Special Entertainment Precinct Kickstart Grant Program

Successful applications will be decided by: the Secretary, Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport (DCITHS) or the Executive Director Data, Strategy and Coordination, Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner (O24HEC), Screen and Sound, DCITHS

The grant program is a non-competitive, open, demand-driven grant. This means that: 

• EOI submissions will be assessed as they are received, in the order of the time and date of submission
• EOI submissions that are assessed as meeting the EOI Eligibility Criteria will be invited to submit a detailed application, which provides a response to the Detailed Application Criteria. Detailed applications are required to be submitted within 6 weeks of notification of the outcome of the EOI assessment, unless otherwise approved by DCITHS.   
• Detailed applications will be assessed in the order of the original EOI submission date, provided that they are received within 6 weeks of invitation to submit a Detailed Application, or other approved date confirmed by DCITHS.  
• Detailed applications that are assessed as meeting the Detailed Application Criteria will be recommended for approval by the Program decision maker; the Secretary, DCITHS OR Executive Director Data, Strategy and Coordination; 24-Hour, Screen and Sound; DCITHS
• The Program decision maker will not approve funding if there are insufficient funds remaining in the Program. 
• NSW Government end-of-year closedown – 23 December 2024 to 6 January 2025. Therefore, please note assessment of applications received between 13 December 2024 and 5 January 2025 may be delayed.

Assessment process considerations

 Applicants should note that:    

• The NSW Government typically receives far more applications than it can support.   
• If you are successful, your application may not be funded to the amount you requested.    
• DCITHS’s decision is final in all matters including: 
  • application eligibility 
  • the assessment outcome 
  • the approval of the grant; and 
  • the grant amount to be awarded. 

DCITHS may, at its sole discretion and at any stage of the application process, do all or any of the following:    

• Require additional information from an applicant.   
• May request applicants to provide clarification or additional information regarding the Eligibility Criteria.   
• Change the scope of the requirements of these guidelines.   
• Vary, amend (including by replacement), or terminate the application process.    
• Re-open an application after the closing date, provided it doesn’t give the applicant an advantage over other applicants.    
• Consider any non-conforming or late application.     
• Request further advice and/or clarification from applicants during the assessment process.     
• May also consider other factors that may affect our decision to provide the grant including whether there are any conflicts of interest, whether the applicant and any person associated with the applicant are fit and proper and whether there is any reputation risk associated with providing the grant. 

Successful Grant Applications

If your application is successful: you will be sent a funding agreement (contract). This outlines the conditions of funding, how you will be paid and your reporting requirements. As a successful council you must provide:  

• A Local Government Entity ABN, whereby the ABN matches their entity name 
• A bank account that has the same name as your ABN.  

Unless otherwise agreed, successful applicants will be subject to the following milestones: 

• Milestone 1 – within 6 months of executing a funding agreement and no later than 31 December 2025 
  • Submission of progress report, including lodgement documents to DPHI for the Planning Proposal to amend the LEP for the SEP/s  and information relating to expenditure carried out for the project (e.g. invoices, payment remittance). 

• Milestone 2 –  At the conclusion of the SEP trial period and no later than 30 June 2027 
  • When you complete the project, you must submit a project acquittal report. Project acquittal reports are to include:
    • A signed statement of income and expenditure relating to the grant, and proof of purchases, invoices and payment remittance as required.
    • Identify if and how outcomes of the SEP trial were successful and achieved
    • Include the agreed evidence as specified in the funding agreement
    • Identify the total eligible expenditure incurred and provide evidence of expenditure as required
    • Be submitted within the timeframe and in the format outlined in the funding agreement.
• Recipients must also provide a six-month and twelve-month post-acquittal report, relating to the long-term success of the SEP/s, to assist with Program evaluation. These reports may include data on, for example:
  • Number of licensed venues participating in the SEP
  • Community sentiment around the SEP
  • Total consumer spend in the SEP
  • Foot traffic in the SEP
  • Safety of the SEP.
• Acknowledgment of DCITHS funding in all publicity materials.   

DCITHS staff may contact you for additional information as part of this process.  

Contracts will not be issued, and payments will not be made, until all DCITHS outstanding acquittals have been submitted.   

Publication of grants information   

The Grants Administration Guide (Guide) requires that certain information is published in relation to grants awarded no later than 45 calendar days after the grant agreement takes effect (see section 6.5 of the Guide and Appendix A to the Guide).   

This information is also open access information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act), which must be made publicly available unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure of the information.   

In accordance with these requirements, relevant information about the grants awarded will be made available on the NSW Government Grants and Funding Finder as soon as possible after the funding agreement is executed. However, if due to the commercial-in-confidence nature of the information provided, the amount of funding provided will not be published.   

All records in relation to this decision will be managed in accordance with the requirements of the State Records Act 1998 (NSW).   

Please refer to Information for Funding Recipients for more detailed processes for successful applicants.   

This includes:   

• Program evaluation   
• Conflict of interest management   
• Complaint handling, access to information and privacy   

Anticipated assessment outcome date is within 5 weeks of receipt of the completed detailed application (which includes all required information) with either an offer of funding or the opportunity to request feedback if unsuccessful

Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is within 2 weeks of receiving the funding deed