Limestone Coast Climate-smart Landscapes Grants empower farmers and land managers to incorporate site-specific best practice methods. This will support adaptation and mitigation to climate change, understand and improve soil, water and nutrient management, and confidently enter carbon markets.

A combination of demonstration sites, peer-to-peer learning, workshops, and field days will extend participants’ knowledge of climate-smart practices such as building soil organic matter, efficient water management, integrated nutrient management and how these can be applied at farm scale.

The project will encourage agriculture and industry groups to deliver activities relevant to local land types, environmental conditions, local production systems and issues, supported by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board.

The applicant will need to:

• be an individual, volunteer, community organisation or other body working at the local level
• be undertaking natural resources management activities that help to achieve environmental and sustainable agricultural benefits at the local level
• be a legal entity or be sponsored by a legal entity
• where required, attach a sponsor support letter from a sponsor to the application, agreeing to be financially and legally responsible for this project
• have the agreement of any partner/s and provide a letter of support with the application form
• ensure that proposed project activities are not a component of any other funding agreement
• ensure that written approval for any works undertaken on land owned by another person/entity, other than the applicant, is attached to the application
• ensure a quote and/or justification of budget costs is attached to the application
• be undertaking project activities within the Limestone Coast Landscape region (See Appendix A for a map of the region).

(Appendix A)

Eligible projects will contribute to one or more of the Limestone Coast Climate-smart Landscapes project outcomes.

• Farmers are adopting management practices to improve environmentally sustainable profitability and prevent soil erosion.
• Farmers are adopting management practices to improve water use efficiency.
• Farmers are adopting management practices to improve soil quality and production in sandy soils.
• Farmers have the skills and knowledge to engage appropriately with carbon and biodiversity markets.
• Farmers have an increased skill and capacity to apply sustainability frameworks.

Funding will be offered on the following basis:

• Payment will be made upon signing of a grant agreement and receipt of an invoice, prior to the project commencing, unless otherwise deemed suitable to pay on progress reports. Multiple year projects will be paid on approval of progress reports at milestones as outlined in the grant agreement in each financial year.
• The projects are to be completed by 31 March 2028 and fully acquitted by 30 April 2028.
• Multi-year projects are recommended for funding. Justification of multi-year projects must be included in the application and activities broken down into financial years in the budget table. A multi-year project will require completion of agreed milestones and approval of progress reports for subsequent payments.
• Timeframes and milestone reporting will be negotiated in grant agreements.
• Funding for a project manager may be considered for more complex projects. This needs to be itemised in the budget.
• Projects that may be subject to requirements under the Water Affecting Activity (WAA) Control Policy will need to be assessed before works commence. Applications must identify if any of the works within the project requires a WAA permit and an assessment (more information here). If a permit is required, this will be identified in the grant agreement along with any appropriate conditions.
• Successful projects with an on-ground works component may be subject to a cultural heritage assessment under the terms of the Aboriginal Heritage Act (1988). The LC Landscape Board will facilitate this process.
• In delivering the Project, all media and communications must comply with conditions that will be provided in the grant agreement.
• Funding will not be provided for activities that have already commenced or occur in the past.
• The project has a monitoring and evaluation requirement. You are encouraged to contact the LCLB Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, Kylie Pethybridge.

Only expenditure incurred by the funding recipient, directly attributable to the approved project, will be considered eligible expenditure.

Eligible expenditure cannot be incurred before the grant agreement has been signed by both parties.

Eligible expenditure must be incurred on or before the project completion date, or any approved variations.

Funding is provided strictly to support the project and its core activities as per the grant application and any approved variations.

Funding is provided to support one or a combination of demonstration sites, peer-to-peer learning events, workshops, and field days that address one or more of the project outcomes. Workshops could be considered separately where relevant. farmer-led activities are highly encouraged.

Ineligible activities and items include but are not limited to:

• Budget allocated to pay the LC Landscape Board’s Weed Control Service to do spraying or other control works. N.B. A private contractor can be engaged for this work, or the LC Landscape Board may be able to assist[1]. Contact a staff member listed in the ‘Chat With Us’ tab on the project page for more information.
• Establishment of new production sites or facilities.
• Activities causing or with the potential to cause environmental damage, either directly or indirectly.
• Preparation of the original grant application, variations or reporting.
• Routine administration expenses including but not limited to accommodation, office computing facilities, legal and accounting fees and bank charges.
• Purchase of assets which could be used for personal benefit.

This list is not exhaustive. Other activities or specific expenditure may be ineligible where the Limestone Coast Landscape Board determines that they do not directly support the achievement of the planned outcomes of the project or that they are contrary to the spirit and intention of the funding and the board’s priorities.

[1] N.B. Collaborating with the LC Landscape Board’s Landscape Operations team on a pest control activity cannot be included as ‘in-kind’ support in your project application.

Applications will be assessed against how well they address the following:

• The project addresses one or more of the following:
• How does the project deliver good value for money? (Cost, in-kind and co-contributions, volunteer contribution, etc.)
• How does the project include community engagement or capacity building?
• How does the project benefit the community?
• The project has clear and achievable monitoring and evaluation procedures, in line with National Heritage Trust requirements.
• If relevant, the project application provides information on how it will be supported after grant funding has expired.
• Appropriate and sufficient supporting documentation is attached to the application.

Stage 1

It is strongly recommended that applicants discuss their project ideas with a Limestone Coast Landscape Board team member (listed in the ‘Chat With Us’ tab on the project page) prior to completing an application. This will help address the priorities of both the applicant and the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, clarify any questions of project or applicant eligibility, and identify opportunities for establishing a successful partnership.

The closing time and date for applications will be 5pm on Monday 15 April 2025. There will be no extensions and late applications will not be accepted.

