Environmental Trust
The Environmental Trust is an independent statutory body established by the NSW government to support exceptional environmental projects that do not receive funds from the usual government sources. The Trust is empowered under the Environmental Trust Act 1998, and its main responsibility is to make and supervise the expenditure of grants. The Trust is administered by the Department of Environment and Conservation.
The Trust is chaired by the Minister for the Environment. Members are the Director-General of DEC and representatives from the Local Government and Shires Associations, the Nature Conservation Council and NSW Treasury.
Objectives
The objectives of the Environmental Trust are:
- to encourage and support restoration and rehabilitation projects
- to promote research into environmental problems of any kind
- to promote environmental education in both the public and private sectors
- to fund the acquisition of land for the national parks estate
- to fund the declaration of areas for marine parks and for related purposes
- to promote waste avoidance, resource recovery and waste management (including funding enforcement and regulation and local government programs)
- to fund environmental community groups and
- to fund the purchase of water entitlements for the purpose of increasing environmental flows for the State's rivers and restoring or rehabilitating major wetlands.
The Trust also reimburses NSW Treasury for approved forestry restructuring payments under the Forestry Restructuring and Nature Conservation Act 1995.
Grants for 2007
The Trust will offer nine competitive grant programs in 2007. The following programs will open on 24 February 2007, however closing dates will be staggered. The Education, Research (major and minor categories) and Urban Sustainability (Major) programs have a two-stage application process. See table below for further details.
In 2006, 159 grants were awarded between the Protecting Our Places, Eco Schools, Research, Research Seeding, Education Community and Government, and Restoration & Rehabilitation Community and Government grant programs, totalling $5,713,813.
|
Summary of Environmental Trust Grant Programs - 2007 |
|
Program |
Detail |
Closing Date |
Funding Available 2007 |
|
Education
(Community) |
Expression of Interest |
CLOSES 5pm Friday 30 March
|
$500,000 |
|
Education
(State and Local Government) |
Expression of Interest |
CLOSES 5pm Friday 30 March
|
$500,000 |
|
Research (Major and Minor Categories) |
Expression of Interest |
CLOSES 5pm Friday 30 March
|
$900,000 |
|
Research (Seeding Grants) |
Application |
CLOSES 5pm Friday 30 March
|
$100,000 |
|
Eco Schools |
Application |
CLOSES 5pm Friday 27 April
|
$150,000 |
|
Protecting Our Places |
Application |
CLOSES 5pm Friday 25 May
|
$500,000 |
|
Restoration and Rehabilitation (Community) |
Application |
CLOSES 5pm Friday 4 May
|
$1,500,000 |
|
Restoration and Rehabilitation
(State and Local Government) |
Application |
CLOSES 5pm Friday 4 May
|
$1,500,000 |
|
Urban Sustainability Program (Major Projects) |
Expression of Interest |
CLOSES 5pm Friday 30 March |
$50 million over 4 years |
|
Urban Sustainability Program (Seed Grants) |
Application |
CLOSES 5pm Friday 30 March |
$600,000 |
For further information on any of these programs, select the relevant link above.
Information on grants awarded in previous years can be accessed by selecting the relevant program from the side menu.
For further information, please contact the Environmental Trust on (02) 8837 6093.
Environmental Trust
PO Box 644, PARRAMATTA 2124
Phone: (02) 8837 6093
E-mail:envirotrust@environment.nsw.gov.au
