Community Energy Activation Program

Alyssa Galliford: Good morning and welcome everyone to the Community Energy Activation Program Webinar. Thank you again for registering to attend this session. My name is Alyssa Galliford and I'll be walking you through the webinar today. 

Firstly, I'd like to pay my respects to the elders of the country on which I'm working today, being their Burramattigal clan of the Dharug nation here in Parramatta. The NSW Department of Climate Change energy, the environment and water acknowledges that it stands on Aboriginal land. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land and the water, and we show our respect to elders, past and present. We do this through our thought through thoughtful and collaborative approaches to our work, seeking to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to providing places in which Aboriginal people are included socially, culturally, and economically. 

A short meeting etiquette reminder to start off. AI enabled tools including automated note taking applications must not be used during this webinar. This requirement ensures we comply with the NSW Government Information and Privacy obligations and protects the confidentiality of any data discussed or collected in this webinar. Please disable any of these tools before the meeting continues. 

I note that this webinar will be recorded and published on the grant program web page for other potential applicants to view later. 

Please hold all questions until the Q&A session at the end of this webinar. 

So, this program started out as one of the 50 actions in the NSW Consumer Energy Strategy. We listened to consumers and community groups to understand their needs, challenges and the work already underway to support the energy transition. 
Many of you on this call will have taken part in the stakeholder workshops we had back in June to voice your suggestions and ideas for how this grant program could help communities and households save on energy costs and how to better support the community energy sector with the important work they are already doing in this space. 

This program is a powerful opportunity for the NSW government to partner with passionate local energy organisations like yourselves to deliver real cost of living relief through saving money on household electricity bills for people across NSW. 

This program will remove barriers for community to access energy saving products and services; support and scale community led energy initiatives; improve the awareness and uptake of existing financial support and energy efficiency programs; and deliver measurable benefits - lower energy bills, reduced emissions and protecting the community against future electricity cost increases.

Through this program, we're committed to supporting community energy organisations with the resources they need to succeed. Through financial assistance and capacity building opportunities, we aim to help you grow, innovate, and deliver lasting benefits for energy consumers. 

OK. So, onto who can apply. To decide this, we consulted widely in our concept development and heard directly from a variety of stakeholders, including registered charities, community energy groups, and consumer advocacy bodies.

We heard that there are already groups passionate and active in this space, and we have a critical opportunity to support those groups to carry out this important work. We've arrived at these as our target applicants for this program.  

To be eligible, you must be either a community energy group or identify as a not-for-profit organisation within Australia that has a purpose or mandate to carry out advocacy for household energy consumers. This can also include a social enterprise that is registered as a not for profit within Australia or a research organisation with a public purpose.

Our reasons for choosing these as our target applicants are these groups are purpose driven and community focused. They're mission led, not profit led and are most likely to prioritise consumer benefit, equity, and local impact over commercial gain.

They are trusted and embedded in communities. They have established relationships, local credibility, and a track record of engaging hard to reach households. They are aligned with public interest and governance and being not for profits are generally subject to greater transparency and accountability, making them better suited to deliver publicly funded programs. And they're capable of delivering advocacy and support. Considering many of these organisations already work in this space and are well positioned to scale their efforts with targeted financial support.

We also note here that partnerships are encouraged, provided the lead applicant (the person submitting the application) meet all the eligibility requirements.

So, this programme will actually fund the delivery of information or education workshops at local level community group events such as P&C associations meetings, Rotary clubs, Probus Clubs, Garden Clubs, Council events, providing expert face to face guidance to the community on topics including, but not limited to, energy saving products and services, energy efficiency upgrades, electrification, and getting involved in virtual power plants and micro grids.  

We're also opening the door for other alternative activities proposed by you as the applicants, that specifically address the needs of your community to enable their participation in the energy transition. This can include projects focused on enabling consumer access to these products and services, or through strategic partnerships, a procurement panel or even the development of a digital platform.  

The activities funded by this initiative will lead to an increased or strengthened capacity of the community energy sector through funding and knowledge sharing and a stronger foundation for a better partnership between the sector and the Government. An increase in the number of consumers accessing and optimising the offerings that are available to them.

The guidance and education will help households to take control of their energy use and make changes to save them money and increase the number of previously unengaged community groups and households supported by your organisation.

We note that there is a minimum 10% co contribution for this program. But this can be met through financial in-kind, or a combination of both, and that grants are between $150,000 and $600,000.

