Local Sport Defibrillator Program (LSDP) 2026/2027 | NSW Government

RESPONSE FOR LIFE is an Approved NSW Government AED Service Provider, offering Approved Automated External Defibrillator Packages for the Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program since 2017. 

RESPONSE FOR LIFE DEFIB GRANT PACKAGES 2026/2027

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What your application needs to include

Prepare your application with this checklist:

• Your organisation's incorporation number
• Your organisation's ABN (if applicable)
• Evidence for one of the eligibility criteria
• Review the list of eligible suppliers and packages and make any enquiries relating to suitability for your organisation's needs
• If your selected AED package costs more than $3,000, confirm your organisation can fund the additional amount

Address the Eligibility Criteria

Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.

Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.

 

Have any questions? We’re here to help!

To learn more about our packages or to start your application, call us at Mob: 0421 752 152 or Ph: 02 9071 1120 or email info@responseforlife.org.au. Take the first step towards securing the best AED today!

***The following information is directly from Local Sport Defibrillator Program page.***

Key information

Status: Open
Grant amount: Up to $3,000
Application opened: 7 August 2026
Application closes: 7 October 2026, 1:00 pm

Program objective

Please ensure you read the Program Guidelines carefully.

The key objectives of the Program align to the Office of Sport Strategic Plan ‘Everyone Plays Here’, with the specific objectives to:

• Promote wider access to these devices across NSW
• Support local sport and active recreational clubs or related incorporated organisations located in, or servicing, the most disadvantaged areas of NSW in purchasing an AED package.

The NSW Government has allocated up to $500,000 in 2026/27 for this Program.

• Grants of up to $3,000 are available to fund the cost of an approved AED package listed in Appendix A.
• There is no mandatory financial contribution. However, where the cost of the selected package exceeds $3,000, the organisation must fund the additional cost.
• Eligible organisations can only receive funding for one AED package under this round of the Program.

This program is administered by Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport.

Eligibility

To be considered eligible under the Program, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

1. The organisation primarily operates in, or the majority of participants reside within, a postcode listed in Appendix C (Program Guidelines), as ranked by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in their Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA).
   

   
   This must be demonstrated by meeting one or more of the following:

• • The applicant organisation’s registered address* being located within an eligible postcode, or
  • Applicants providing clear evidence of their sporting or active recreational activities being primarily undertaken at a facility(ies) in an eligible postcode, or
  • Applicants providing clear evidence that a majority of their participants reside in eligible postcodes

*The determination of registered address will be based on the address associated with the applicant organisation’s ABN.

 OR

2. The applicant organisation does not meet eligibility criteria 1, but is currently experiencing financial hardship, which must be demonstrated by:

• • Providing formal documentation to demonstrate financial hardship showing the organisation’s current financial position. Documentation must be one or more of the following:
    • Profit and loss statements and balance sheets
    • Cash flow statements
    • Tax returns and BAS statements
    • Letters from accountants or financial advisers confirming financial hardship.

The application must also be:

• • submitted through SmartyGrants.
  • submitted by an eligible organisation (including valid incorporation details)
    for an approved AED package
  • a grant request amount that is aligned with the selected AED package up to a maximum of $3,000
  • able to provide Public Liability Insurance with a minimum public liability insurance cover of $5 million if successful.

In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria, eligible applicants are:

• • Incorporated, not-for-profit clubs, associations or organisations in NSW that are sport or active recreation related
  • State or national sport or active recreation organisations on behalf of member clubs located in NSW
  • Licensed sporting or active recreation clubs in NSW, providing that the AED package directly benefits sport and active recreation members or participants
  • Sport clubs associated with a school, church or university in NSW providing they are an incorporated not-for-profit club in their own right
  • Councils, Service Clubs and other incorporated not-for-profit owners or managers of facilities that are used for sporting or active recreational activities in NSW
  • Be one of the following incorporated entity types:
    • Incorporated association registered with NSW Fair Trading
    • Australian public company limited by guarantee
    • Local Aboriginal Land Council
    • Indigenous corporation registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations
    • trust registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
    • Non-distributing co-operative registered with NSW Fair Trading

Applicants who have previously received funding under earlier rounds of the Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program will only be considered if program funds have not been fully allocated by the closing date.

For the purposes of these Guidelines, active recreation is defined as physical activity for the purposes of relaxation, health and wellbeing or enjoyment which can be self-directed or facilitated by a provider or organisation. All applicant organisations will be required to provide information around the nature of their activities and the population groups they are servicing.

Eligible applicants with an ABN must ensure that the incorporation details and ABN details are for the same organisation.

The Office of Sport will review all applications against the eligibility criteria and, where an application is deemed to be ineligible, it may be set aside from further consideration at the absolute discretion of the Office of Sport. 

Types of projects funded under this grant

Applicants must purchase an approved AED package from an approved Service Provider as listed at Appendix A. A list of all approved packages and their pricing is also available in the program guidelines.

