Deadline: 5-Jul-21
The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal is seeking applications for its Future Drought Fund’s Networks to Build Drought Resilience.
The Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund provides a sustainable source of funding to help remote, rural and regional communities, and farmers, become more prepared for, and resilient to, the impacts of drought. The Fund is part of the Government’s Drought Response, Resilience and Preparedness Plan.
The Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program is one of the Fund’s foundation programs. It is designed to build community capacity by strengthening social and community networking, support, engagement and wellbeing.
The aim is to build an enduring resilience to the impacts of climate change, drought, and enhance the public good in agriculture-dependent communities.
Objectives
- The Future Drought Fund’s Networks to Build Drought Resilience program provides agriculture-dependent communities across remote, rural, and regional Australia with the opportunity to access funds for a broad range of initiatives that benefit local communities to strengthen their resourcefulness, adaptability, and capacity to thrive.
- The program is designed to build strong social connectedness, strengthen social capital, and support transformative activities that enable regional communities to be more prepared for, and resilient to, the impacts of drought.
- It is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to support Australian agricultural communities to be sustainable and productive.
Priority Areas
The Future Drought Fund’s Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program will fund events, projects, activities, training, and small-scale infrastructure that assist communities to build their capacity by strengthening social and community networking, support, engagement, and wellbeing to be more prepared for, and resilient to, the impacts of drought under four opportunity types:
- Projects that strengthen the capacity, capability, and coordination of professional, social or community networks in agriculture-dependent communities to build drought resilience.
- Events that facilitate professional, social and community connection to build understanding of risks posed by drought and climate change in agriculture-dependent communities throughout Australia.
- Training to improve the skills, understanding and capacity of community network members to participate in community risk management, planning and community driven projects that build drought resilience.
- Small-scale community infrastructure projects to foster connectedness, improve wellbeing and make community facilities resilient to the impacts of drought.
Funding Information
The program will offer three tiers of grants to not-for-profit organisations totalling $4.5 million over an 18-month period. Round 1 (of 2) aims to fund approximately 50 projects.
- $10,000 to $20,000; (approximately 26 projects, events, or activities will be funded per round)
- $20,000 to $50,000; (approximately 17 projects, events, or activities will be funded per round)
- $50,000 to $150,000 (approximately 6 projects, events, or activities will be funded per round)
What can’t be funded?
- There are a range of areas that they can’t fund through this program. If in doubt, please contact them.
- Projects that are not located in remote, rural, and regional Australia.
- Projects that support core business and areas of responsibility of Federal, State and Local Governments.
- 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, and demonstrate a clear linkage to drought resilience. This is because the encouragement or advancement of sport, recreation and social activities are not considered charitable activities under Australian law.
- Prizes, gifts, trophies, or awards.
- Projects solely focused on animal welfare.
- Activities that do not directly support agriculture-dependent communities.
- Activities that benefit a single individual rather than build long-term drought resilience and enhance the public good in agriculture-dependent communities.
- Activities that do not directly strengthen community networking, wellbeing, drought preparedness, or reduce the risk of social isolation associated with drought.
- Activities that duplicate existing projects or services in a particular community.
- Activities where costs have already been incurred because the activity has already been undertaken or will have been undertaken prior to the start of the activity.
- Activities outside of Australia or involving overseas travel.
- Activities that provide private and/or commercial benefit rather than not-for-profit or social enterprises activities.
- Business activities where the primary purpose is for profit.
- Activities already funded through another Australian, state or territory, or local government program.
- Provision of Funding to any person or organisation who have outstanding final reports from a prior Australian Government grant of financial assistance.
- Any costs that are not directly related to carrying out the Activity such as:
- preparation of grant application materials;
- protecting or patenting intellectual property;
- activities of a distinctly commercial or proprietary nature that are aimed at selling or attracting investment;
- developing, building, or producing commercial prototypes to commercialise a research project outcome;
- creation of new institutions;
- establishing new commercial ventures;
- core business expenses not directly related to carrying out the Activity, including administrative, overhead (and infrastructure not specified in a Project budget) costs, staff salaries (unless directly engaged in delivering the Funding Program) and relocation costs, travel and living allowances;
- financial support for feasibility studies;
- hospitality or catering beyond reasonable costs for providing refreshments at Activity-related events such as workshops or field days;
- purchasing of infrastructure not specified in a Project budget;
- the conduct of activities that could be considered part of normal business or ongoing operations, unless integral to the delivery of the Activity;
- purchase or acquisition of land or buildings;
- capital expenditure;
- activities involving political advocacy;
- production of clothing, equipment, or merchandise for distribution;
- subsidy of general ongoing administration of an organisation such as electricity, phone, and rent;
- major construction or large capital works.
Eligibility Criteria
- To apply, you must meet the following criteria:
- Applicant organisation must be a not-for-profit organisation with an ABN or Incorporation Certificate. Organisations with or without DGR-1 endorsement are eligible. The proposed project must be for charitable purposes and offer clear public benefit.
- Organisations can submit one application per grant round.
- Projects must benefit communities in remote, rural, or regional Australia that are agriculture-dependent.
- Please note, you will be considered ineligible if the:
- Application is submitted by individuals, sole traders, private or commercial businesses (as per the submitted ABN).
- Application is submitted by an organisation that is not a legal entity (i.e., a registered not-for-profit), without the written consent of the governing / partnering body who holds the ABN / Incorporation Certificate.
- 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 organisations should check with legal 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://frrr.org.au/funding/disaster-resilience-and-climate-solutions/future-drought-fund-networks-to-build-drought-resilience/