Funding for community infrastructure to improve urban, suburban and peri-urban areas
Thriving Suburbs Program
The Thriving Suburbs Program drives urban economic prosperity by providing access to funding for community-focused infrastructure projects throughout urban, suburban, and peri-urban communities of Australia.
Closing date: Monday 26 August 2024 5:00pm AEST Mon 26 Aug 2024 5:00pm AEST
What do you get?
Funding is between $500,000 and $15 million to cover 50% or more of eligible expenditure.
Who is this for?
Incorporated not-for-profit organisations and local government agencies or bodies.
Overview
The Thriving Suburbs Program will run over 3 years from 2024-25 to 2026-27. The program will deliver place based benefits by investing in community-focused infrastructure which creates and enhances amenity, liveability and social cohesion throughout urban, suburban and peri-urban communities in Australia (see eligible locations as defined in the mapping tool). The Government is committed to urban renewal and supporting equitable access to amenities to create strong and vibrant communities.
The objectives of the program are:
- constructing or upgrading community infrastructure that fills an identified and immediate gap or unmet need for community infrastructure, particularly for communities that have experienced substantial growth
- contributing to achieving social outcomes and increased community cohesion, liveability and accessibility for urban, suburban and peri-urban growth areas, fringe areas and inner suburbs
- strategic alignment with the Australian Government’s National Urban Policy to deliver targeted and place-based investment that promotes sustainable growth and enables communities to thrive.
The intended outcomes of the program are:
- provision of multi-use infrastructure which benefits a broad section of the community by improving access, equity and social inclusion
- to enhance amenity and liveability, particularly in suburban and peri-urban areas (new and outer suburbs) that are experiencing growth
- to contribute to the achievement of Government priorities supporting the resilience, adaptability, accessibility, sustainability and liveability of communities, including in First Nations communities
- delivery of funding where it is needed across a broad geographic spread of urban, suburban and peri-urban areas in Australia
- delivery of diverse project types and a balance of large and small projects
- supporting and encouraging projects from lesser-resourced project proponents and low rate-based councils (see Appendix E of the program guidelines).
Project proponents can submit no more than two applications per ABN. Only the first two applications per ABN submitted in order of time and date will be accepted.
You must not commence your project until you execute a funding agreement with the relevant jurisdiction in which your project is located.
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 funding. You can apply if you:
- are an eligible entity
- have an eligible project
- have eligible expenditure.
The rules are in the program guidelines.
You can apply if you:
- are an incorporated not-for-profit organisation with a current Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission’s (ACNC) registration or State or territory incorporated association status; or Constitutional documents and/or Articles of Association that demonstrate the not-for-profit character of the organisation.
or
- a local government agency or body
and
- have an Australian business number (ABN) or ORIC registration
- deliver the project in an eligible location
- declare the project will be shovel ready at the time of signing a funding agreement
- own the land/infrastructure being upgraded or built upon, or have the landowner’s permission to use the land/infrastructure.
Partner with other organisations
You can partner with one or more other organisations, but you must decide who the lead organisation is.
The lead organisation must meet the eligibility criteria and fill out the application form.
If we give your group the funding, the lead organisation:
- signs the funding agreement
- is responsible for making sure the obligations in the funding agreement are met.
Your project must:
- construct new community infrastructure or expand or upgrade existing infrastructure for wider community benefit
- not be standard capital works of other Commonwealth, state, territory or local government bodies including, but not limited to, roads, housing and essential service provision
- not have commenced construction
- not have received Commonwealth funding to undertake the same funded activities
- have a minimum eligible expenditure of at least $555,556 (group 1), $714,286 (group 2) or $1,000,000 (group 3) depending on co-funding requirements outlined in section 3 of the program guidelines.
You can apply for funding between $500,000 and $15 million.
Eligible activities must directly relate to the project and must include at least one of the following:
- constructing new community infrastructure
- expanding or upgrading existing infrastructure for wider community benefit.
You can use this grant funding to cover costs incurred that are directly related to your agreed project including:
- materials for construction
- hired/leased plant
- contract expenditure
- external labour hire and consulting.
You must incur the project expenditure between the execution of your funding agreement and end date for it to be eligible unless stated otherwise.
How to apply
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 a program in a secure online environment.
We will assess your application against the eligibility criteria.
Eligible projects will be assessed against the assessment criteria by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA) and a multi-party Parliamentary panel (the panel).
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.
- Assessment criterion 1: Contribution to social and community inclusion (40 points)
- Assessment criterion 2: Alignment with Government strategic priorities (20 points)
- Assessment criterion 3: Capacity, capability and resources to deliver and sustain the project (40 points)
The amount of detail and supporting evidence you provide should be relative to the project size, complexity and funding requested.
The Minister makes the final decision.
Apply now
Apply for the Thriving Suburbs Program now.
Before you apply, make sure you:
- read and understand the program guidelines
- have the necessary supporting documents to provide evidence of the eligibility criteria.
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.
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 close date.
We can’t consider the application you submit after the close date under any circumstances.
Contact
Need help?
Let us answer your question via phone, email or live chat. And if we can't help, we'll put you in touch with someone who can.
- Phone:
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Open Hours:
Monday – Friday, 8am – 8pm across Australia
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Key documents
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