Program details
Applications will be assessed in the order they are received. Applications will be assessed until the funding allocation has been exhausted or the closing date and time occurs. Due to the high demand on this program, it is expected that the funding will be exhausted prior to the closing date. The Office of Sport reserves the right to amend any of these dates at its absolute discretion.
The Office of Sport will conduct regular assessments and make recommendations for funding during the application period until the funding allocation is exhausted or the closing date and time occurs.
Applications not submitted by 1pm on the closing date will not be considered. Applications submitted prior to the closing date, but after the funding allocation has been exhausted, will not be considered.
Applicants are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible after the Program opens.
The NSW Government is providing up to $500,000 in grants to eligible sporting clubs and facility owners through the Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program in 2024-25, with grants up to $3,000 available.
The Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program is aimed at improving availability and access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in community sporting and recreational facilities, for use in emergencies involving cardiac arrest.
An AED is a device that is used in conjunction with Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and delivers a controlled shock to an individual experiencing cardiac arrest, increasing their chances of survival.
Applications open at 9.00am on 17 September 2024, and will close when funding allocation is exhausted, or by 1pm on 27 November 2024, whichever is earlier.
The grant amount will fund the cost of an approved Automated External Defibrillator (AED) package up to $3,000.
There is no mandatory financial contribution. However, where the cost of the selected package exceeds $3,000 the organisation must fund the additional cost.
Applicants can request a grant for one AED package and are limited to one application per financial year.
Applicants who have received funding under previous rounds of the Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program are eligible to apply but will only be funded if the program allocation has not been fully exhausted by the closing date.
The grant will cover the cost of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) package up to a maximum of $3,000. Any additional expenditure is the responsibility of the applicant.
No. Medical aids including defibrillators are GST free. The package prices quoted are GST exclusive and this is the amount that will be awarded as a grant if you are successful.
The final number will depend on the quantum of funds requested. The maximum grant is $3,000, but not all applicants will be seeking that amount. The total budget for the 2024-25 round of the Local Sport Defibrillator Program is $500,000.
No. An assessment will be conducted as to the eligibility of the applicant in each case. Applications will be assessed in the order in which they are received.
Eligible applicants that share facilities with other user groups are encouraged to collaborate on planning for medical emergencies including sharing resources and locating defibrillators to maximise community access. One organisation needs to be the applicant organisation but list the other organisations who will have access to the device at the named facility. The details of the responsibilities under the arrangement should be negotiated between the organisations concerned.
Applicants will need to select an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) provider and an AED package from the approved list.
Applicants should determine which of the approved AED Providers and AED Packages will best meet their needs. All sections of the application need to be completed. If you fail to complete a mandatory field, you will be prompted to do so. Incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible.
Applying for the grant is a simple process using the SmartyGrants platform.
The application can be found here.
Before you apply, please read the Program Guidelines and related materials to make sure you understand all the relevant requirements.
The Office of Sport will conduct regular assessments and make recommendations for funding during the Program timeline, until 27 November 2024 or when the funding allocation is exhausted. The Office of Sport will strive to notify you within two months of the Program closing.
Your application will be unsuccessful if you are ineligible to apply or if the funds from the current round have been exhausted before you submitted your application. If your application does not meet the eligibility criteria you will be notified that your application was ineligible.
Successful applicants will need to enter into a contract with their chosen service provider to purchase the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) package. A copy of the contract must be provided to the Office of Sport at acquittal.
Grants must be claimed within two weeks of being notified your grant application was successful.
The project completion and financial acquittal is due 30 days after the stated project end date in the application form.
All projects should be completed by 31 August 2025.
No. The purpose of the Expression of Interest form was to receive direct notification when the 2024-25 round opened. Applicants who submitted an Expression of Interest have been informed of the launch for the 2024-25 round, including advice regarding the new eligibility criteria. Should they seek to apply for a grant, they will be subject to the same criteria as all other applicants
Eligibility
In 2024-25 the NSW Government will continue to support organisations located, or have a majority of members, in the most disadvantaged areas of NSW. However, we have listened to feedback from the community and recognise that postcode borders do not determine the financial status of a club - so we are providing for clubs who are not eligible based on where they are located but who are experiencing financial hardship to also apply.
Eligible applicants are:
- Incorporated, not-for-profit clubs, associations or organisations in NSW that are sport or recreation related
- State or national sport or recreation organisations on behalf of member clubs located in NSW
- Licensed sporting or recreation clubs in NSW, providing that the AED package directly benefits sport and recreation members or participants
- Sport clubs associated with a school, church or university in NSW, providing they are an incorporated not for profit club in their own right
- Councils, Service Clubs and other incorporated and not-for-profit owners or managers of facilities that are used for sporting or recreational activities in NSW
Eligible applicants must meet eligibility criteria, which can be done in one of two ways:
- Option 1: applicants can demonstrate that their primary clubhouse/facilities or sporting/recreational activities or the majority of participants are located in an eligible postcode, which is defined as being within the lowest five deciles of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Socio-Economic Indexes for Australia (SEIFA). This can be demonstrated by:
- The applicant organisation’s registered address being located within an eligible postcode,
- Applicants providing clear evidence of their sporting or recreational activities being primarily undertaken at a facility(ies) in an eligible postcode, and/or
- Applicants making a case that a majority of their participants reside in eligible postcodes.
- Option 2: applicants can provide evidence that they are experiencing financial hardship, which can be demonstrated by:
- providing clear evidence that they are unable to meet core club expenses or other existing financial obligations as they fall due.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) are a recognised and accepted source of social information that ranks areas according to their relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage using Census data.
