FRRR and ARLF announce the first organisations to receive funding through the Future Drought Fund’s Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative.

The Initiative, which is being delivered by FRRR in partnership with ARLF, seeks to help agriculture-dependent communities in regions across remote, rural, and regional Australia that are vulnerable to the impacts of drought become more prepared for and resilient to these impacts.

This first tranche of funding, through the Initiative’s Community Impact Program, sees 15 organisations across five regions of Australia, awarded funding totalling $1.7 million.

“People are more resilient when they’re part of a strong community. Through this place-based program, with the Australian Government’s support, we’re investing in the future, enabling agriculture-dependent communities to identify and act on their drought preparedness priorities at a grassroots level,” said Nina O’Brien, FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead.

Over the last three months, FRRR and ARLF have worked closely with a local community partner lead organisation in five areas to identify projects that local groups across each region can implement to enhance preparedness for drought.

In the coming months, the local community partner lead organisation will collaborate with other grantee organisations in the region to deliver projects that include events, training and workshops that will create opportunities for communities to identify and adopt innovative and transformative ways to build drought resilience, develop a change in awareness of and attitudes to drought preparedness at the community level and, learn and share innovative ways to build drought resilience.

“The overall aim of this program is to facilitate increased social connection, strengthen network opportunities, build leadership skills, and link capacity-building opportunities to ensure widespread local benefit so that communities are better prepared for the future,” added O’Brien.

“In addition to the project funding, these leadership development activities are a crucial investment in building the social capital required to support the project and each region. Connecting local networks, creating a deeper sense of shared purpose and developing capability all contribute to people in each region taking action to address challenges and take advantage of opportunities,” said Matt Linnegar, ARLF CEO.

FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead highlighted that this is an exciting milestone and a wonderful opportunity for these communities to drive local action that helps prepare for drought.

“The program was deliberately designed to be flexible, allowing a bespoke approach in each region that reflects the unique conditions in each area. The projects that we’re funding have broad community support.”

Each of the regions being funded will also receive access to tailored ARLF leadership development activities. Lead organisations can choose between one of five leadership development activities, depending on their projects and local priorities. In the first five regions, four different activities have been taken up.

“We look forward to continuing to walk alongside these local groups as they implement their projects over the next two years,” added O’Brien.

To see the full list of grant recipients and their projects visit – https://frrr.org.au/funds-begin-to-flow-to-rural-communities-to-prepare-for-drought/. The projects outlined will be completed by June 2025.