Bushfire recovery grants for local government authorities and community service organisations

Status: Closed

Who can apply: Government, not-for-profit groups

Funding: $0 - $500,000

The Bushfire Recovery Grants for Local Government Authorities and Community Service Organisations are closed.

These grants help councils, charities and community organisations support recovery, redevelopment and resilience after the 2019-20 Victorian Bushfires, and to build capacity and preparedness for the future.

Previous Successful Recipients

February 2023

$485,000 for Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship to develop current and emerging local leadership and accelerate a new culture of rural entrepreneurship.
$455,000 for Buchan Bush Nursing Association (BBNA) to employ a Wellbeing and Recovery Coordinator to reconnect and coordinate mental health and psychosocial recovery services.
$491,000 for East Gippsland Shire Council to deliver the Community Facilities Emergency Power Project.
$261,610 for Into Our Hands Community Foundation Ltd to embed a Volunteering Recovery Officer and associated resources into 4 fire affected Local Government Areas.
$500,000 for Moyne Shire Council to re-develop the parkland and main street-scape in the township of Macarthur.
$428,929 for NESAY Inc. to facilitate a Healthy Eating and Living (HEAL) program for young people aged 10-25 years.
$220,628 for North East Multicultural Association Inc. to strengthen the resilience of CALD residents against natural disaster in an emergency.
$150,000 for Northern Grampians Shire Council to further build community resilience with The Resilience Project.
$323,355 for Reclink Australia to employ a Community Connector and Arts Co-ordinator to focus on community activities and support services.
$80,015 for RFCS Gippsland to provide services to assist with mental, social, emotional, physical and financial health and wellbeing needs.

July 2021

$500,000 to create sustainable employment and training pathways for young people experiencing bushfire-related trauma.
$500,000 for a program to address gaps in psychosocial support for bushfire-affected children (0-5 years) and to train community services to help repair parent-child relationships.
$500,000 to develop the Playles Hill community reserve in Corryong with the creation of new walking and cycling tracks, tree planting and installation of community infrastructure.
$478,675 for the Alpine Shire Council to build a new river crossing to connect the township of Myrtleford with the communities of Merriang and Buffalo River.
$439,326 for the employment of a Youth Recovery Officer to support the needs of young people in their recovery across Mallacoota and Cann Valley.
$400,000 for Gippsport to address the gaps between youth participation in sport and active recreation.
$361,152 for Anglicare Victoria to re-engage bushfire affected students who are struggling with their studies, and provide support for teachers, parents and carers.
$310,000 for the employment of development officers to enhance the service delivery of bushfire recovery projects across the Alpine Shire.
$250,000 for Destination Gippsland to connect tourism businesses to marketing campaigns, industry development and training programs and support event committees.
$100,000 to deliver a “Books for Kids” program, that will replace books in school libraries that were destroyed in the bushfires.
Timeline

10 August 2020 to 31 December 2021

Guidelines

Open all

Eligibility

To be eligible, an organisation must be either:

a local government authority (LGAs), including LGA managed, operated, administered and regulated trusts
a community service organisation (association, cooperative or not-for-profit) operating in Victoria that is an incorporated legal entity under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), or the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2001 (Vic) or the Corporation (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth).

And you must have:

a current Australian Business Number (ABN)
no outstanding final reports or final reports required for any previous government grant programs.

We strongly encourage applications from:

new and emerging social enterprises
aboriginal community-controlled organisations.

Auspice organisations

Auspice organisations can support unlimited applications from lead applicants.

If your organisation is not incorporated or does not have an ABN, you can still apply if you are supported by an eligible auspice organisation that has agreed to manage the grant for you.

An auspice arrangement is when a larger organisation assists a smaller organisation to fund a grant activity or event.

The larger organisation is known as the auspice organisation. Your Local Government Authority or Community Service Organisation is known as the grant recipient.