Applicants must rely on their own enquiries as to the suitability of the approved AED Service Provider or package for their needs. Each approved Service Provider has developed their own package. Applicants must make their own enquiries as to any additional inclusions beyond the minimum package requirements.

The Office of Sport procurement process ensures that AEDs being purchased with grant funding meet certain minimum standards.

At a minimum, the provision of an AED package will include:

• An AED
• AED familiarisation instruction
• A minimum of six years of essential defibrillator maintenance. Note that battery warranties may have a shorter duration.

When the project can start and end

The project must be completed by 31 August 2027.

Who can’t apply

Ineligible applications are any organisation types not listed in the ‘Eligible Applicants’ section include (but not limited to):

• Individuals, groups of individuals and unincorporated organisations
• Organisations/clubs that are not deemed sport or active recreation: community and social groups focused on passive social activities unrelated to sport or active recreation are ineligible
• Organisations who only deliver one-off annual events
• For profit and commercial organisations
• NSW Government departments and agencies
• Educational institutions including schools and their Parents and Citizens (P&Cs), Universities, TAFE, Colleges and childcare centres
• An organisation named:
  • (i) by the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse on its list of institutions that have not joined or signified their intent not to join the Scheme; or
  • (ii) in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that has not yet joined the National Redress Scheme.

What costs you can't apply for

• AEDs purchased from a service provider not listed on the approved list at Appendix A of the Program Guidelines.
• Ongoing maintenance outside of the scope of the six-year essential defibrillator maintenance schedule
• Any extended warranty specified by an approved Service Provider
• Accredited CPR, First Aid, ongoing or additional face to face AED familiarisation instruction except where this is included as part of an approved package
• Out of warranty repair of equipment
• Replacement costs of consumables including batteries and electrode pads
• Replacement or temporary replacement of the AED if it is damaged or unrecoverable through wear and tear, vandalism, accident, theft or misuse
• General first aid maintenance items or equipment (items requiring cleaning and disinfecting after use).

Types of projects not funded under this grant

Projects or project components ineligible to receive funding include:

• Project that is not primarily for use by sport and active recreation facilities or organisations
• Project that does not demonstrate a connection to one of the postcodes listed at Appendix C, except where the applicant has demonstrated they are experiencing financial hardship
• Retrospective funding e.g., projects that have already commenced and/or purchases completed prior to application submission
• Projects already funded by the NSW Government for the same project or same component of a project.

What your application needs to include

Prepare your application with this checklist:

• Your organisation's incorporation number
• Your organisation's ABN (if applicable)
• Evidence for one of the eligibility criteria
• Review the list of eligible suppliers and packages and make any enquiries relating to suitability for your organisation's needs
• If your selected AED package costs more than $3,000, confirm your organisation can fund the additional amount

Address the Eligibility Criteria

Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.

Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.

Start the application

Step 1: Check your eligibility.

• See Eligible Applicants section of the Program Guidelines to see which organisations can apply for funding.
• If you are not eligible, you can partner with an eligible organisation, although they will need to be the applicant organisation and submit the application.

Step 2: Understand the requirements.

• Before you apply, please read these guidelines and related materials including the application checklist to make sure you understand all relevant requirements, including whether you are eligible to apply.
• You can find the relevant information on the NSW Government website: Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program | NSW Government.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application

• Make enquires about which AED package suits your needs.
• To submit a complying application all mandatory fields must be completed, and mandatory supporting documents must be uploaded and submitted. 
• SmartyGrants offers a tool (SmartyFile) that allows organisations to collaborate with team members, pre-fill information into forms and manage, view, search and sort submissions across multiple funders in one spot. Applicants with an ABN can use this function.
• For questions relating to the grants program or for specific assistance with the SmartyGrants system, email the Office of Sport Grants Unit at grants@sport.nsw.gov.au or call 13 13 02 during standard office hours.
• For enquiries relating to the Local Sport Defibrillator Program or suppliers, please contact the Office of Sport at defibs@sport.nsw.gov.au

Step 4: Submit your application.

• Applying for a grant is a simple process using the SmartyGrants platform.
• The Office of Sport recommends that applicants familiarise themselves with the online application form ahead of preparing the application and plan to submit ahead of the closing date to reduce the risk of missing the deadline.
• Complete your application by filling in each of the sections.
• Upload all required supporting documentation.
• Submit your application as soon as possible and before the closing date and time. Note that the program will close prior to the closing date if the funding allocation is exhausted.
• Successful submissions will be issued with a SmartyGrants system generated acknowledgement email containing a PDF copy of the application which will confirm the time the application was submitted.

Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for Sport

The Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program is administered by the Office of Sport who will undertake an eligibility check.

Throughout this process the Office of Sport may request additional information from the applicant.

An independent probity advisor will oversee the grant process.

The Office of Sport will assess all applications and make recommendations to the Minister for Sport for consideration. The Minister will make the final decision relating to the approval of funding.

Applications will be assessed in the order they are received. This will continue until the program funding allocation has been exhausted, or the closing date and time occurs.

Anticipated assessment outcome date is Within 2 months of program close

Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is 2 weeks of notification of successful outcomes

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