The NSW Environmental Trust is an independent statutory body that supports projects which enhance the environment of New South Wales.
The Trust was established under the Environmental Trust Act 1998 and administers grants across a diverse range of programs, including contestable grants, major projects and various NSW Government initiatives.
The Trust is chaired by the NSW Minister for Environment and Heritage, and its members include representatives from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, local government, the Nature Conservation Council and NSW Treasury.
Department staff administer Trust programs.
Objects of the NSW Environmental Trust
The objects of the NSW Environmental Trust are to:
- encourage and support restoration and rehabilitation projects in both the public and private sectors that will, or are likely to, prevent or reduce pollution, the waste stream or environmental degradation, of any kind, within any part of New South Wales
- promote research in both the public and private sectors into environmental problems of any kind and, in particular, to encourage and support:
- research into and development of local solutions to environmental problems
- discovery of new methods of operation for NSW industries that are less harmful to the environment
- research into general environmental problems
- assessment of environmental degradation
- promote environmental education and, in particular, encourage the development of educational programs in both the public and private sectors that will increase public awareness of environmental issues of any kind
- fund the acquisition of land for national parks and other categories of dedicated and reserved land for the national parks estate
- fund the declaration of areas for marine parks and related purposes
- promote waste avoidance, resource recovery and waste management (including funding enforcement and regulation, and local government programs)
- fund environmental community groups
- fund the purchase of water entitlements for the purposes of increasing environmental flows for the state's rivers and restoring or rehabilitating major wetlands.
The Environmental Trust also reimburses NSW Treasury for approved forestry restructuring payments under the Forestry Restructuring and Nature Conservation Act 1995.
Online Grants Management System
The Grants Management System (GMS), a customised OmniGrants program, is purpose built to manage the entire grant process online, from application through to final acquittal and evaluation.
It allows you to apply online for grants.
If your application for funding is successful, this GMS will be used to lodge documents related to the project such as work plans, variations, progress reports and final acquittal reports.
Log in or register for the GMS
Through the use of the GMS, some personal information will be collected. The Privacy Policy outlines how this information will be managed.
Annual reports
The annual report provides information to Parliament and the public on the activities, performance and finances of the NSW Environmental Trust, as required by the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983 and the Annual Reports (Statutory Bodies) Act 1984.