Applications open for new grants program to green and cool metro Adelaide

Local councils can now apply for a share in $1 million to undertake greening and cooling projects across Adelaide’s urban environment, thanks to a new grant program being offered by Green Adelaide.

The Cooler, Greener, Wilder Grants Program will enable local governments to undertake projects that will improve liveability, biodiversity and climate-resilience across the metropolitan area.

Green Adelaide Board Presiding Member Professor Chris Daniels said the program is an opportunity to help councils maximise their already valuable on-ground contributions to Adelaide’s environment.

“Our vision is for a cooler, greener and wilder metropolitan Adelaide, so we are thrilled to be able to support local councils in their efforts to undertake programs and projects that align with this vision too,” Professor Daniels said.

“We already see and feel the benefits of council-run environmental projects and initiatives, and the collective impact they make across metropolitan Adelaide.

“Councils invest heavily in providing more liveable streets and open spaces, providing benefits for the community and native wildlife, while also adapting to the impacts of a changing climate such as managing stormwater runoff to support urban greening.

“This is an opportunity for us to help councils leverage these investments, to make an even greater difference to the conservation and sustainability of our urban environment.”

To be successful in gaining funding, councils need to demonstrate how their projects will deliver urban greening and incorporating the practical implementation of water-sensitive urban design and biodiversity-sensitive design principles at a site-, street- or precinct-scale.

This could include projects like:

• greening and cooling through increased vegetation and other green infrastructure
• fit-for-purpose water provision, at-source infiltration, and other sustainable water management opportunities through the integration of water-sensitive urban design
• maintaining and creating habitat for native flora and fauna through the practical implementation of biodiversity-sensitive urban design.

Grants of between $25,000 and $200,000 are available to local councils, with the expectation that recipients match any funding granted with an equal co-contribution.

Applications for the Cooler, Greener, Wilder Grants Program are open from Wednesday 1 February and close on Friday 31 March, and can be submitted online.

The program runs alongside the popular Green Adelaide Grassroots Grants Program, which last year awarded $900,000 to community groups, individuals, schools and volunteers to deliver projects like plantings, nature education, citizen science, weed and pest control, and erosion management.