So, we've structured this programme to allow funding for staff, that being internal and temporarily engaged external staff (inclusive of on costs), to build the capacity and knowledge of you as the applicant group with the aim of co-developing or co-delivering the initiative whilst they also impart key insights or skills to strengthen your group's ability to deliver and expand your outreach efforts. Funding of people resources is eligible where it can be demonstrated that the person or people possess relevant skills and experience to conduct the activities. If the individual is an existing organisation representative, you must clearly demonstrate that their role is not the result of cost shifting within your organisation and that the funding will be used to expand the work of your organisation into new cohorts.

Cost shifting is the practice of transferring expenses from one funding source to another to cover costs for work that's already being undertaken by your group.

Where funding is used to engage personnel, the scope of engagement must include a component of those personnel sharing resources and skills with you. This will help you enable continued delivery or development of your organisation beyond the funding period.

Also eligible are administrative costs and these are capped at 10% of the total grant amount. Administration costs include legal fees, insurance policies, audit fees, IT systems and software, as long as they specifically relate or are being used to deliver the funded activities.

Event logistics costs like venue hire, catering and marketing for workshops are eligible and again are capped at 10% of the total grant amount over the life of the project. For example, if your organisation runs four or five workshops, the total spend on venues, catering and promotional materials across the whole of those five workshops must not exceed 10% of the total grant amount over the life of the project.  

It is worth noting here too, we are looking to cover the first 150 kilometres of motor vehicle travel per year, with any travel outside of this requiring prior approval from the department before the expense is incurred. Note that this covers car travel only, not air or rail, and does not include accommodation or meal costs. We're also making producing marketing materials one of our eligible activities, noting that these are quite often the most expensive things when you're conducting these sorts of projects.  

We also want to let you know that there will be a range of plain English resources made available to you as they are developed and released under other actions in the NSW Consumer Energy Strategy and are being worked on right now. We've factored in letting successful applicants know of these resources as they become available.

The program guidelines will give you a little bit more information on the marketing material caps.

Developing and formalising strategic partnerships that enable the development of a service that helps more consumers access energy saving products tailored to their needs and budgets is also eligible.

And again, we've opened the floor to other energy consumer support activities that would not otherwise occur with your organisation without this program funding or to expand current activities that your organisation is running to a wider audience, provided that they also achieve the program objectives.  

Please note that the Community Energy Activation Programme funding does not cover the purchase of capital purchases. However, it can be used to support the negotiation and formalisation of arrangements that enable consumers to access these solutions in ways that suit their needs and budgets.

Now to the timeline for this program. First of all, you submit your application before the round closes. Then the program team makes sure you meet the eligibility criteria and have included all the attachments that you need. Then an expert panel reviews the eligible applications and then scores them based on the program’s merit criteria, which we will go into shortly. Then that panel discusses and confirms the final rankings. Then the panel will make recommendations to the decision maker for those that are for approval, and then we will let you know whether your application was successful or not and then what happens next.  

The approximate timings for this are February 16 2026 is when the round closes. The internal checks occurring in March, the assessment panel to meet in April and an approximate notification of the outcome in May 2026.

Some quick dates for your diary and again, these are in the program guidelines. 16th of February at 5:00 PM is when the applications close and estimated notification of the outcome in May 2026. If you are successful there will be 4 milestones at 30%, 30%, 30% and 10% made approximately a year apart with the last one in April 2029. 

Again, the guidelines and the FAQ on our web page have additional information on the eligibility and the merit criteria.  

To be eligible, these are the basics. That your organisation is a not for profit, including a recognised peak body or a community energy group. Must hold an ABN. Be a legal entity which is financially solvent and able to enter into a funding agreement. Be delivering activities within NSW that directly and exclusively benefit NSW energy consumers and hold a public liability insurance policy of no less than $20 million.  

If your organisation is planning to undertake consumer guidance activities, you as the applicant or your engaged personnel must hold a professional indemnity insurance policy with no less than $5 million for any one claim, and also demonstrate in your application that you have experience running these types of activities and the appropriate risk mitigations and liability mitigations are in place. Importantly, this same work cannot be funded by two different grant programs, whether they be state, federal, or otherwise. More information on this is available in the program guidelines. 

Now let's talk about how your application will be assessed. These are the merit criteria that the expert panel will use to score your submission. We're assembling an independent panel of three subject matter experts who will assess and score your applications against these merit criteria.

