Broken Hill region residents and organisations are in the running to qualify for the final round of Rebuilding Regional Communities Program grants now open and up for grabs with up to $10,000 available with applications closing 5pm (AEDT) February 26 and funding being announced in April.
The Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Rebuilding Regional Communities (RRC) stream gives small remote, rural, and regional communities with under 50,000 residents the opportunity to access funds for a broad range of initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities.
Post Covid-19 lockdowns, the federal government partnered with Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR) to distribute $5 million to support community-led initiatives from 2022 to 2024 with the objectives of the program being to:
- enhance the process of recovery of remote, rural and regional communities from the Covid-19 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.
The types of projects most likely to receive funding include those that:
- support, train or attract volunteers;
- run events and activities that help with post-Covid reconnection of communities
- enhance community spaces to increase community use
- develop services and support to assist vulnerable people, and people experiencing disadvantage
- purchase equipment or resources to strengthen organisations that support communities.
FRRR funds projects are aligned with the following types of charitable projects and outcomes that:
- bring people and community organisations together to foster stronger, more resilient communities
- foster and celebrate a sense of identity, diversity and cultural connection within the community
- support 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+
- improve community health and social wellbeing
- enable people to develop skills, knowledge and confidence to lead and contribute to the prosperity and renewal of their community
- build a sustainable volunteer base and/or supporting the wellbeing of volunteers
- celebrate and resource volunteer-led efforts
- increase access and inclusion for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including remote communities.
- enhance places where communities gather;
- promote connection to place and enabling initiatives that champion a community’s social, cultural or economic aspirations;
- reduce the divide on access to digital technology and connectivity for remote, rural and regional communities; and
- enable locally led responses within remote, rural, and regional communities endeavouring to reduce the impacts of the changing climate within their community.
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.
With three streams of funding available within the SRC Program, Small and Vital, Prepare and Recover, and Rebuilding Regional Communities, organisations may only submit one application to one of these streams per SRC grant round.
To read the SRC Rebuilding Regional Communities Program Guidelines, go to: https://frrr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/SRC-Rebuilding-Regional-Communities-Program-Guidelines.pdf.