Who cannot apply?

state and federal government agencies
individuals and sole traders
unincorporated community organisations
commercial enterprises
fixed trusts
registered primary and secondary schools, preschools, TAFE institutes and universities (can act as an auspice)
commercial enterprises are not eligible to apply for a grant alone (they can partner with an organisation as a sponsor and only provide contributions).

Selection criteria

Provided your organisation is eligible to apply (see Applicant eligibility) your application for this grant will be assessed against the following:

how well it meets the 5 key selection criteria set out below
whether you demonstrate all application requirements and provide all the required documentation.

1. Purpose

Applicants must provide an explanation of how their project will deliver direct benefit to a bushfire affected community and supports one or more of the objectives of the Community Recovery and Resilience Grants initiative.

2. Community participation

Applicants must demonstrate how the project will be:

used by the community
accessible to the community
promoted to the community (please note: word of mouth is not a valid promotion type).

3. Location

Applicants must demonstrate that their project will occur in bushfire affected area and describe how the bushfires directly impacted on their community.

As of June 2020, the following local government areas and alpine resorts are in scope:

Local government areas

Ararat
Alpine
Ballarat
East Gippsland
Glenelg
Golden Plains
Greater Bendigo
Indigo
Mansfield
Moyne
Northern Grampians
Pyrenees
Southern Grampians
Strathbogie
Towong
Wangaratta
Wellington
Wodonga.

Alpine resorts

Falls Creek
Mount Buller
Mount Hotham
Mount Stirling.

4. Planning and delivery

Applicants must provide a clear explanation of how the project will be undertaken and the anticipate completion date.

This explanation should include a description of how the delivery of the project will provide economic benefits (e.g. use of local trades) and social benefits (e.g enhanced wellbeing) for the local community.

5. Budget

Applicants must provide evidence to show that:

project costs are accurate and reasonable
include any in kind or co-contribution funding support.

Other mandatory requirements

Applications for projects on public land must be endorsed by the relevant land manager (e.g. Local Council or the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning).

Applications must outline how the proposed project(s) will comply with the Victorian COVID-19 restrictions and requirements.

Applications must comply with any other applicable legislation (e.g. Aboriginal Heritage Act 2008 (Vic), Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010, Native Title Act 1983; local planning laws)

Assessment Criteria

Applications received will be assessed against the criteria as outlined in the table below.

Weighting

30%

Number of objectives of the Community Recovery and Resilience Grants Initiative the event meets and the extent to which those objectives are met.

25%

The direct benefits to bushfire affected communities, including community participation and accessibility.

25%

The extent to which the project:

is delivery ready, supported by a clear approach and realistic timeframes
is financially viable, based on sound cost estimates and represents value for money
sources materials and resources to deliver the project which strengthens and delivers economic benefits for bushfire affected communities.

20%

The direct impacts of the 2019-20 Victorian Bushfires on the community.

Funding agreements and reporting

Organisations approved for funding will enter into a Victorian Common Funding Agreement (VCFA) with Emergency Recovery Victoria.

The VCFA will outline:

the grant’s terms and conditions, including use of funds
agreement terms
key deliverables and due dates
reporting requirements.

Organisations that are successful in receiving funding will have 30 days to enter into a VCFA. If a grant offer is not accepted during this period, the grant may be withdrawn.

Reporting

Organisations will be required to report on the funded activity and can submit their final reports online and must submit their final report on time.

Acknowledgement guidelines

A common condition of ERV grants is that grant recipients must agree to follow ERV guidelines for acknowledging the government’s funding. A breach of these guidelines is considered a breach of your funding agreement with ERV.

How to apply

This grant program is closed.

If you have any questions, email grants@brv.vic.gov.au

Guidelines - Bushfire Recovery Grants for LGAs and CSOsdocx273.94 KB

ERV Acknowledgement Guidelinespdf147.74 KB

Updated 14 February 2023

Economic Growth Statement