When your grant application is successful, you will need to manage your grant and report on the work you achieve throughout the grant period. Here we provide steps to follow to help you meet our requirements. For all grants awarded from 2020 on this needs to be done through the Grants Management System.
Liaise regularly with your department regional contact officer about your project. If you are unsure who your contact officer is, email us at: [email protected].
When you receive the grant offer you must return a signed copy of your funding agreement by the date stipulated in the letter of offer, this is generally within 45 days of receipt of the grant offer/letter.
The funding agreement outlines conditions of the grant, such as how payments are made, what is eligible for subsidy, reporting requirements, and your responsibilities.
Your funding agreement will include information about additional support available to you as well as your responsibilities. Liaise with your department regional contact officer for advice on project briefs, tenders you may call for and the eligibility of project elements for funding.
You need to complete and submit a work plan for the project by the date listed in the funding agreement. For all grants awarded from 2020 onward, this needs to be done through the Grants Management System. Your work plan helps you manage your project and grant by outlining milestones, activities, outputs, timing and budget.
Your work plan should be developed with your department regional contact officer, so consult with them when you develop it. Your work plan needs to be approved by the Coast, Estuary and Flood Grants Branch before you award a contract for the project.
Submit your documents via email to: [email protected].
Milestones
Milestones are significant stages of a project that are linked to payments. Each milestone must include at least one costed activity for payments to be made. For all grants awarded from 2020 onward, this needs to be done through the Grants Management System. For older projects you will need to submit a milestone report and expenditure certificate to claim each payment. A project with a total value up to $50,000.00 should only have 1 to 3 milestones and larger value projects usually have 3 to 6 milestones. Milestones are typically based on the tender document. For example:
- data collection and review
- public consultation
- draft report.
You should also check that:
- the last projected milestone completion date is no later than the project completion date noted in your funding agreement
- there are at least 2 milestones over the life of the project.
Activities
Activities describe the work that will be done to achieve a milestone. For example:
- acquisition of data
- literature review
- environmental assessment
- identify management options
- public exhibition of draft report
- revegetation activities, such as planting 3000 native plants.
Activities not eligible for funding are listed in the program guidelines.
Outputs
Outputs are the products or services delivered as a direct result of activities undertaken in your project. You will need to demonstrate you have achieved these outputs to receive a payment, so make sure they are easy to measure and/or validate. For example:
- research papers
- number of community meetings held/submissions assessed
- flood behaviour defined/mapped
- number of cubic metres of weeds removed.
Timing
Projected milestone completion dates are used to track project progress and manage your budgets. Be realistic about the timeframes you set for each activity and milestone. If you are unlikely to meet a milestone within 1 month of the projected milestone completion date, you will need to submit a revised work plan or a variation request.
Think about adding a buffer period of at least 2 months between your projected milestone completion date and projected due date of the last activity for that milestone. This will reduce the need to update your work plan if an activity is slightly delayed.
Budget
Total estimated milestone cost is the estimated cost for delivering a milestone including your contribution, partner contribution/s, and the government grant, excluding GST.
Estimated milestone payment amount is the proportion of the government grant dedicated to that milestone. This amount cannot exceed the funding level/funding ratio of the estimated milestone cost in the funding agreement for this project. The total of milestone payment amounts cannot exceed the maximum funding amount.
When a milestone has been completed, you'll need to submit a milestone report and a corresponding expenditure certificate to claim a payment. Your approved work plan will contain details about milestone completion dates and estimated costs. Your payment will be based on actual cost at completion of the milestone. For all grants awarded from 2020 onward, this needs to be done through the Grants Management System. For older projects use the templates below.
Use our templates to prepare these:
- Coast, Estuary and Flood Grant Milestone Report Template (XLS 87KB)
- Coast, Estuary and Flood Grant Expenditure Certificate Template (XLS 55KB)
- Automatically Populate Coast, Estuary and Flood Grant Reporting Workbook (XLS 2.3MB)
Submit your documents via email to: [email protected]
Changes to your work plan, delays to your project or grant variations can happen. Discuss these with your department regional contact officer. For all grants awarded from 2020 onward, this needs to be done through the Grants Management System. For older projects use the templates below.
For example:
- If you require an extension to the funding term noted in your funding agreement, you'll need to submit a Variation request form (DOCX 69KB), outlining the reason for the delay and your project progress to date.
- If you need to vary the grant amount or scale/scope of your project, you must submit a Variation request form (DOCX 69KB) with support for this request.
Submit your documents via email to:[email protected].
NSW Government logo
All recipients of coastal and estuary or floodplain management grants, including those who have received funding under the Floodplain Grants Scheme, must acknowledge the NSW government's contribution in any public statements or written material about their project.
Grants recipients need to:
- use the NSW Government logo in publicity material related to projects, including brochures, signage, advertising and invitations
- ensure compliance with NSW Government logo requirements
- use the colour version of the NSW Government logo where possible, the black and white version may be used when colour reproduction is not available or appropriate.
Contact the Coastal, Estuary and Flood Grants Branch for details and requirements for NSW Government and Australian Government logos:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 02 9895 6494
Media releases
Letting local radio, television and newspaper journalists know about significant milestones you reach and project completion is a useful way to get the news out to let local communities know about coastal, estuary or floodplain management initiatives and outcomes.
Contact your local Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water officer and notify them of the intention to issue a media release. All media releases must acknowledge NSW Government support of the project, including the funding amount, for example:
‘This project was supported with [insert funding amount] from the NSW Government’s [insert the relevant program – Coastal and Estuary or Floodplain Management Grant Program.’
Floodplain Grants Scheme and Emergency Response Fund recipients must also acknowledge the Australian Government's support for their project.
Discuss this issue with the Coastal, Estuary and Flood Grants Branch:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 02 9895 6494
Coastal and estuary, and floodplain management grants
As a grant recipient you must:
- acknowledge NSW Government contributions in public statements or written material about your project
- invite government representatives to launches or public events associated with your project
- include the NSW Government logo and written acknowledgement of NSW Government support for the project on invitations
- when a government representative is able to attend an event, acknowledge them as an official guest, and where practicable, ask them to speak at the event
- acknowledge the NSW government in publicity material relating to your project, including brochures, signage, advertising and invitations, by stating: ’This project was supported by the NSW Government’s [insert relevant program – Coastal, Estuary or Floodplain] Management Program.‘
Contact your local department officer to discuss launches and inviting NSW Government representatives.
Floodplain Grants Scheme and Emergency Response Fund
As a Floodplain Grants Scheme or Emergency Response Fund recipient you must:
- invite Australian Government representatives to launches or public events associated with your project
- when a government representative is able to attend, acknowledge them as an official guest
- acknowledge the Australian Government’s contribution under the Natural Disaster Resilience Program in public statements or written material relating to your project by stating:
'This project was supported by the NSW and Australian Governments through the Natural Disaster Resilience Program.' - acknowledge the Australian Government's contribution under the Emergency Response Fund in public statements or written material relating to your project by stating:
'This project was supported by the New South Wales and Australian Governments through the Emergency Response Fund.'
Contact the Coastal, Estuary and Flood Grants Branch to progress invitations to Australian Government representatives:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 02 9895 6494
Your final report should:
- outline the achievements of your project
- confirm required data has been provided
- include financial acquittal certified by the General Manager or the Chief Financial Officer
- be lodged within 2 months of the project completion date.
The report enables us to report to government on the outcomes being achieved by the grant program.
For all grants awarded from 2020 onward, this needs to be done through the Grants Management System. For older projects use the templates below:
Once your final report has been assessed you will be notified of the outcome of your project and grant closure or acquittal.