ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE GRANTS - ENVIRONMENT PROJECT GRANTS (ROUND 21), CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE GRANTS (ROUND 6) · Report

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING                                                              9 JUNE 2026




Applications for both grant streams were open from 9 February 2026 until 23 March 2026.

Promotion for the grants 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
Both grants required the applicant to engage with a relevant Council officer prior to submitting the
application.

This round of grants 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
        o   Upon receipt of applications, all assessing officers from the Strategy & Environment
            directorate completed mandatory COI declarations. To eliminate any real or perceived
            bias, officers with a declared COI, or those who had engaged with applicants prior to
            submission, were strictly excluded from the assessment process.

   •   Phase 2: Technical Expert Review
        o   Before panel evaluation, subject matter experts conducted an initial technical appraisal
            of each application. This ensured all proposed projects were rigorously vetted for
            technical validity, execution capacity, quality, relevance, and risk management.

   •   Phase 3: Cross-Disciplinary Panel Evaluation
        o   To maximise objectivity, independent three-member panels were established for each
            grant category, deliberately structured to include cross-branch representation. The
            Environment Project Grants panel comprised two Environment Services officers and one
            Strategy & Sustainability officer, while the Climate Change Response Grants panel