Australia: Urban Rivers and Catchments Program 2023

The program, part of the government’s Nature Positive agenda, will help to ensure that Australia continues to meet its international obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and other relevant environmental treaties. The objective of the program is to improve the ecological health of waterways in urban, outer urban/peri-urban and regional centres.

The intended outcomes of the program are:

• restored and/or improved riparian areas, stream banks or aquatic habitats, to benefit native species including threatened species, or aquatic areas of significance.
• improved water quality, water in the landscape, and waterway connectivity to benefit native aquatic species including threatened aquatic species, or aquatic areas of significance.
• improved urban green and blue space, including improved community access to nature, improved water quality to benefit public health, and increased shading to help reduce urban heat-related impacts due to climate change.

Funding Streams

• The grant opportunity is announced as part of the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program and will fund projects via two funding streams:
  • Stream 1: Small to Medium-Specific
  • Stream 2: Large-Specific
• The intended outcomes of both streams are:
  • restored and/or improved riparian areas, stream banks or aquatic habitats, to benefit native species including threatened species, or aquatic areas of significance
  • improved water quality, water in the landscape, and waterway connectivity to benefit native aquatic species including threatened aquatic species, or aquatic areas of significance
  • improved urban green and blue space, including improved community access to nature, improved water quality to benefit public health, and increased shading to help reduce urban heat-related impacts due to climate change.

Grants Available

• For this grant opportunity up to $109 million is available from 2024-25 to 2027-28.
• For Stream 1 up to $51 million is available.
  • The minimum grant amount is $150,000.
  • The maximum grant amount is $2,000,000.
• For Stream 2 up to $58 million is available.
  • The minimum grant amount is $2,000,000
  • The maximum grant amount is $10,000,000.

Project Period

• You must complete your project by 28 February 2028.
• The maximum project length is 44 months.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible you must:
  • have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • be located in Australia
  • be a not-for-profit organisation
• For both Stream 1 and Stream 2:
  • a not-for-profit company incorporated in Australia
  • a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee
  • an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth)
  • an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
  • an incorporated association
  • a co-operative
  • a registered charity or an incorporated not-for-profit organization
  • an Australian state/territory government agency, statutory authority or Government owned corporation that does not derive revenue from waterway management levies, including developer, drainage, stormwater or waterway levies.
• For Stream 2 only, you may also be:
  • an Australian state/territory government, including any department
  • an Australian state/territory government agency, statutory authority or Government owned corporation that derives revenue from waterway management levies, including developer, drainage, stormwater or waterway levies.
• Joint applications are acceptable, provided you have a lead organisation who is the main driver of the project and is eligible to apply.

For more information, visit Australian Government.