There are five key areas –  

Understanding of intended beneficiaries, worth 25%, this is about how well you demonstrate knowledge of the groups and individuals you aim to support.  

Project design, worth 20%, is where we want to see a clear, practical plan that aligns with program objectives.  

Budget and resource allocation, worth 15%, should be demonstrating a realistic and directly linked budget.

Applicant capacity and capability, worth 15%, is where you show your organisation has the experience, partnerships and the resources to deliver.  

And lastly, project impact, worth 25%. This is about the outcomes you expect and how your work will benefit the consumers and communities.  

When writing your application, make sure you provide clear, specific responses for each of these criteria and use as much evidence as you can, such as case studies, letters, or data to strengthen your answers.

For example, understanding beneficiaries. For this criterion, you might like to provide letters of support from community partners or stakeholders, a needs assessment of your community, demographic data, or even an MOU to show that you have a partnership with other organisations.

More information on how to specifically show evidence for each of these criteria is found in the program guidelines.  

Next, we'll look at some practical tips for making your application as strong as it can be.

First up, make sure you read the program guidelines, understand the eligibility criteria, the funding limits and the required documents, and pay attention to any restrictions, including what costs are ineligible and any funding caps.

Plan ahead. Allow time for internal approvals within your organisation and gathering those support documents and also, I do recommend submitting early to avoid last minute technical issues.

Make sure you align your project plan with the program objectives and clearly show how the delivered outcome marries up with the program objectives.

Provide clear, specific responses and avoid generic statements. Be detailed about what you will do, how and why, and include measurable goals and timelines.

Demonstrate your capability. Highlight your organisation’s experience and expertise and show that you have the right people, partnerships, and resources to deliver this work.

Justify your budget. Make sure your costs are realistic and directly linked to project activities and explain why each of these expenses is necessary.

Show community and consumer benefit and show how this project will help the community broadly.

Include examples of expected impact, for example, reduced energy bills, increased engagement. 

Provide as much evidence as you can and attach supporting documents that are accurate and real. Use data and case studies where it's possible to strengthen your case.

And lastly, please proofread and check your authenticity. Ensure your application sounds authentic and reflects your organisation and don't overly use generic or AI generated text without first reviewing it.

On to the topic of AI, we do understand that applicants may like to use AI tools to help draft their applications, and that's OK. However, it's important that we what we read reflects you, your project and your organisation’s capabilities.

Here are some of the good and not so good ways to use AI.

Please remember that all information must be accurate and truthful, and it's actually a criminal offence to provide false or misleading information to us in an application. Responses should sound authentic, not generic. And again, throwing back to my previous slide, remember to proofread and make sure it actually reflects your organisation.  

Supporting documents must be real and applicant generated not made by an AI program or otherwise, and also, we do put the limitation on that AI tools or bots must not be used to directly interact with consumers as part of any of the activities that you're proposing.

Most importantly, your application should showcase your understanding, not just how awesome AI can write.

There are three main ways you can get help when completing your grant application.  

For help related to the Smartygrants or the online application portal that you're using to lodge your application, there is a handy help guide for applicants available on our program web page.

Also on the program web page you'll find the frequently asked questions which we will be regularly updating with any questions we’ve received during the application period and also during this webinar.

For anything else, please email me at [email protected] email address, and I can look into your enquiry.  

Please note for equity reasons and as this is a competitive grant program, we're unable to provide specific or detailed assistance for your particular application, and all applicants have access to the same published guidelines and resources, to make sure we have a fair and transparent process.

Lastly, thank you very much for coming along and best of luck with all of your applications.

You can apply if you are a not-for-profit organisation or a community energy group that supports households or communities in NSW with managing their energy use. 

You must meet the following criteria:

• have an ABN, be a legal entity,
• deliver activities within New South Wales that directly and exclusively benefit communities in New South Wales,
• hold a current Public Liability insurance policy with a value of at least $20 million and
• be financially solvent.

If your project includes conducting consumer guidance activities, you must: 

• hold a Professional Indemnity Insurance Policy (with cover amount not less than $5 million in respect of any one claim) and
• be set up to provide guidance and recommendations, with sufficiently expert staff on hand to do so.
   

No specific cohort will be prioritised as beneficiaries. Through this program, your aim is to provide support and guidance to as many consumers as possible, with a particular emphasis on those who have not previously accessed government support programs or engaged with your organisation.

