Placemaking, through place activation, is creating quality places that people want to live, work and play by increasing vibrancy and contributing to a safe and inclusive community. It is a collaborative process that has everyone’s wellbeing in mind.
Successful placemaking relies on the inclusion and active participation of a wide range of community stakeholders – through every aspect of the process, from design, planning and the final delivery.
The Placemaking Grant Program is designed to enable new or expanded place activations by assisting with associated start-up or onetime costs, such as purchase of materials or equipment hire. Grants are not recurring or ongoing and are designed to underwrite the costs of specific expenses.
The program encourages the community to take an active role in the direction of their town and village centres, and deliver enhanced economic, social, environmental and/or cultural benefits to the Northern Beaches community.
Applications for 2025-2026 funding round is expected to be open June 2025.
Application Support
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include individuals, businesses, groups or organisations (for-profit or not-for-profit).
Projects must:
- be open to the public to attend and/or participate
- be held in town and village centres within the Northern Beaches LGA and directly support the businesses in the area.
- provide an opportunity for measurable economic, social, environmental and/or cultural benefits to the Northern Beaches community
- promote the Northern Beaches and contribute to its reputation as a great place to live, visit, work and invest.
- support and be supported by local businesses and boost the local economy.
For full eligibility and exclusions please refer to the Grant Guidelines
Funding Available
Total Funding Pool $20,000
A grant request can be for any amount but must be able to provide justification for the amount requested within the context of their budget and plan. Grant amounts can be as small as $500 to decorate a shop front or up to $4000 to paint a mural or create a live activation. Grants for larger amounts can be submitted and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants requesting grants for projects that exceed $4000 in costs will need to identify and demonstrate additional alternative funding sources.
Assessment Criteria
Applications will be assessed against the funding objectives and the following priority areas
- Community benefit – demonstrate significant economic, social, community, cultural and/or environmental contribution to the Northern Beaches community
- Priority areas – strongly relate to one or more identified Council Goals.
- Value for money – justify the grant amount requested and included a well-researched and realistic budget, clearly indicating what Council funds would be spent on, as well as other contributions including corporate sponsorship and in-kind support.
- Activation of places – Activations must be located within Town & Village Centres or in other areas that can demonstrate that placemaking activities would directly support the surrounding businesses.
- Environmental & waste management – the activation promotes sustainability and utilises waste avoidance principles.
- Organisational capacity to deliver – the applicant has a demonstrated track record in delivering projects of the scale and type proposed and/or the application includes a thorough and realistic project delivery plan.
View the Community Strategic Plan
Activations must be located within Town & Village Centres or in other areas that can demonstrate that placemaking activities would directly support the surrounding businesses.
If you need further support, then you can contact us on:
- Phone: 1300 434 434
- Email: places@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au
Please refer to FAQs (p36) in our Guidelines for answers to commonly asked questions.
To speak to a Council officer with an interpreter, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask to be connected to the Northern Beaches Council on 02 8495 7564.
Resources
Head to our Grant Resources page to see the range of resources available to help make your application the best it can be.
