process seeks, in 500 words your entity’s alignment with the grant objectives and a commitment to work towards net zero. Our initial meeting and planning sessions can develop an effective proposition consistent with your organisation’s appetite.
3. I’ve successfully secured NSW Government grants using the Smarty Grants framework, as an independent consultant.
4. I meet the stipulations of a specialist consultant, and if and when required there is a need to engage niche technical specialists I’m more than happy to help identify and invite those specialists into the planning process to best scope and assist implement your entity’s net zero plan.
5. Do reach out for a complementary 20 minute discovery session to understand how we can help you. We offer competitive rates to commence a grant application process, and can map out what a project engagement and delivery timeline could look like for your organisation.