Northern Beaches Council is seeking public feedback on proposed revisions to its policy on providing financial assistance to the community, including charitable, community and sporting organisations, as well as private individuals.

The draft Grant Programs (Financial Assistance) Policy covers financial assistance which Council provides under section 356 of the Local Government Act. This includes competitive grant programs currently covered by the existing Community Grants and Partnership Policy and now extends to other financial assistance programs provided to community libraries, surf lifesaving and social services.

The draft Policy provides a framework to guide management of Council’s community grants program. It contains principles that set the scene for an equitable, open and orderly process for providing assistance to the community. It also provides for greater recognition of the contribution Council makes to supporting organisations that contribute to social, cultural, environmental and economic life of the Northern Beaches.

The current policy, titled the Community Grants and Partnership Policy (Policy) was adopted by Council on 25 June 2019. The scope of the current policy is limited to the competitive grant programs.

The policy is now scheduled for review to ensure it continues to meet community needs and expectations.

The amendments contained in the draft policy ensure all grant and financial assistance programs are guided by consistent principles:

We invited you to have your say between 1 Feb and 28 Feb 2024. We are now reviewing the feedback we received, which will be included in a Community Engagement Report.