Applicants who have received funding under previous rounds of the Local Sport Defibrillator Program are eligible to apply but will only be funded if the program allocation has not been fully exhausted by the closing date.
For the purposes of these guidelines, ‘recreation’ is defined as ‘any pursuit or activity engaged in for enjoyment, relaxation or leisure’
No. In order to receive grant payments, successful applicants will require an ABN or provide an Australian Tax Office Statement of Supplier form. If your application is successful, further information will be provided to you.
Your club/association treasurer should have a certificate of incorporation, or you can search for your incorporated status with:
For organisations with an ABN, the postcode associated with your registered address is available via the Australian Business Register or the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC):
If your organisation does not have an ABN, you can check your organisation’s incorporation registered postcode via NSW Fair Trading here:
You can provide a statement of support from your governing body (you must use the Office of Sport template provided within the Supporting Documents), declaring that over 50% of your members reside within the eligible postcodes (as per Appendix C). If your organisation does not have a governing body, you are able to provide a statutory declaration using the templates provided in the Supporting Documents.
Applicants that would like to apply for this grant that do not meet eligibility criteria 1 would need to apply under financial hardship. Financial hardship applications need to provide clear evidence that they are unable to meet core club expenses or other existing financial obligations as they fall due. This could be evidenced by providing a statement by an independent qualified accountant, statutory declaration, profit and loss from your annual report, or any other evidence deemed appropriate.
Financial hardship is not intended to include where an applicant has significant assets or have not elected to prioritise the project within available resources. All assessments of financial hardship will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will be at the absolute discretion of the Office of Sport.
Automated external defibrillator packages and providers
The Office of Sport procurement process ensures that Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) being purchased with grant funding meet certain minimum standards.
Applicants must purchase an approved AED package from approved Service Providers.
View the list of all approved packages and their pricing in the supporting documents.
Applicants must rely on their own enquiries as to the suitability of the approved AED Service Provider or package for their needs. Each approved Service Provider has developed their own package. Applicants must make their own enquiries as to any additional inclusions beyond the minimum package requirements.
At a minimum, the provision of an AED package will include:
- An AED
- AED familiarisation instruction
- A minimum of six years of essential defibrillator maintenance. Note that battery warranties may have a shorter duration.
No. The maximum grant allocation is $3,000 per Automated External Defibrillator (AED) package. Any additional expenditure is the responsibility of the applicant.
Yes, but they must be an approved device from Approved Service Providers, as listed in the Program Guidelines.
Applicants should make their own enquiries, talk to service providers, and determine the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) products and services that best meet their needs.
The approved AED Service Providers, AED products and services displayed on the Office of Sport website have successfully met the minimum requirements through the NSW Government pre-qualification process and are required to maintain these requirements under the panel contract with the Office of Sport.
No. The grant may only be used to purchase the approved AED products and services from the list of approved AED Service Providers available in the Program Guidelines.
Any costs you incur prior to the grant announcement are at your own risk and not the responsibility of the Office of Sport. AED packages purchased prior to submitting your application are ineligible under this program.
Within six months of accepting the funding terms and conditions, successful applicants must purchase and install an AED. They must participate in AED familiarisation instruction within 28 days of delivery.
The successful applicant is the owner of the device and is required to be responsible for and maintain the AED for a minimum of six years.
No. Successful applicants may be asked to participate in a NSW Government sector data sharing scheme aimed at establishing a register of the location, accessibility, and condition of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), accessible through the Service NSW app. This is to assist communities, planners, and researchers in identifying AED resources State-wide.
Any use of data would be consistent with legislative provisions for data sharing and privacy.
The service providers identified in the Program Guidelines were pre-qualified in 2022 from an official procurement process. All applicants were approved. There is no plan to re-open the pre-qualification process.
Other questions
The online system will not accept applications submitted after the program has closed. Final applications will close at 1pm on 27 November 2024 unless funding allocation is exhausted beforehand.
If you are having problems submitting your application, you should contact 13 13 02 or email grantsunit@sport.nsw.gov.au well in advance of the closing date and in time to seek assistance.
Office of Sport staff are available to provide advice to applicants on the applications process including understanding the guidelines.
Staff are not able to provide advice on the choice of Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
Late applications can only be made where an applicant has started an application in SmartyGrants prior to the closing date/time. If for any reason you are not able to lodge your application on time, you must contact the Office of Sport at the earliest possible time after the closing date/time.
The final determination on whether a late application will be accepted will be made by the Office of Sport supported by a probity advisor.
Note that the program may close prior to the closing date if the program funding allocation is exhausted. No further applications will be received in the 2024-25 program if the funding allocation is exhausted prior to the closing date. Where the funding allocation has been exhausted, the Office of Sport will update the website with this information.
We encourage applicants to research the features and availability of all AED packages on offer.
Should the service provider selected in your application no longer have stock, another supplier can be chosen from the approved list, or an alternative package chosen. However, the approved grant amount will not be increased if the alternative package price is a higher value. If you wish to change the supplier or package you nominated in the application form, you will need to complete a variation request in SmartyGrants.
The suppliers are obligated to charge you the price quoted and enter into a customer contract with you as a condition of this grant and the procurement process through which they became an approved supplier. Please contact the Office of Sport by email at defibs@sport.nsw.gov.au should you require assistance with a supplier concern.
Should you have an enquiry regarding your eligibility, please contact the Program on defibs@sport.nsw.gov.au.
If your question relates to completing an application, please contact the Grants Unit at grantsunit@sport.nsw.gov.au.