Funding to plan regional community precincts with local partners
Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program (rPPP) - Stream One: Precinct development and planning
The rPPP Precinct development and planning offers grants up to $5 million to develop a precinct idea through to investment-ready stage in partnership with local stakeholders to benefit regional communities.
You can apply at any time while the grant opportunity remains open. Applications will be batched and assessed periodically.
What do you get?
Grants of between $500,000 and $5 million.
Who is this for?
State and Territory governments, local governments, regional universities, not-for-profit organisations, including indigenous organisations.
Overview
The program will run over 3 years from 2023-24 to 2025-26. It will focus on a partnership approach, bringing together governments and communities to plan and deliver regional precincts that are tailored to local needs and have a shared vision in how the precinct connects to the region. Partners can be from government, First Nations groups, community organisations, regional universities or private enterprise.
Regional precincts or ‘places with a purpose’ are user-defined geographic areas with a specific shared need or theme. Regional precincts may include business districts, neighbourhoods, activity centres, commercial hubs or community and recreational areas. They will be located in renewal areas and growth areas in regional centres, regional corridors, regional cities, as well as smaller town centres that serve as service hubs in more remote communities.
There are two streams of the regional Precincts and Partnerships Program which are delivered as two separate grant opportunities:
- Stream one - Precinct development and planning: to activate partnerships and to deliver an investment- ready precinct plan
- Stream two - Precinct delivery: to deliver a specified project or projects as part of a precinct.
The objective of stream one is to activate partnerships to jointly deliver precinct plans.
The intended outcomes of stream one are to:
- establish partnerships comprised of relevant government entities, community organisations and businesses that have a shared vision for a regional precinct
- deliver precinct plans that are tailored to their local contexts and based on community feedback and engagement
- support precinct plans to become investment ready
- contribute to the Australian Government’s current policy priorities, including but not limited to Closing the Gap, transition to a net zero economy, Australia’s emission reduction goals, social and affordable housing, and National Cultural Policy.
Check if you can apply
You can apply if you meet the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria are a set of rules that describe who we can consider for this grant. You can apply if you:
- are an eligible entity
- have an eligible project
- have eligible expenditure.
- are located in an eligible geographical area.
The rules are in the grant opportunity guidelines.
You can apply if you:
- have an Australian business number (ABN) or Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Organisations (ORIC) registration
and are one of the following entity types:
- an Australian State/Territory Government agency or body
- an Australian local government agency or body
- a Regional University which may be for-profit
- an incorporated not-for-profit organisation. As a not-for-profit organisation you must demonstrate your not-for-profit status through one of the following:
- current Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission’s (ACNC) registration
- state or territory incorporated association status
- constitutional documents and/or Articles of Association that demonstrate the not-for-profit character of the organisation.
You can’t apply if you are:
- an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme
- an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
- a for-profit organisation (unless you are a regional university)
- any organisation that is not included in section 4.1 of the Guidelines.
You must complete your project by 31 March 2026.
Your project must:
- be in regional, rural or remote location, delineated as entirely outside the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA) - see the mapping tool on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts website
- be aimed at delivering a precinct plan that is tailored to local contexts and based on community feedback and engagement
- be aimed at establishing partnerships comprised of relevant government entities, community organisations and businesses that have a shared vision for a regional precinct
- not have received Commonwealth funding to undertake the same activities
- have a minimum expenditure of $500,000.
You can use this grant funding to cover costs incurred that are directly related to your agreed project including:
- partnership establishment and operational costs
- labour expenditure and on-costs
- contract expenditure
- travel expenditure.
How to apply
Check if you’re ready to apply for a grant
Finding a suitable grant opportunity is just the start of the process to get funding. The application process can take time and effort. Understanding the entire process will help you be grant ready and may improve your chances of getting funding.
Use our checklist to find out what it takes to apply for a grant.
When you're ready to apply
When the online form is available, you must submit your application through the online portal. You’ll need to set up an account when you first log into the portal. The portal allows you to apply for and manage a grant or service in a secure online environment.
First we check that you meet the eligibility criteria. Then an Independent Expert Panel will assess your application against the assessment criteria.
The assessment criteria are a set of rules that describe how we must assess each application.
We give each criterion a certain number of points.
The Panel will assess your application to determine whether it is meritorious, based on how well it meets the criteria:
- Assessment criterion 1: Project alignment with program objectives and Australian Government priorities (35 points)
- Assessment criterion 2: Project need (35 points)
- Assessment criterion 3: Community engagement, collaboration, and partnership (20 points)
- Assessment criterion 4: Capacity, capability and resources to deliver a sound precinct proposal (10 points).
The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts will provide policy advice on government priorities on meritorious proposals. DITRDCA will recommend which meritorious proposals should be considered for funding.
The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government makes the final decision.
Apply now
Apply for the regional Precincts and Partnerships Program: Development and Planning grant opportunity now.
Before you apply, make sure you:
- read and understand the grant opportunity guidelines
- have all the required attachments.
Sample applications
The best way to understand what information you need to provide is to start an application. We have also provided a version to download at the bottom of this page.
Technical help
See our customer portal's frequently asked questions to help with your queries. If you can't find your answer, contact us for assistance.
Use the mapping tool to determine whether your project is in an eligible location.
If you submit your application before the close date you can retrieve it any time to make changes. But you must submit it again before the opportunity closes.
Contact
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