Nature in the City: Cooling Your Suburb Grants

About the program

Grants of up to $50,000 were previously available for projects that were designed to benefit the community by:

• making the hottest areas of our city cooler and providing more natural shade
• retaining and/or reusing rainwater to grow plants and recharge ground water
• making the ground able to absorb more water
• trying new ways to make urban areas cooler
• being sustainable in the long term.

Funding was available to eligible individuals, organisations and businesses for 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Why it's important

Climate change is already affecting Canberra. On average, the ACT's climate is becoming hotter and drier. Impacts include higher temperatures and longer and more frequent heatwaves.

As a result, Canberrans are increasingly suffering from the "urban heat island effect". This occurs when surfaces such as pavements, roads and buildings absorb the sun's heat and radiate it back. This can increase surface temperatures by up to up to 10-15 degrees Celsius, day and night.

Along with many other benefits, nature can help reduce heat in our city and support community to better cope with the impacts of climate change.

Previous funding rounds

Round 6 projects 2024-25

Four successful projects in Round 6 received a total of $152,957.

Canberra City Farm Inc received $23,747 to create a microforest with berms, mounds, swales, a pond, rainwater tanks, and a gazebo.

Stepping Stone Social Enterprise Limited received $50,000 to construct a living wall and re-greening garden at their cafe using native plants and an efficient irrigation system.

SEE Change received $29,210 to develop a nature strip trail with three demonstration verge gardens: a native temperate grassland, a climate-wise garden and a water-capture garden.

Regenerate Earth received $50,000 to undertake field trials of strategic mowing and soil regeneration practices. They will document successful techniques and create guidelines for land managers.

Round 5 projects 2023-24

Four successful projects in Round 5 received a total of $150,000.

Three Mills Bakery received $50,000 to install canopy trees, plants and planters on public land near their café in Woden.

The Climate Factory, in conjunction with SEE Change, received $48,000 to construct a climate-cooling native microforest in Dunlop.

Woodlands and Wetlands Trust received $42,000 install a rainwater irrigation system, new trellis walls to grow native plants, and permeable paving. They will also install a monitoring system and interpretive signage.

Stepping Stone Social Enterprise Ltd received $10,000 to conduct a feasibility study investigating the benefits of installing a green wall outside their café in Dickson.

Earlier rounds

For details of previous funding rounds please refer to Environment Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) annual reports.

More information

Support is available to help our community prepare for climate change.

Community groups seeking support for sustainability projects should visit Communities Climate Actions Grants Program.

Find more ACT Government grants.