Community Partnerships Program

The Community Partnerships Program is open to not-for-profit organisations delivering benefits to local communities where Transgrid has a presence. This includes community groups and service providers, registered charities, and other not-for-profit organisations.

Eligible organisations must be able to answer ‘yes’ to the questions below:

1. Are you a not-for-profit organisation? 
2. Will your initiative provide a lasting and tangible benefit to the community in which you operate? 
3. Is your organisation located, or does your organisation deliver services, within the specified project region or close to an existing Transgrid easement?   
4. Do you hold an ABN for the applicable organisation? Or will your grant be supported by an incorporated not-for-profit organisation?

Grants of up to $5,000 (excluding GST) are available through the Transgrid Community Partnerships Program.

If your initiative costs more than that, you are still able to apply – you will simply need to demonstrate in your application how you plan to raise the remainder of the funds needed to ensure you can successfully deliver your initiative.

Transgrid is utilising SmartyGrants, the most-used grant making system in Australia, to help facilitate all applications. SmartyGrants provides an online platform where applicants can apply and upload all necessary documents, plus follow the progress of their application. It is run by a not-for-profit organisation in Australia where all information is stored safely within a secure network. Having this online platform will help streamline the application and assessment process, making it a much easier experience for all involved. The SmartyGrants platform is used by multiple Federal and State government departments, plus major organisations to manage their community grants. You can find out more about SmartyGrants by visiting their website www.smartygrants.com.au.

Organisations are encouraged to apply for any amount between $500 and $5,000 through the program.

Transgrid reserves the right to partially fund your initiative and specify where funds must be directed. If the program is heavily subscribed, we may choose to offer successful applicants less than the full amount requested to support a broad set of community initiatives.

We require some forms of evidence of costs (at least two quotes or other proof of the cost of works) as part of each grant application.

No. Operational expenses are not considered eligible for Community Partnerships Program funding. If you believe operational costs form an important part of your initiative, include these costs as part of your application with an explanation of why they should be considered.

Transgrid reserves the right to partially fund your initiative and specify where funds must be directed.

Yes. Eligible organisations can apply for Community Partnerships Program funding for multiple eligible initiatives within the same grant round. Each initiative must be addressed in its own application, and each application will be assessed individually.

No. If an application is successful and receives Community Partnerships Program funding, it will not be eligible for funding in future grant rounds.

No. As part of the Community Partnerships Program eligibility criteria, initiatives that receive funding must directly benefit communities located near a Transgrid project or existing easement.

You must be contactable and available during the period after the closing date. As part of the screening process for all applications, a Transgrid representative may contact your organisation by phone or email.

To ensure your application can progress smoothly, please ensure all contact details supplied to Transgrid are correct.

If Transgrid is not able to contact your organisation for more information or answers to questions, your application may not progress through the screening process.

All applicants will be notified via email of the outcome of their application approximately four weeks after the funding round’s closing date.

Sometimes applications can take longer to process. If you have critical dates for securing funding, please tell us this in your application and we will do our best to assist you, but we cannot provide any assurances or guarantees.

After receiving notification that their grant application was successful, applicants should receive grant funds within 30 business days of funding acceptance and providing an invoice or payment details (any missing information will delay payment).

Expenditure of funds received through the Transgrid Community Partnerships Program must be completed within six (6) months of the date of the grant, unless otherwise agreed in writing with Transgrid.

If grant funding is not expected to be spent in full within the timeframe specified by Transgrid, you may request an extension to the timeframe in writing. If an extension to the timeframe is not granted, you must spend the funds within this time, or you will be asked to refund any amount not used.

Transgrid is using a third-party supplier (SmartyGrants) to process grants and sponsorship applications. Please ensure you take the time to read the Privacy Policy available on the SmartyGrants page to understand how your personal information will be managed.