The Net Zero Planning Grant is a NSW Government initiative designed to help eligible NSW businesses strengthen their net zero planning and identify practical actions to reduce emissions. Round 2 provides grants of up to $25,000, covering up to 50% of eligible costs, to support businesses with activities such as greenhouse gas emissions inventories, climate-related risk and opportunity assessments, emissions reduction targets and net zero action planning.
A total of $2 million is available under Round 2, with applications assessed as they are received. Applications close at 5 pm AEDT on 30 November 2026, or earlier if available funding is exhausted.
Who is this for?
The Net Zero Planning Grant is for businesses with operations and a site address in New South Wales that meet the program’s energy expenditure requirements and want to progress their net zero planning.
The grant is not restricted to a single industry sector. It can support eligible NSW businesses across a range of industries. Previous recipients have included organisations operating in manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, hospitality and retail, while the Round 2 guidelines also provide examples for agriculture and manufacturing businesses.
How much funding is available?
Eligible businesses can receive up to $25,000, covering up to 50% of eligible costs.
Funding is delivered across two milestones:
- Milestone 1 – up to $2,000, covering up to 50% of eligible specialist consultant costs for initial net zero planning and identifying priority actions.
- Milestone 2 – up to $23,000, covering up to 50% of eligible specialist consultant costs to undertake detailed work addressing identified gaps in the business’s NSW operations.
A total funding pool of $2 million is available for Round 2.
What can the funding be used for?
The Net Zero Planning Grant supports specialist consulting work across nine areas of net zero planning:
- Strategy, including climate-related risk and opportunity assessment
- Governance
- People and capability
- Data
- Targets
- Net zero action planning
- Finance
- Stakeholder engagement
- Reporting.
For businesses looking to strengthen their emissions and net zero position, relevant funded activities may include developing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory covering Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, establishing net zero and emissions reduction targets, preparing a climate-related risk and opportunity assessment, and developing a long-, medium- and short-term net zero action plan.
These areas align with Northmore Gordon’s energy and carbon advisory capabilities, particularly where businesses need specialist support to understand emissions, establish a credible emissions baseline and develop practical decarbonisation and net zero strategies.
The grant does not fund capital expenditure, equipment or technology assessments, carbon offsets, internal labour or project management costs, or auditing, verification and validation fees. It also excludes certain mandatory NGER reporting activities and existing ongoing activities such as existing voluntary reporting.
Eligibility: You can apply if you:
- Have an Australian Business Number (ABN) and are registered for GST.
- Are a business with a NSW site address and business operations in NSW.
- Spend at least $200,000 annually on energy bills at a single NSW site, or at least $500,000 annually across multiple sites and operations in NSW. Purchased fuels can be included in this expenditure.
- Can provide evidence of your annual energy expenditure through relevant energy bills. The latest bills provided must be no more than two years old at the date the application is submitted.
Businesses are not eligible if they or their related entities have received, or will receive, funding through the Net Zero Planning Grant in this or a previous round. Businesses are also ineligible if they receive other NSW Government funding for the same activities, are a Commonwealth, state or local government entity, are a Safeguard facility, or they or a related entity are a Group 1 reporting entity required to prepare a sustainability report under section 292A of the Corporations Act 2001.
Key dates
Applications opened: 1 September 2026
Applications close: 5 pm AEDT, 30 November 2026, or earlier if funding is exhausted.
Application outcomes are expected within 20 business days of submission, although the NSW Government reserves the right to extend this timeframe where necessary.
The Net Zero Planning Grant is non-competitive, with eligible applications assessed as they are received rather than waiting until the closing date. Businesses considering applying should therefore avoid waiting until the deadline, as the funding may be exhausted earlier.
How does the grant work?
Successful projects are delivered through two stages.
Milestone 1 focuses on assessing the organisation’s current net zero progress across the nine elements of the Net Zero Business Guide and identifying priority actions for further work. These activities must be undertaken by an external specialist consultant and completed within six weeks from commencement of the funding deed.
Milestone 2 then supports detailed implementation of the actions identified during Milestone 1. The selected work must follow the Net Zero Business Guide and, where applicable, align with nationally or internationally recognised frameworks such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol or Science Based Targets initiative. Milestone 2 must be completed within 18 weeks following notification of successful completion of Milestone 1.
How can Northmore Gordon help?
Northmore Gordon can help eligible NSW businesses assess the Net Zero Planning Grant opportunity and determine how relevant net zero and emissions activities could fit within their broader energy and decarbonisation strategy.
Depending on your organisation’s requirements and the activities ultimately approved under the grant, this could include support with greenhouse gas emissions inventories, climate-related risk and opportunity assessments, emissions reduction targets and net zero action planning.
If your business meets the eligibility requirements and is considering the Net Zero Planning Grant, contact Northmore Gordon to discuss your project and the next steps for preparing an application.
