ClubGRANTS Program Delivers Record $121 Million in Community Support in 2023

In total, $121 million in financial support for community services, projects and programs was provided in the year to 31 August 2023 in accordance with the ClubGRANTS Guidelines, which are determined by the NSW Government and overseen by Liquor and Gaming NSW. That figure exceeded the mandatory contribution required under the Guidelines by over $50 million. 

ClubGRANTS fall into three categories.

Category 1: Allocated by clubs to projects/services that contribute to the welfare and broader social fabric of the local community, including community welfare and social services, community development, community health services and employment assistance activities.

Category 2: Allocated by clubs to community development and support activities and projects not listed under Category 1, and/or a club's core activities e.g. sport, returned servicemen's league or veteran welfare, golf courses and bowling greens. This includes wages paid to staff to carry out maintenance.

Category 3: Infrastructure Grants administered by the Office of Responsible Gambling.

Some of the leading community beneficiaries of the ClubGRANTS program in 2023 are listed below.

Category 1

Ted Noffs Foundation: Australia’s largest provider of drug treatment for young people — $525,450.

Oakdene House Foundation: Established to assist sufferers of addiction including problem gambling and alcoholism — $553,554.

Learning Links: Supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities — $1,653,474.

Little Wings: Provides medical flights and transfers for sick kids in regional areas — $486,867.

Disaster Relief Australia (DRA): A veteran-led disaster relief organisation — $72,562. Since 2018, the club industry has donated close to $1 million to DRA.

Category 2

This category is often used to offset costs that would otherwise be raised through alternate means e.g. higher membership or entry fees, or for work carried out on facilities associated with a club's core activities to enable the public’s participation e.g. golf course or bowling green maintenance.

Bulldogs Rugby League Club Ltd — $4.5 million (of which $892,000 was eligible for a tax rebate). 

South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football — $2.2 million (of which $383,000 was eligible for a tax rebate). 

Brighton Lakes Recreation and Golf Club — $1.7 million (of which $43,000 was eligible for a tax rebate). 

St Johns Park Bowling Club — $805,000 (of which $482,000 was eligible for a tax rebate). 

“Of course, ClubGRANTS are just one way that the industry makes their communities better places to live. Clubs also support more than 75,000 jobs, contribute nearly 500,000 volunteer hours annually and put on over 10,000 free entertainment events each year. I could not be prouder to represent this industry.”

^{ClubsNSW CEO Rebecca Riant}

ClubGRANTS is one of Australia’s largest and most established grant programs and is a partnership between ClubsNSW and the NSW Government. It commenced in 1998 to formalise the longstanding practice of clubs responding and contributing to local community needs. 

Rebecca Riant, CEO of ClubNSW, said ClubGRANTS has now delivered more than $1.5 billion in community benefits since its inception. 

“ClubGRANTS is a fantastic program that drives support for community organisations and activities within a club’s local area and support for the core purpose for which clubs were established,” Ms Riant said.

“Every year, several thousand applications are received from charities that provide a range of vital services, including domestic violence crisis care, homeless shelters, veterans’ support and mental health programs. Without ClubGRANTS, many of these groups would not be able to provide the breadth of essential services that need continuous resourcing and financial certainty.” 

Ms Riant said that aside from partnering with thousands of worthy external grant recipients, the ClubGRANTS Guidelines also ensure that funds are reinvested in facilities and services that benefit both club members and the broader community.

“That investment makes participation in sport, recreation and other activities more accessible and affordable for hundreds of thousands of community members — from junior footballers and netballers through to veterans and retired bowlers and golfers,” Ms Riant said. 

“Of course, ClubGRANTS are just one way that the industry makes their communities better places to live. Clubs also support more than 75,000 jobs, contribute nearly 500,000 volunteer hours annually and put on over 10,000 free entertainment events each year. I could not be prouder to represent this industry.”

Eligibility for ClubGRANTS funding is determined in accordance with the Guidelines set by the NSW Government, which are regularly updated in response to community feedback. All applications are reviewed by local ClubGRANTS Committees that make recommendations for funding. 

Just over 450 clubs (of approximately 1100) in NSW qualify to participate in the ClubGRANTS program. 

A full list of all ClubGRANTS recipients for the year to 31 August 2023 can be viewed at ClubGRANTS.com.au and a report outlining ClubGRANTS case studies can be found here.

The ClubGRANTS Guidelines can be viewed here.