Don't leave $25,000 on the table: Using the NSW Net Zero Planning Grant to get ahead of climate data requests

For many organisations, conversations about emissions, climate risks and net zero have shifted from future considerations to current business requirements.

Customers are increasingly incorporating sustainability-related questions into procurement and supplier onboarding processes. Financiers are seeking greater visibility over climate-related risks and transition plans. Larger organisations are requesting emissions and climate-related information from suppliers as they respond to their own reporting obligations and stakeholder expectations.

As a result, businesses that have never considered themselves sustainability reporters are finding themselves asked questions such as: Do you understand your greenhouse gas emissions? What climate-related risks could affect your business? Do you have a plan to reduce emissions over time? How are climate-related matters governed and managed?

For many organisations, these requests arise well before any mandatory reporting obligation applies. Against this backdrop, the NSW Government Net Zero Planning Grant Round 2 provides eligible businesses with an opportunity to build these capabilities while receiving funding support.

Is your business eligible for the NSW Government Net Zero Planning Grant?

The grant is targeted at energy-intensive businesses operating in New South Wales. To be eligible, businesses must generally:

·         have an ABN and be registered for GST;

·         have a NSW site address and business operations in NSW;

·         spend at least $200,000 per year on energy at a single NSW site; or

·         spend at least $500,000 per year on energy across multiple NSW sites and operations.

For the purposes of the grant, energy expenditure includes electricity, gas and other purchased fuels.

The grant is not available to government entities, facilities covered by the Safeguard Mechanism, businesses that have already received funding under the Net Zero Planning Grant program, and Group 1 entities required to prepare a sustainability report under section 292A of the Corporations Act.

Source: NSW Government, Net Zero Planning Grant Round 2 Funding Guidelines.

Key grant details

·         Funding available: Up to $25,000

·         Funding rate: Up to 50% of eligible project costs

·         Application deadline: 30 November 2026 at 5:00 pm AEDT, unless funding is exhausted earlier

·         Assessment process: Applications are assessed as they are received

·         Program administrator: NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Source: NSW Government, Net Zero Planning Grant Round 2 Funding Guidelines.

What does the grant cover?

The grant is designed to fund specialist consulting services delivered across two milestones.

Milestone 1: Understanding where you are today

Funding of up to $2,000 is available for an initial assessment of an organisation's current position and future priorities. The purpose of this milestone is to identify the actions required to advance the organisation's net zero journey across areas such as strategy, governance, climate-related risks and opportunities, people and capability, data and measurement, stakeholder engagement, finance and reporting. In practice, this milestone helps organisations understand where capability gaps exist and where future effort should be focused.

Milestone 2: Building the foundations for action

Milestone 2 is intended to build on the priorities identified through Milestone 1 with funding of up to $23,000 is available for more detailed planning and implementation activities. Depending on the specific priorities identified, which must be aligned with the NSW Climate and Energy Action Net Zero Business Guide, funding can cover projects around greenhouse gas emissions inventory development, climate-related risk and opportunity assessments, target setting and preparing net zero action plans. The objective is to develop practical outputs that support decision-making and help organisations progress toward net zero in a structured and credible way.

Source: NSW Government, Net Zero Planning Grant Round 2 Funding Guidelines; NSW Climate and Energy Action, Net Zero Business Guide.

Making the grant work harder for your business

The organisations that derive the greatest value from the program are typically those that treat it as a business planning exercise rather than a standalone sustainability project. Many businesses undertake emissions measurement, climate risk assessments and customer sustainability requests as separate activities over a number of years. This can create duplication, inconsistent information and unnecessary cost.

A more strategic approach is to use the grant to create a foundation that supports multiple business objectives at the same time. A single project may help an organisation understand its emissions profile, identify climate-related risks and opportunities, inform strategic planning and investment decisions and respond to questionnaires from key value chain partners. 

Viewed this way, the grant becomes more than a source of funding. It becomes an opportunity to build information and capabilities that can support decision-making long after the project has been completed.

The real opportunity is bigger than the grant

The attraction of receiving up to $25,000 in funding is obvious. However, for many organisations, the larger opportunity lies in establishing information that can be used repeatedly across the business.

As climate-related information requests become more common, businesses that can provide clear and credible information about emissions, risks, opportunities and transition planning are often better positioned to respond to customer requests, participate in procurement processes, engage with financiers and make informed strategic decisions.

The most successful projects are therefore not necessarily those that maximise the grant amount. They are the projects that produce information that remains useful to the organisation for years afterward.

How Forvis Mazars can help

A successful grant project starts with defining the right scope. Forvis Mazars can help organisations assess eligibility, identify priority workstreams and design projects that align grant objectives with broader business outcomes.

Beyond supporting the application process, our climate and sustainability specialists can deliver the practical work funded through the grant. Depending on an organisation's priorities, this may include greenhouse gas emissions inventories, climate-related risk and opportunity assessments, emissions reduction target setting, net zero roadmap development, transition planning and sustainability governance support.

Our focus is on helping organisations develop practical outputs that satisfy grant requirements while creating long-term value for the business and supporting future sustainability objectives.  For more information, please contact our climate risk experts below.

Published: 13/10/26

Author: Luke Jones

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