Small grants for community groups to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and power bills

The objective of this grant opportunity is to support community organisations across Australia to:

• reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• improve energy efficient practices
• increase the uptake of energy efficient technologies

There is an estimated $3.8 million available for this grant opportunity and there'll be a maximum of 2 projects funded per electorate.

• The maximum grant amount is $12,500
• The maximum project period is 12 months

You can use your grant for one or more of the following:

• design, supply and installation of new solar photovoltaic generator systems
• purchase and installation of new battery systems and battery storage systems
• purchase and installation of new solar hot water heaters or air source hot water heat pumps, to replace existing equipment
• purchase and installation of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting equipment or energy efficient lighting controls to replace existing equipment
• design, supply and installation of high efficiency split system air conditioning units to replace existing equipment energy audits
• energy audits

We expect that there'll be a high level of interest for this grant opportunity and it will likely be oversubscribed. This means that we'll not automatically approve an eligible application. We'll decide which grants to approve by taking into account submission time and date and distribution across federal electoral divisions.

What are the eligibility criteria?

To be eligible you must:

• have an Australian business number (ABN)
• be an incorporated not-for-profit organisation

You're also eligible if you're a rural fire service, country fire authority or other state/territory equivalent.

You should read the grant opportunity guidelines and sample grant agreement before you apply.

We can only accept applications:

• that demonstrate that you'll use an appropriately licensed and accredited installer, where this is a requirement of these guidelines (see Appendix A of the Guidelines)
• that include a letter of consent from the building or facility owner/manager, if you're not the owner/manager (see template at Appendix B of the Guidelines)
• that include a completed Supplier Declaration from the supplier or installer confirming that the products installations and works meet the eligibility requirements (see template at Appendix C of the Guidelines)
• where you agree that you'll obtain approval for grid connection, where relevant, prior to installing any solar photovoltaic system (if approval is not obtained, we may require the grant funding to be paid back)
• that provide the relevant mandatory attachments
• that provide at least 1 current quote for your project that meets the requirements set out in Appendix A of the Guidelines

We cannot waive the eligibility criteria under any circumstances.

How do you apply?

The Community Energy Efficiency and Solar Grants are currently closed to applications.