There is no minimum or maximum community size. The key is that your project:

• Delivers strong benefits to participants
• Aligns with program objectives

Additional considerations:

• Value for money: If you request significant funding, the assessment panel will consider whether the impact of your project is proportionate to the investment and whether benefits could extend beyond the properties nominated in your application.
• Clear outcomes: Projects with strong engagement, measurable savings, and meaningful results will be assessed on their merits.

Yes, partnerships with other organisations, such as local councils, research institutions, government bodies, and other community groups, are encouraged to support knowledge sharing and build local capability. 

• Lead applicant: One organisation must be nominated as the lead applicant to submit the application and, if successful, enter a funding deed with the NSW Government. The lead applicant must be eligible in line with the eligibility criteria in the grant guidelines.
• Auspice arrangement: There is flexibility for applicants to be ‘auspiced’ by another organisation or to have a financially supporting organisation.
  • An auspice arrangement is when another organisation agrees to manage the grant funds and legal responsibilities on behalf of the applicant.
  • This is often used when the applicant is not incorporated or does not have the required financial or governance structures to administer the grant directly.
• Financially supporting organisation: A financially supporting organisation refers to an organisation that provides financial assistance but does not assume legal or reporting responsibilities for the grant.
  • You remain fully accountable for managing the grant and meeting all requirements.

During the application process, the application form will ask whether your organisation is being auspiced or financially supported by another organisation and will give you the option to upload supporting documents.

Yes. The primary purpose of this program is to support projects that directly engage households and communities through trusted guidance, education, and access to energy-saving tools and services to help them manage energy use and reduce costs. 

While you may include research activities, any proposed research must clearly demonstrate how it:

• engages and directly benefits consumers (e.g. through surveys, pilots or trials)
• complements community-led engagement and education
• leads to measurable outcomes such as lowered bills, improved energy literacy, or emissions reductions.

Note: Purely academic or technical research that doesn’t involve direct consumer engagement is unlikely to meet the program’s objectives.

Yes, you can submit multiple applications. However, please consider the following:

• If all your applications score highly and are recommended for funding, would your organisation have the capacity and resources to deliver all of them successfully?
• Would you be able to prioritise which projects should proceed if not all can be funded or delivered at once?

We recommend prioritising a smaller number of applications that best align with your organisation’s capacity and the program objectives to ensure strong delivery outcomes. 

• When submitting multiple applications, make sure to clearly demonstrate your organisation’s capacity to deliver the proposed projects.
• This could include outlining staffing resources, partnerships, project management experience, and any systems in place to manage multiple initiatives effectively.

Additional eligibility criteria applies where applicants are planning to undertake consumer guidance or advice activities as part of their projects. These activities can carry additional risk of liability. To manage this risk, you must:

• hold a professional indemnity insurance policy to cover your organisation in case any claims arise from the advice provided
• demonstrate in your application that you have appropriate risk mitigation measures in place, such as clear disclaimers, documented processes and quality assurance steps
• show evidence of experience in delivering this type of activity or confirm that the person or organisation you engage has the necessary expertise.

No, volunteer-run groups are still eligible to apply. We understand that our applicant pool is diverse and not every organisation will have the expertise or capacity to deliver consumer guidance activities. That’s why this program allows funding for personnel costs, both internal and external. This means you can:

• engage a consultant or specialist to help deliver these services, or
• bring on board additional staff with the necessary skills.

However, any external consultant or specialist engaged should also contribute to building your organisation’s capability in this area, ensuring that knowledge and skills are transferred for future activities.

No, registration with the ACNC is not required. Incorporated associations are eligible to apply, provided they meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the program guidelines. To assist with the assessment process, we recommend including details of your organisation’s incorporation status in your application.

Yes. If the funded activities are related to an initiative you are already delivering, your application must clearly demonstrate how the funding will allow you to expand or enhance your current project. For example, you could outline plans to:

• reach additional communities or consumer groups that you have not previously engaged
• increase the scale or frequency of your sessions
• introduce new resources or tools to improve the effectiveness of your engagement.

The key is to show how the grant funding will add value and broaden the impact of your existing initiative.

Funding supports education, consumer guidance and engagement activities, creation of digital tools or platforms, and partnerships that help consumers access energy-saving products and NSW Government rebates. Capital purchases are not eligible for funding.

