Deadline: 26-Feb-24
The Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Rebuilding Regional Communities (RRC) stream is giving small remote, rural and regional communities across Australia an opportunity to access funds for a broad range of initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities.
Recognising the impacts of COVID-19 on communities, the Australian Government has partnered with FRRR to distribute $5 million from 2022 to 2024 to support community-led initiatives that:
- Enhance the process of recovery of remote, rural and regional communities from the COVID19 pandemic;
- Reduce social isolation and foster stronger, more resilient remote, rural and regional communities; and/or
- Sustain local, remote, rural and regional organisations and their work.
Funding Information
- The Rebuilding Regional Communities stream received grant funding from the Australian Government. For this final round, there is approximately $300,000 available to fund grants up to $10,000, for communities with fewer than 50,000 people
While all requests will be considered, priorities for funding will be given to projects that:
- Enhance the process of recovery of remote, rural and regional communities from the COVID19 pandemic:
- Deliver targeted support that will have a long-term impact on the health of the not-for-profit sector across remote, rural and regional communities, whilst also supporting local self-generation and self-determination, improved amenity, service equity, strengthened identity, and improved quality of life and community-wide prosperity in smaller and more remote communities;
- Reduce social isolation and foster stronger, more resilient remote, rural and regional communities by:
- Focusing on reinforcing community social cohesion; celebrating a sense of identity, diversity and cultural connection within the community; improving community health and social wellbeing; and enabling people to develop skills, knowledge and the confidence to lead and contribute to the prosperity and renewal of their community following the COVID-19 pandemic; and/or
- Sustain local remote, rural and regional organisations and their work by:
- Ensuring that community organisations are better resourced and prepared to adapt to the impacts of COVID-19 through digital transition, strengthening volunteerism, fundraising, delivery of programs and services, and support for vulnerable people.
What 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;
- Activities and resources that will strengthen your organisation (capacity building); and
- Community resource development.
What can’t be Funded?
- There are several areas that they can’t fund through this program:
- On-going costs such as rent and utilities;
- Purchase of motor vehicles;
- Costs involved in the purchase or upgrade/hire of software (including user licences) and ICT hardware (unless it directly relates to the project);
- Insurance costs (the participants must effect and maintain adequate insurance or similar coverage for any liability arising as a result of its participation in funded activities);
- Routine operational expenses, including communications, accommodation, office computing facilities, printing and stationery, postage, legal and accounting fees and bank charges;
- Projects that duplicate an existing project or service in their community.
Types of Projects Supported
- Eligible projects will have a focus on recovering from or adapting to the impacts of COVID-19 in remote, rural and regional communities and may include:
- Supporting, training or attracting volunteers;
- Events and activities to reconnect the community;
- Enhancing community spaces to increase community use;
- Developing services and support to assist vulnerable people, and people experiencing disadvantage;
- Purchase of equipment or resources to strengthen organisations that support communities
Outcomes
- FRRR funds projects aligned with the following types of charitable projects and 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;
- Supporting diverse groups within remote, rural and regional communities including, but not limited to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse, those living with disability, and LGBTQIA+;
- 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.
Eligibility Criteria
- To apply, you must meet the following criteria:
- Applicant organisations must be a not-for-profit organisation with either an Incorporation Certificate and/or an ABN. If you are unsure if your organisation is a registered not-for-profit (e.g. if you are a Co-operative, Other Unincorporated Entity, Public Company or Trust), please contact FRRR;
- There are three streams of funding available within the Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Program: Small and Vital, Prepare and Recover, and Rebuilding Regional Communities. Organisations may submit their application in one of these streams per SRC grant round, and any other applications in this round will be considered ineligible;
- Project must be for charitable purposes and offer clear public benefit;
- Not-for-profit organisations with or without DGR-1 endorsement are eligible;
- Projects must benefit communities in remote, rural or regional Australia.
Ineligible
- Please note, you will be considered ineligible if:
- 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 information;
- Overdue 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 FRRR.