Holiday Break Program: Summer/Autumn 2024/2025 Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most Frequently Asked Questions for the NSW Government’s Holiday Break Program.
The NSW Government’s Holiday Break program is now being delivered in a streamlined model, with Summer and Autumn 2024/25 grouped together. These changes mean applicants can plan for their school holiday activities and promote their activities to communities well in advance.
Yes, it does. Applicants can apply to deliver activities in Summer and/or Autumn via an application after the relevant opening date. Successful applicants will receive one funding agreement that covers the two school holiday periods.
Yes, you can, but it’s important to keep in mind that there will not be an individual round offered for Autumn 2025.
Grants of up to $10,000 are available per organisation for Summer and Autumn 2024/25 Holiday Break.
Additionally, to create more opportunities for young people in remote and very remote NSW to attend social and recreational events, $3,000 per round, per organisation, is also available to fund suppliers to travel to these regions to run activities.
These funds will be in addition to the $10,000 limit per organisation. Conditions apply on who is eligible for travel loading and will be published in the guidelines.
The travel loading is intended to be available to applicants who have identified a holiday break program where there is a requirement to bring an external supplier in for the delivery of the program in a remote or very remote area and the external supplier is required to travel more than 180km or more each way from where the program is being run. The intention is to increase the access to programs for young people in remote and very remote areas that they may not ordinarily have access to and therefore requires an external supplier to be brought in to deliver the program.
An example
A program may be proposed for the Balranald LGA which relates to an art and theatre workshop, and there is no supplier in the remote or very remote area that is able to deliver this program. As such, Applicant A may identify a need and interest in running this program as part of the holiday break program but may be required to source an external supplier from another location to be able to deliver the program. If the external supplier is located greater than 180km from the Balranald LGA where the program is being held then the applicant may apply for the additional travel loading, up to $3,000, to assist with the travel expenses for this external supplier.
Yes, we have increased the application open window.
Applications for Summer and Autumn 2024/25 Holiday Break funding close at 5pm on Sunday 22 September 2024.
Applicants can complete and submit a proposal using SmartyGrants. Applications will be assessed as submissions are received, so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
New or enhanced social or recreational activities, events, services or programs for young people aged 12-24 years during the Summer and Autumn 2024/25 school holidays.
Examples of eligible activities:
- youth concerts and music events
- sports and recreational activities
- creative and cultural activities
- dance / disco events
- art and theatre workshops
- outdoor activities
- water-based sporting and sight-seeing activities
- science, technology and gaming activities.
Summer activities are to be delivered between Saturday 21 December 2024 and Thursday 30 January 2025.
Autumn activities are to be delivered between Wednesday 9 April and Sunday 27 April 2025.
Applications will be time stamped and assessed in the order they are received. The Department will allocate funding to eligible projects that will be delivered to priority youth, before funding other eligible projects.
Information on priority groups and how applications will be assessed will be published in the guidelines.
Successful applicants will receive a notification via email and will be required to upload a signed funding agreement via SmartyGrants.
Successful applicants will be required to provide all supporting documentation and approvals before the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development can enter into a funding agreement. This includes an eligible tax invoice, Insurance and Landowners Consent (if applicable).
Due to high volumes of funding agreements, requests are considered in order of receipt. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their funding agreement within 14 days.
Funding may be received after program delivery.
Invoices from local councils should be exclusive of GST.
Invoices from other eligible organisations can include GST.
Successful applicants will be responsible for delivering activities in accordance with the funding agreement. Applicants are permitted to reschedule the dates of planned activities within the half yearly funding agreement, provided all activities are delivered within the school holiday period and prior to the last day of the half yearly school holiday period. Funding cannot be extended (or ‘rolled over’) from one funding agreement to another.
For more information please contact Regional Youth at regionalyouth@dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Activities must be delivered during the Summer and Autumn 2024/25 school holidays.
Councils within the Greater Sydney Area, Newcastle LGA and Wollongong LGA are ineligible for funding as they are outside of the program scope.
The ‘proudly supported by NSW Government’ logo is available in the guidelines. Further queries regarding media opportunities can be referred to media@dpird.nsw.gov.au.
Funding agreements can be signed by authorised staff at the council/organisation with delegation. The funding agreement can be electronically signed as a legal document. Funding agreements are not required to be witnessed.
Administration costs include advertising, marketing, promotion, project insurance, reporting and completion of grant documentation. Administration costs may be no greater than 10% of the total requested grant amount.
Staff costs (including wages, travel, meals, support workers / activity delivery staff, project coordination staff) for the planning and delivery of the program may be no greater than 40% of the total requested grant amount.
The Share Our Space website is available for applicants who are seeking venues for potential project activities. Please visit Share Our Space for further information.