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

Sustainability and Climate Change Coordinator, Shayan Barmand · Strategy & Sustainability | Strategy and Environment

Executive summary

At the General Committee Meeting dated 9 June 2026 a report was presented providing an overview of the applications received for the Environment Project Grants (Round 21) and the Climate Change Response Grants (Round 6) to seek Council approval for the allocation of funding to recommended projects. Council requested that the matters be separated into two reports and brought back to the Ordinary Meeting, with each grant detailed individually. This approach enables Councillors to declare a conflict of interest, if required, in relation to one report only, and, where appropriate, remain in the meeting for consideration of the other. This further report recommends the allocation of the Climate Change Response Grants (Round 6) only, to the successful applicants as detailed in the attached schedule. Minor amendments have been made to the body of this report, including fixing a typographical error in the attachment.

Recommendation

That Council:

  1. Note the report by the Environmental Services Manager to the General Committee Meeting dated 9 June 2026 and the Further Report by the Sustainability and Climate Change Coordinator to the Ordinary Meeting dated 18 June 2026 regarding applications received for the Climate Change Response Grants (Round 6); and
  2. Approve the allocation of funding, totalling $48,869.06, to the following organisations for the Climate Change Response Grants for FY2026/27: i. $14,820.00 to The Trustee for the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Trust for the Future Tide - 2027 Noosa Youth Climate Summit; ii. $12,899.06 to Zero Emissions Noosa Inc. for the Swap the Drive: Supporting Modal Shift From Cars To Bikes program; iii. $11,150.00 to the Noosa Integrated Catchment Association Inc. for the Get Climate- ready with Noosa Native Plants project; and iv. $10,000 to Zero Emissions Noosa Inc. for the Solar on Low Income Homes project.

Report

Climate Change Response Grants Noosa Council's Climate Change Response Grants aim to advance the implementation of the 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 Upon receipt of applications, all assessing officers from the Strategy & Environment o 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 Before panel evaluation, subject matter experts conducted an initial technical appraisal o 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 To maximise objectivity, independent three-member panels were established for each o 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 reversed this ratio. Including an evaluator from outside the core subject area prevented siloing and provided independent, critical scrutiny. • Phase 4: Independent Scoring and Executive Moderation Panel members scored applications individually and independently against the o established criteria. These scores were subsequently collated and subjected to a formal moderation review by leadership staff within the Strategy & Environment directorate to ensure scoring consistency, fairness, and alignment with strategic objectives.

Recommended Projects for Funding Four projects have been recommended for funding based on a thorough assessment against the evaluation criteria, community benefit and Council priorities. The funding request across the four projects totals to $48,869.06. Staff have also identified a number of minor conditions that would be required for each successful applicant to implement during project delivery, which would be included in the notice of successful grant outcome. For further information regarding the applications and individual funding recommended refer to details provided in Attachment 1. Council staff will reach out individually to the five unsuccessful applicants in this program and work with them on their projects to improve identified gaps in their applications and see how they can be supported through other existing programs and opportunities to meet the need that has been articulated. Overall, most applications scored highly against the relevant grant criteria and Noosa Council was grateful for the time invested by all applicants to apply for the Climate Change Response Grant.

Report details

Index: 41.23 Climate Change