Applications must be submitted via the online platform SmartyGrants. All grants will be managed through this system. Support to use the online system is available by emailing LandscapeSA.LCLandscapeBoardGrants@sa.gov.au or by calling 8429 7550 during business hours. If your query is in relation to your grant content, please refer to the list in ‘Chat With Us’.

Stage 2

Projects will be assessed against the criteria in section 6 above by the Limestone Coast Climate-smart Landscapes project steering committee. A site assessment may also be conducted as part of the assessment process. A staff member will be in contact to organise such an assessment if required.

Stage 3

Applicants will be notified by the end of May 2025 of a successful application by the receipt of a letter and grant agreement. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by letter. If the grant is successful, a grant agreement must be signed by both parties before any work is commenced. Grant funding will be provided upon receipt of a compliant tax invoice. Some projects may be funded in stages. These details will be included in the grant agreement. Multi-year projects will be subject to a project delivery schedule relevant to their project, outlined in the grant agreement.

Stage 4

Project implementation will commence and proceed against the agreed deliverables and any conditions outlined in the grant agreement. Any milestone reporting will be delivered as per the grant agreement including the final project acquittal.

Grantees will be encouraged to invite Limestone Coast Landscape Board members and staff to their activities to build relationships and document their Limestone Coast Climate-smart Landscapes project for promotion and engagement with the wider community.

The project will be completed by the timeline in the grant agreement, or by 31 March 2028.

Further information in relation to developing project ideas and applications can be found on this project page. Find answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and subject matter experts and who can provide advice.

No. The Applicants can apply for one or a combination of them, although delivering a combination of the activities are encouraged.

Agriculture sustainable practices that support water use efficiency, improve soil quality and prevent soil erosion.

Ideally these demonstration sites should be established and monitored through soil testing until 31 March 2028 and the results be shared with the public through workshops and field days.

An applicant must be a ‘legal entity’. Eligibility includes but is not limited to:

• volunteer groups
• environmental non-government organisations
• schools
• local government
• progress associations
• peak organisations
• community groups
• outdoor and recreational groups.

• Individuals (also known as natural persons).
• Partnership (made up of two or more individuals).
• Corporations/companies under the Corporations Act 2001 – have a unique ACN and are represented by “Pty”, “Pty Ltd” or “Ltd” following the company name.
• Associations – incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1985 (have “Inc.” after their name).
• Trustees in a trust (e.g. John Smith as Trustee for the Smith Family Trust).
• Local Government – under Local Government Act 1999.
• Most Australian Universities.

• Demonstrate the impact of revegetation and any ecosystem restoration to support the project outcomes
• Trialling sustainable farming practices; demonstration sites should be established and monitored through soil health monitoring
• Agriculture water use efficient practices; education and demonstrating of best practices

• Educating land mangers through workshops or field days targeting the grant outcomes. If you are only applying to have a workshop it would be the best to target the following outcomes:
• Farmers have the skills and knowledge to engage appropriately with carbon and biodiversity markets.
• Farmers have an increased skill and capacity to apply sustainability frameworks.

No, though you would be able to use the money to monitor the impact of restoration on agriculture through soil testing and sharing the outcome with the public having peer-to-peer learning activities such as workshops and field days.

Examples include:

• engaging the board’s Weed Control Service to do control works
• establishment of new production sites or facilities
• activities causing or with the potential to cause environmental damage, either directly or indirectly
• preparation of the original grant application, variations or reporting
• routine administration expenses including but not limited to accommodation, office computing facilities, legal and accounting fees and bank charges
• purchase of assets which could be used for personal benefit.

Generally, funding is not provided for the purchase of assets. You are encouraged to borrow or hire equipment, however, purchase of equipment may be considered if it can be demonstrated that this is essential to the delivery of specified works.

Projects that may be subject to a Water Affecting Activity (WAA) permit will need to be assessed before works commence. Applicants will be advised if their project requires a WAA permit (more information here). If a permit is required, this will be identified in the grant agreement.

You can ask for your project to be fully funded however, it is preferable that volunteer hours or other in-kind support is detailed in the application.

Yes, as long as the projects are separate and distinct and you or your organisation has the capacity to deliver them.

As an individual you are eligible to apply. However, it is preferable to demonstrate community capacity building elements, community engagement and the benefit to the broader community.

Yes, as long as the project meets one or more of the objectives laid out in the Applicant Information section.

• If you are not a legal entity e.g. a group of neighbouring landholders banding together for sustainable agriculture practice, you will need someone, a person or organisation, to be responsible for receiving and managing grant funding and completing reporting.
• This could be the local council, or an individual. A sponsor’s letter is required as part of your application if you are using a sponsor. There is a space in the application form for applicants to add a letter confirming sponsorship from their sponsoring organisation.

No, the online application portal will close at 5pm on Monday 15 April 2025.

It is anticipated that the assessment and approvals process will take approximately six to eight weeks. All applicants will be advised whether their proposed project(s) were successful. grant agreements will then be sent to successful applicants.

Most grants will be paid 100% upfront in each financial year. In some circumstances (a very big grant, or a risky project), we might negotiate a payment split e.g. 80% upfront, 20% on completion. Multi-year projects will receive subsequent years’ funding payments upon approval of milestone reports in each financial year.

Maybe. In circumstances beyond your control e.g. a COVID-19 surge making it impossible to hold your public event or seasonal conditions affecting your planned activities, you can apply to extend your project by up to 12 months. However, all projects must complete by not after 31 March 2028.

Support to use the online system (fix log-ins, recover passwords etc.) is available by emailing LandscapeSA.LCLandscapeBoardGrants@sa.gov.au or by calling the Limestone Coast Landscape Board office 8429 7550 during business hours. If your query is in relation to your grant content, please visit our project page and check out the ‘Chat with us’ tab.