FURTHER REPORT - CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE GRANTS (ROUND 6) (referred from General Committee dated 9 June 2026 Item 7.14) · Report

ORDINARY MEETING                                                                       18 JUNE 2026


Climate Change Response Plan, the Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan and the Regional Climate
Action Roadmap. Subject to budget outcomes, the current total FY26/27 budget for the Climate
Change Response Grants is $50,000.00. The Climate Change Response Grants are funded by
general rates and this is the sixth round of annual grant funding to date.

Nine applications were received for the current round for a funding request totalling $145,753.06,
and a total combined project value of $269,054.06. These figures illustrate the strong desire for
support from community as well as a willingness to co-invest in measures that reduce emissions
(which cause climate change) and adapt to growing climate change impacts by building resilience.
It is noted that the calibre of grants received in this round was strong and represented actions across
emissions reduction and adaptation. The projects all reflected well against the themes of the Climate
Change Response Plan.

In accordance with the Climate Change Grant Guidelines, each application was assessed against
the following criteria:




Applications were open from 9 February 2026 until 23 March 2026.

Promotion for the grant included:
•   Social media advertising
•   Specific email to all non-for-profit community groups previously applied for the grants or may be
    interested in applying for the grants
•   Direct conversations with NRM Groups, sustainability groups and community groups to ensure
    awareness
•   Details published on Noosa Council’s website
The grant required the applicant to engage with a relevant Council officer prior to submitting the
application.

This round introduced more robust governance enhancements to improve defensibility, objectivity
and transparency of the evaluation process. To ensure the integrity of the program, the assessment
methodology was executed in four phases:
•   Phase 1: Probity and Conflict of Interest (COI) Screening