Get NSW Active 2024-25

The Get NSW Active program is open to all NSW local councils, Lord Howe Island Board, and the Far West Unincorporated Region.

The NSW Government wants walking and bike riding, known as active transport, to be the preferred way for people across NSW to make short trips and a viable, safe, and efficient option for longer trips. 

For Get NSW Active, funding is available for strategy/plan development*, project design, and project construction for walking and cycling projects.

For Active Travel to and from School funding is available for project construction only.

*Funding is not available for development of strategy/plans in the Unincorporated Far West Area. Only design and construction projects are eligible.

Applications can be made for projects that are being delivered over multiple years:

• For projects funded under Get NSW Active, they must be delivered within three (3) years
• For projects funded under Active Travel to and from School, they must be delivered within two (2) years.

The project should be started by 1 July 2024.

Walking and cycling are the most sustainable form of transport, contributing to great places, cleaner local environments, healthier lifestyles, and providing economic benefits to local neighbourhoods. By encouraging more people to walk or ride for everyday journeys, we will improve neighbourhoods and the environment, reduce car use and traffic congestion, support local economies, and improve the general health of our communities.

Up to 100% of the project cost can be funded under Get NSW Active. 

Value must be (excluding GST): 

• Strategy/plan development project: between $30,000 and $100,000. 
• Design project: between $50,0000 and $1,000,000. 
• Construction project: between $50,000 and $10,000,000. Proposals to undertake multiple construction projects under one grant are eligible up to a maximum value of $2,000,000. The projects need to be of a similar facility type and have similar project outcomes.  

• Active Travel to School grants (construction project only): between $50,000 and $800,000.  

Any organisation that is not a metropolitan or regional council in NSW.

Projects that are ineligible for the FY2024/25 Get NSW Active program include:

• Painted on-road cycling lanes and mixed traffic cycling projects with design speeds above 30km/h and/or unsuitable street environments.
• Stand-alone pedestrian refuge projects (note: in some cases, pedestrian or cycling refuges may be acceptable as part of a broader walking or cycling upgrade project where providing for a low demand movement and where an alternative facility type likely cannot not be provided).
• Maintenance of existing assets.
• Projects that primarily deliver bike parking (for example bike storage cages).
• Closed loop recreational projects, e.g., walking/cycling circuits within open space that do not contribute to the broader network.
• Non-infrastructure projects such as behavioural change campaigns, events, promotions, or maps.
• Projects that predominately focus on vehicular traffic improvements.
• Standalone signage or wayfinding projects.
• Standalone lighting projects or lighting of an existing facility.

Funding is available for strategy/plan development, project design, and project construction for the following facility types:

• walking connections
• raised pedestrian or shared crossings (‘wombat’ crossings)
• continuous footpath treatments
• kerb extensions
• separated bike paths
• quietways
• shared paths
• shared zones
• road closures
• other (e.g., new signalised crossings. Applicants will need to demonstrate alignment with the program objectives).

Applications that include a contribution by Council may attract a higher assessment score across some program assessment criteria.

For projects that include a contribution from the applicant, the grant amount will be adjusted pro rata in response to any cost reduction or any approved increased to project cost. Any variation requests submitted by Council must include confirmation that the applicant will contribute at the same rate as the initial contribution.