Cultural and creative life

Community emergency quick response grants extended

Help build social resilience, strengthen resident connections and support our communities

Wayside Chapel van cropped

The community emergency quick response grant supports small-scale projects for local residents, communities and organisations that build the capacity of our communities to respond to the impacts of Covid-19.

It's part of the City of Sydney’s Covid-19 lockdown urgent response package.

Our package includes immediate relief with these community grants, donations and fee waivers as well as support to revitalise the city post-lockdown.

The community emergency quick response grant supports small projects to help our communities during the Covid-19 pandemic
The community emergency quick response grant supports small projects to help our communities during the Covid-19 pandemic

How much you can apply for: up to $10,000

Who can apply? Not-for-profit organisations or unincorporated community groups are eligible to apply.

Applicants need to be located in our local area or provide significant services to our local residents, workers and visitors.

This grant prioritises organisations or groups that provide food, digital assistance and programs. These are to support vulnerable community groups, temporary visa holders, social housing residents, and people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

We particularly encourage grant applications from organisations, groups and networks that support Aboriginal and Torres and Strait Islander communities, including Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and networks.

When do projects need to commence: Projects can start at any time and should be completed within 6 months.

This program is open until 31 January 2022 or until the budget is exhausted. The timeframe may be extended if needed.

Project thought-starters

Grant recipients from the 2020 lockdown worked a diverse set of projects with the help of our emergency community quick-response grants.

We saw groups like the Deli Women and Children’s Centre pivot their usual face-to-face trauma-support operations to virtual services. This allowed vital counselling, casework and other support like playgroups to continue in a new online format.

Trans Life During C19 was an online forum series delivered by ACON to keep supporting trans and gender diverse people, helping them stay safe and feel connected throughout the pandemic. Each event had around 300 attendees with panellists including health, legal and community experts.

The Asylum Seeker Centre in Newtown was able to provide kindness packs of groceries, hygiene products and mobile recharges direct to peoples home. This funding allowed them to give hope to people seeking asylum living through the pandemic without a safety net.

Many of these community groups have acquired new skills, expanded or diversified their operations and may build on these projects for future growth of their support services.

Need support with your application or have a question?

Find out more about the emergency community quick response grant, including eligibility and assessment criteria details.

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Grants are now open. Apply now.

Published 4 August 2021, updated 16 November 2021