Crown Reserves Improvement Fund

Eligible applicants include authorised managers of NSW Crown reserves and other applicants with the land manager’s written authorisation.

• Statutory Crown land manager boards.
• Council Crown land managers.
• Corporate Crown land managers.
• Other eligible managers, including relevant government agencies.
• Tenure holders and reserve user groups with the required authorisation.
• Common Trusts applying for pest or weed management projects.

Common eligibility requirements

• The land must be an eligible Crown reserve under the Crown Land Management Act 2016.
• The project must be consistent with the permitted purposes of the fund.
• The project or sub-project must not have commenced.
• The land manager must have no overdue CRIF final project reports at the round’s closing date.
• Non-council land managers must have submitted their 2024–25 annual report through the Reserve Manager Portal by the round’s closing date.
• The application must use the correct form and include appropriate quotes or cost estimates.
• The official Crown land manager must authorise the application.
• Applications involving multiple reserves must have approval from every relevant land manager.

Authorised positions

• Statutory boards: Chair, Secretary, Treasurer or appointed Administrator.
• Councils: General Manager or Director.
• Corporate managers: Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or General Manager.
• Other manager types: Crown Lands Area Manager or Director.

Applicants outside these positions must upload signed written authorisation from an authorised person. The authorisation must confirm valid tenure for use and occupation of the reserve.

Where an application is submitted on behalf of a land manager, the land manager remains responsible for accepting, delivering and reporting on the funded project.

Applications are assessed against stream-specific criteria. General projects have published percentage weightings; pest and weed projects have separate criteria without published percentage weightings.

General projects

Criterion – Percentage

1. Community Impact – 40%

• Demonstrate how the project advances the community socially, economically, culturally or environmentally.
• Explain how it maintains or increases public access, amenity and reserve use.
• Show how it supports social cohesion and participation in community life.
• Explain benefits for people with accessibility requirements or disability.
• Identify services or infrastructure enabling Aboriginal people to access, care for, protect and manage land.
• Explain how the project conserves heritage or natural values.
• Identify employment, volunteering or business opportunities.
• Maintaining or growing public use, amenity and community enjoyment accounts for 20%.
• Conserving heritage or natural values, and/or increasing employment, volunteering or business opportunities accounts for the remaining 20%.

2. Reserve Utilisation – 40%

• Provide annual visitation figures supported by reserve-specific evidence.
• Count regular repeat visitors once for each day they visit.
• Use evidence such as ticket sales, event registrations, people counters, campground bookings or substantiated usage sampling.
• Explain calculations and assumptions clearly.
• Applications without visitation numbers will not be supported.
• Insufficient evidence may reduce the assessment score.
• Broad regional tourism figures may be adjusted if they cannot be attributed to the reserve.

Visitation scores are awarded according to the highest threshold reached:

• At least 1,000,000 annual visits: 40 points.
• At least 750,000 annual visits: 35 points.
• At least 500,000 annual visits: 30 points.
• At least 250,000 annual visits: 25 points.
• At least 120,000 annual visits: 20 points.
• At least 60,000 annual visits: 15 points.
• At least 30,000 annual visits: 10 points.
• At least 10,000 annual visits: 5 points.
• Fewer than 10,000 annual visits: 0 points.

3. Deliverability and Affordability – 20%

• Demonstrate value for money through competitive quotes or a sound procurement process.
• Show the capacity and capability to deliver the project.
• Identify cash and in-kind contributions from other sources.
• Quantify in-kind labour, materials, goods and services in the budget.
• Explain the ability to access other funding sources for the project.

A high score does not guarantee a recommendation. Projects may be rejected if they conflict with the reserve purpose, Aboriginal interests, existing community use, the Plan of Management, departmental priorities, tenure arrangements or value for money.

Pest management projects

Pest applications are compared with other pest applications. No percentage weightings are published.

1. Severity

• Describe the pest animals, infestation severity and potential to spread.
• Explain risks to agricultural land, natural vegetation and community land.
• Include a map showing the affected area in hectares, pest range or population density.

2. Strategic Alignment

• Explain alignment with the NSW Invasive Species Plan 2023–2028.
• Demonstrate compatibility with the NSW Wild Dog Management Strategy 2022–2027 and/or the relevant Regional Strategic Pest Animal Plan.

3. Best Practice

• Describe control methods recommended by the department or relevant local control authorities.
• Explain why the methods suit the pest species and site.

4. Long Term Outcomes

• Explain how the project will achieve sustained pest control.
• Include a plan for follow-up work.

