130 projects across remote, rural and regional Australia will share $1,663,531 in grants thanks to FRRR’s Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program.

For the first time, the SRC grant recipients have been divided into three streams: the Small & Vital stream, 2019/20 Black Summer bushfire recovery and a new Rebuilding Regional Communities stream, which focuses on recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in remote, rural and regional Australia.

Funding to support COVID-19 recovery

In this round, 50 of the projects receiving funding are helping to support their community’s ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the Rebuilding Regional Communities (RRC) stream, these projects will share in $834,892. This includes initiatives like the Texas Country Music Festival, who will receive funding that will help to bring community members together again and improve social connectedness after extended periods of isolation.

Black Summer grants

This round will also see 25 projects receive funding to support the ongoing recovery from the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. These projects will share $410,519, with organisations like Kingscote Men’s Shed using the grant for a project focusing on empowering the men of the bushfire-impacted region, as well as coastal habitat rehabilitation.

Small and Vital stream

Through the Small & Vital stream, 55 initiatives will share $418,120 in grants. This stream funds projects that locals prioritise to take advantage of opportunities, address gaps in services or generally enhance the vitality of remote, rural and regional communities. For example, the Akurra Walking Trail will get bilingual signage, which will expand opportunities to learn about First Nation’s history, language and connection to the environment.

“This is the first SRC round where we’ve received applications for COVID recovery support through the RRC stream and there were some obvious trends,” said FRRR Place Portfolio Lead Jill Karena

“A large majority of the applications we received were related to mental health issues and social dislocation, which is a strong indicator of how remote, rural and regional Australia is faring in the wake of the pandemic and successive disaster events including fires, floods and drought. This is often exacerbated by the housing crisis and increased costs of living.”

Upon observing the impacts of COVID on the sustainability of these backbone organisations, 30 per cent of applications sought support to ensure they can continue their day-to-day work, providing critical services and support, often to the most vulnerable members of the community.

“When it came to the Bushfire Recovery stream this round, a lot of the applications were focused on reducing the burden on volunteer, whereas in previous rounds we’ve seen more of a focus on infrastructure,” she added.

This aligns with the findings of thier Heartbeat of Rural Australia survey, which showed that volunteers in rural Australia are feeling more fatigued than ever. There was also a strong trend toward greater community connection, with projects to help bring the community together to share their experiences and support one another in their ongoing recovery.

The Small & Vital stream, continues to see a focus on projects that address food security. Although many now also incorporate multiple community-building aspects, such as a community garden that acts as the base for training horticulture students, boosting vocational skills and employment readiness.

“The fact that we’re seeing such distinct and varied trends in each stream of the SRC program really speaks to how important it is that rural communities have access to more flexible funding that can be used as local groups see fit,” Karena said.

This program always accepts applications. Local NFPs and community groups are encouraged to review the expanded program guidelines and apply them.

More information about the SRC program is available here.