FRRR invites applications from local not-for-profit groups for grants to support ongoing recovery efforts following the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.  

$180,000 from the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund is available for distribution via grants to not-for-profit groups in Kinglake, Kinglake Central, Kinglake West, Pheasant Creek, Toolangi and Flowerdale.   

Applications requesting more than $25,000 must be discussed with FRRR prior to submission. Projects relating to government-owned infrastructure and/or sporting organisations must be addressed with FRRR before they are lodged.  

Projects identified through the Kinglake Ranges and Flowerdale Conversations for Change talks and Toolangi-Castella community plans will be prioritised.  

“We had some great projects come forward at the end of last year and it’s pleasing to see them starting to kick off,” said Nina O’Brien, FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead.  

O’Brien highlighted that FRRR is keen to get this last tranche of funding into the community to fund community-strengthening and resilience-building projects that align with the VBAF program’s intent.  

Related: Foundation awards grants to help communities razed by 2009 Black Saturday bushfires 

“Not all the applications we had last year fit with the guidelines of the program and the intent of the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Funds program, hence we still have some funding available.”  

Applications must be for new initiatives that directly provide aid to individuals and communities affected by the 2009 fires and that are required to address a particular hardship or distress brought on by the bushfires.  

“Projects also need to benefit the wider community and so applications should demonstrate community support and the involvement of a range of community groups or representatives,” she said.  

To date, through GR&W Kinglake, FRRR has awarded over $1.1M for 35 projects to local groups in the Kinglake Ranges.  Any community impacted by the 2009 bushfires and not located in the Kinglake Ranges region can apply for support through FRRR’s Strengthening Rural Communities program.  

Applications close Wednesday 3 May 2023, at 5 pm AEST.