5. Collaboration

• Identify collaboration with Local Land Services, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development or other stakeholders.
• Identify funding or support contributed by partners.

6. Monitoring

• Explain how control effectiveness will be monitored.
• Describe how achievement of the proposed control measures will be demonstrated.

7. Benefits

• Describe the project’s long-term benefits.
• Explain how the proposed approach meets best practice.

Weed management projects

Weed applications are compared with other weed applications. No percentage weightings are published.

1. Severity

• Identify the weeds, infestation severity and potential to spread.
• Explain risks to agricultural land, natural vegetation and community land.
• Include a site-specific weed risk assessment and/or management plan where available.
• Provide the treatment area in hectares or the number of plants where appropriate.
• Include photographs and maps to substantiate the problem.

2. Strategic Alignment

• Explain alignment with the NSW Invasive Species Plan 2023–2028.
• Demonstrate compatibility with the relevant Regional Strategic Weed Management Plan and NSW Weeds Action Program.

3. Best Practice

• Describe control methods consistent with the NSW Weed Control Handbook, NSW WeedWise, departmental advice or local control authority recommendations.
• Explain why the methods suit the weeds and site conditions.

4. Long Term Outcomes

• Explain how the project will achieve sustained weed control.
• Include a plan for follow-up work.

5. Collaboration

• Identify collaboration with Local Land Services, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development or other stakeholders.
• Identify funding or support contributed by partners.

6. Monitoring

• Explain how treatment effectiveness will be monitored.
• Describe how achievement of the proposed control measures will be demonstrated.

7. Benefits

• Describe the project’s long-term benefits.
• Explain how the proposed approach meets best practice.

Applicants should demonstrate:

• Full compliance with the relevant eligibility requirements.
• A clearly defined project that matches the selected application type.
• Strong alignment with the stream’s objectives and assessment criteria.
• Significant, evidenced community benefits for general projects.
• Reliable reserve-specific visitation evidence for general projects.
• A substantiated pest or weed problem and an appropriate control response.
• A realistic scope, budget and delivery schedule.
• Value for money supported by quotes and procurement arrangements.
• The skills, resources and governance needed to deliver the project.
• Clear land manager authorisation and valid tenure where required.
• Quantified contributions and partner support where available.
• Long-term maintenance, follow-up and monitoring arrangements where relevant.
• Compatibility with the reserve purpose, management plans, tenure and Aboriginal interests.
• Completion of previous reporting obligations.

Discuss the proposal with the local Crown Lands office before applying, particularly where reserve use, tenure, approvals or Aboriginal interests may affect delivery.

• Reserve name, location and identifying details.
• Applicant and Crown land manager details.
• Signed authorisation using Annex A where required.
• Confirmation of valid tenure where required.
• Project description, scope, activities and expected outcomes.
• An itemised budget showing funding requested and contributions.
• Quotes or cost estimates with the GST component identified.
• A procurement strategy where competitive public tendering is required.
• A delivery schedule and evidence of delivery capability.
• Photographs supporting the project need.
• Reserve visitation figures, evidence and calculations for general projects.
• Pest or weed maps, treatment areas and relevant management plans.
• Proposed control methods, follow-up work and monitoring arrangements.
• Evidence of collaboration or partner contributions.
• Confirmation that previous CRIF reports and required annual reporting are up to date.
• Relevant conflict of interest declarations.

Quotes and procurement: non-council land managers

• Activity elements costing up to $30,000: at least one written quote.
• Activity elements costing $30,001–$150,000: three written quotes are preferred.
• Activity elements costing $150,001 or more: an acceptable cost estimate and commitment to competitive public tendering.

Quotes and procurement: council land managers

• Activity elements costing up to $30,000: at least one written quote.
• Activity elements costing $30,001–$250,000: three written quotes are preferred, subject to council procurement policy and legislative requirements.
• Activity elements costing $250,001 or more: an acceptable cost estimate and commitment to competitive public tendering.
• Councils undertaking work themselves may provide estimates with a comprehensive breakdown of activities, labour hours, materials and costs.

These thresholds include GST and apply to each activity element. Where three quotes are preferred, one quote may satisfy eligibility, but inadequate evidence of value for money may reduce the assessment score.

Applications are submitted through SmartyGrants using the separate General, Pest or Weed application form provided through the Crown Lands CRIF webpage.

Register your interest with GrantHelper to explore your alignment with this grant and how we can assist you to increase your chances of success.