No. To be eligible for the program, you must first hold a current Public Liability Insurance policy to the value of at least $20 million. If planning to undertake any consumer guidance activities, the applicant or their nominated staff/contractor must also have a current Professional Indemnity Insurance policy with no less than $5 million cover for any one claim. 

As these are eligibility requirements, grant funds cannot be used to purchase these policies, as it is expected that applicants have these policies in place at the time of grant application. However, grant funds can be allocated to the subsequent yearly renewal of these policies, provided the premium does not exceed 10% of total grant amount which is the cap on administrative costs.

No. An independent financial audit is not required for successful projects. 

However, you must submit an end-of-project report, which includes:

• A financial acquittal detailing how grant funding was spent during the project
• A declaration from an authorised representative (e.g., CFO or accountant) confirming the financial information is accurate and complete

For in-kind contributions:

• Page 11 of the program guidelines provides a sample table and examples of records you should keep.
• At each Milestone Report, you must detail any in-kind contributions and provide supporting evidence. 

If mid-project withdrawals occur, we require a financial acquittal report for funds spent up to the time of withdrawal. This is a report from your organisation, endorsed by someone with appropriate authority showing what funds were used and what they were used on. Occasionally, this may involve repaying a small amount to the department, depending on size of upfront payments and how much was spent. Any remaining funds are returned through the department’s financial processes and are not reallocated, as no further rounds are planned for this program.

Yes, staffing costs are eligible for funding where they directly support the delivery of funded activities. This includes costs for personnel with relevant skills and experience, provided their involvement is not the result of cost shifting. For existing staff, funding must support them to expand engagement. For example, reaching new communities or extending current initiatives.

Funding can also be used to engage consultants or contractors that can support capacity building to ensure knowledge, skills, or resources are transferred to the funded organisation for ongoing delivery beyond the funding period.
 

Yes. We really appreciate the value that mid-scale energy infrastructure projects bring to communities, and we understand the positive impact they can have. 

Key points to consider:

• The main goal of this program is to help consumers save money
• You must clearly separate costs and records for these activities (e.g., community engagement, legal, or financial support) from any capital expenditure related to the infrastructure project
• Your application should demonstrate how your activities will make consumers aware of potential savings.
   

Yes. This program supports many types of community benefits from renewable energy, but our focus is on saving people money. That includes helping reduce energy bills and protecting communities from future electricity price increases. We want to support renewable energy consumer outreach projects that can deliver these kinds of cost benefits.

Improving consumer understanding of renewable energy is important, but projects need to do more than educate. They must show how consumers will actually save money or receive a financial benefit from taking part in the funded activities.

This program isn’t designed to promote or advertise individual businesses. Funded activities should focus on helping consumers understand the benefits they can access, such as saving money on energy bills or improving their energy resilience through renewable energy. 

Any promotional activity must clearly show how it helps inform or engage consumers about these benefits, not how it promotes a business.

Partnerships with businesses may be considered if they help deliver real value to consumers. For example, by providing expert advice or offering discounted energy saving products or solutions.

We ask this to understand whether your proposal complements existing programs already being delivered in Renewable Energy Zones. Our aim is to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure that funded projects extend or build upon existing initiatives, rather than replicate them. Ideally, proposals should bring renewable energy information and benefits to different cohorts or communities that may not have been reached by current programs.

The 150km road travel allowance was introduced as an approximate average across the state to ensure fairness and consistency for all applicants. We acknowledge that rural and remote areas often require longer travel distances, and this was carefully considered when setting the limit. The cap is intended to make the program as equitable as possible for everyone, while balancing overall funding availability.

Yes. While we generally prefer longer initiatives to maximise impact and sustainability, we also welcome proposals for shorter initiatives. These should: 

• align with the amount of funding requested
• represent good value for money.

If your application is successful, project plans can be refined and adjusted during delivery, however, the total funding amount (if approved) will remain fixed.

For shorter projects, the payment schedule will typically consist of 3 milestones instead of 4, spaced evenly across the delivery period. The percentage of funding allocated to each milestone will be determined by the department based on the information provided in your application (refer to page 22 of the program guidelines for details.)

Yes. You are encouraged to include as much evidence as possible to support their initiative(s). This can include video content, social media posts, or other relevant materials that demonstrate your project’s impact, engagement, or outcomes. Ensure that any content provided is accessible and clearly linked to your application so assessors can easily review it.