Deadline: 25-Aug-20
The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) has announced a call for proposals for the Strengthening Rural Communities program 2020.
The Strengthening Rural Communities program gives small rural, regional and remote communities across Australia the opportunity to access funds that can benefit and help secure their future success. Grants are available for a broad range of initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities.
The Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program aims to give the thousands of small rural, regional and remote communities across Australia an opportunity to access funding to support broad community needs. Given the events of summer 2019/20, it has also been expanded to offer funding to support recovery in bushfire-affected communities.
Expected Outcomes
Projects funded must align with one or more of the following charitable outcomes:
- Bringing people and community organisations together to foster stronger, more resilient communities;
- Fostering and celebrating a sense of identity, diversity and cultural connection within the community;
- Improving community health and social wellbeing;
- Enabling people to develop skills, knowledge and confidence to lead and contribute to the prosperity and renewal of their community;
- Building a sustainable volunteer base and/or supporting the wellbeing of volunteers;
- Celebrating and resourcing volunteer-led efforts;
- Increasing access and inclusion for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including remote communities;
- Enhancing places where communities gather;
- Promoting connection to place and enabling initiatives that champion a community’s social, cultural or economic aspirations;
- Increasing capacity and capability of local community organisations to support preparedness and recovery from natural disasters;
- Enabling locally-led responses within rural, regional, regional and remote communities endeavouring to reduce the impacts of the changing climate within their community.
Funding Streams
- Small & Vital– up to $10,000 grants available. Communities in non-metropolitan areas with fewer than 15,000 people are prioritised.
- Bushfire Recovery– up to $25,0000 grants available. Projects that enhance the recovery of communities affected by the Sept 2019 to Feb 2020 bushfires are eligible.
Projects that can be Funded
A broad range of charitable projects are considered under this program, including:
- Delivering, or providing activities, events, programs and services;
- Purchasing or hiring equipment and materials;
- Community infrastructure projects;
- Organisational capacity building;
- Community resource development.
There are several areas that can’t be funded through this program.
- Projects that support core business and areas of responsibility of Federal, State and Local Governments;
- Ongoing core organisational operational costs (e.g. rent, utilities, regular wages, loan repayments);
- The encouragement or advancement of sport, recreation and social activities are not considered charitable activities under Australian law. Applications from sporting organisations need to clearly demonstrate charitable outcomes and benefit to the wider community that are above and beyond the sporting activities of the club;
- Overseas travel and overseas projects;
- Prizes, gifts, trophies or awards;
- Political lobbying;
- Projects that primarily benefit private business or private interests;
- Projects solely focused on animal welfare.
Eligibility Criteria
To apply, you must meet the following criteria:
- Applicant organisations must be a not-for-profit, community-based organisation with an ABN or Incorporation Certificate;
- Project must offer clear public benefit (i.e. has a charitable purpose);
- Organisations with or without DGR endorsement are eligible;
- Organisations can submit one application per grant round;
- For Bushfire Recovery Stream, applicants must be in a declared fire-affected area;
- Applicants must be in a rural, regional or remote area (defined as outside ‘Major Cities of Australia/ Code RA1’ of the 2016 Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC)).
Ineligibility Criteria
- Application is submitted by individuals, private or commercial businesses (as per the submitted ABN);
- Application is submitted by an organisation that is not a legal entity, without the written consent of the governing / partnering body who holds the ABN / Incorporation number;
- Application is submitted without required financial documentation;
- Final report/s from any FRRR grants awarded in the previous seven years have not been acquitted (delivery and legal organisations should check with head organisation to see if there are any outstanding final reports);
- Application is for a project or activity that has already occurred / is occurring prior to the announcement of funding;
- Application is incomplete.
Note: Due to the volume of applications received, applications are assessed based on the documentation received at the time of application. FRRR is unlikely to follow up missing documentation after applications have been submitted.
For more information, visit https://www.frrr.org.au/grants/Strengthening_Rural_Communities