Funding for projects that improve the resilience of communities associated with large-scale natural hazards

Eligibility for local governments and local government associations

A local governing body as defined in the Local Government (Financial Assistance) Act 1995 (Cth) is an eligible entity. This includes a typical local government body or council established under legislation in a particular jurisdiction. An association of local governments will be eligible if it can demonstrate its not-for-profit status, or if it is an incorporated association or similar entity.

Deciding an organisation's incorporation or not-for-profit status 

If you are applying as an incorporated association or a not for profit organisation, your application must demonstrate its entity status through one of the following:

• State or territory incorporated association status (e.g. registration number or certificate of incorporation)
• current Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) registration
• constitutional documents and/or Articles of Association that demonstrate the character of the organisation
• legislation that demonstrates the character of the organisation.

If you are one of these entities, and do not have an active state or territory incorporated association registration or ACNC registration at the time of application, you must attach the relevant constitutional documents and/or Articles of Association that demonstrate the organisation’s character. 

Upgrade to licensed/registered club premises

A typical licensed/registered club will be an eligible entity, although it will need to demonstrate its entity status in the application. Eligible activities under the program include infrastructure projects such as refurbishing a community facility where there is a direct link to reducing disaster risks. This might include making it resilient to hazards to perform as a refuge during bushfires, tropical cyclones or floods.

Research projects

Expenditure on research is eligible if it falls into one of the eligible activity categories. Expenditure on research that does not directly support an eligible activity/ies is not an eligible expenditure item under the grant opportunity guidelines. The guidelines also provide that the following activities that might be considered to be in the nature of research are ineligible activities:

• non-disaster/climate related technical assessments such as traditional commercial advisory, engineering, architects/design, environmental assessments
• general planning activities not related to the objectives and outcomes of the program.

Funding for one stage of a bigger project

The application requires you to provide descriptions of the activity for which funding is being sought and of the project outcome and outputs. If the project is part of a larger project, you will need to describe this in the application. The proposed activity will be assessed as a standalone project. It should be able to deliver the benefits described without completion of the larger project.

Funding for projects already underway

We cannot fund activities within a project that are already being supported through other sources. Your application will need to demonstrate that the particular activity for which grant funding is sought is new and is not otherwise supported.

Refurbishing a leased building

Modifications to a leased building may be eligible. You must use the leased building for activities related to your project. Where you do not own or manage the proposed project site/s, you must provide written consent from the site owner and/or site manager allowing the proposed project on each site for the duration of the proposed project term prior to entering into a grant agreement.

Co-contributions and evidence

Co-contributions are encouraged, and are mandatory for infrastructure projects with eligible project expenditure of $100,000 or more. They may be cash or in-kind. We cannot accept an application which does not show that you are able to meet your share of project costs or provide evidence of your cash or in-kind contributions. For applicable infrastructure projects, you must submit with your application evidence of how you will provide your share of project costs. If you will be making a cash/in-kind contribution to the infrastructure project, you must use the Accountant Declaration form available on business.gov.au and GrantConnect. If you do not use this template, you must include equivalent information and the declaration in your own document. If your infrastructure project will receive cash/in-kind contributions from other sources, you must provide formal documentation confirming the contributions from those sources (e.g. state government) such as a commercial finance agreement or letter of offer with your application.

Applying to the program without being an eligible organisation

Joint applications are encouraged, provided you have a lead organisation who is the main driver of the project and is eligible to apply.

Only the lead organisation may submit the application and (if successful) enter into the grant agreement with the Commonwealth.

Partnering with an organisation to deliver a project

We encourage you to partner with eligible organisations if you have an existing project that mitigates or reduces the disaster risk, impact and consequence associated with large-scale natural hazards.

If you want to partner with an organisation, your application will be a joint application and it must:

• identify all other members of the proposed group; and
• include a letter of support from each of them.

The letter of support should include

• details of the project partner
• an overview of how the project partner will work with the lead organisation and any other project partners in the group to successfully complete the project
• an outline of the relevant experience and/or expertise the project partner will bring to the group
• the roles/responsibilities the project partner will undertake, and the resources it will contribute (if any)
• details of a nominated management level contact officer.

Note that if your application is successful, you must also have a formal arrangement in place with all parties prior to execution of the grant agreement.

Working with other organisations without making a joint application

You can work with other organisations without making a joint application, however you are solely responsible for complying with all aspects of the grant agreement, including ensuring that the proposed project outcomes are achieved and that all grant funds are properly acquitted.

Formal arrangements with joint applications

If your joint application for funding is successful, you must have a formal arrangement in place with all parties prior to the execution of the grant agreement.

There is no specific format for this arrangement, but as a minimum, it should be documented in writing, contain the names and signatures of all the relevant parties, and note that the document has been prepared for the purposes of undertaking the named project in accordance with funding approved under the Preparing Australian Communities Program - Local.

Letters of support

Letters of support are not required unless you are making a joint application. You should only attach requested documents to your application. We will not consider information in attachments that we do not request.

Lodging a successful application in the portal

A confirmation status screen in the portal will appear to confirm the submission is complete and a submission reference number will be provided (this is your application ID). The status of the application will also change from ‘Draft’ to ‘Submitted’.

Technical assistance with completing the application in the portal

If you are unable to submit your application due to technical difficulties with the application form, please contact us at business.gov.au or by calling 13 28 46.

Other technical issues are your responsibility. You should ensure you leave yourself sufficient time to lodge your application in case some unexpected technical or other problems arise at the last minute.

Limits to number of applications

You can apply for, and receive, up to one grant through this grant opportunity.

Mandatory documentation for applications

Failure to provide the following documents with your application will result in an ineligible application:

• project plan to support assessment criterion 2 (for projects with a grant amount over $100,000)
• for joint applications, a letter of support from each of the project partners
• evidence of how you will provide your share of project costs:
  • if you will be making a cash/in-kind contribution to the project you must use the Accountant Declaration form available on business.gov.au and GrantConnect. If you do not use this template, you must include equivalent information and the declaration in your own document
  • if your project will receive cash/in-kind contributions from other sources, you must provide formal documentation confirming the cash contributions from those sources (e.g. state government) such as a commercial finance agreement or letter of offer with your application
• if applying as an incorporated association or not for profit organisation and you do not have an active state or territory incorporated association registration or ACNC registration at the time of application, you must provide Constitutional documents and/or Articles of Association that demonstrate the character of the organisation (where applicable).

Providing additional information after lodgement

If the closing date has not passed, you are permitted to withdraw your application and resubmit a new one. You will need to complete a new form in this case. Please contact us at business.gov.au or by calling 13 28 46 to confirm withdrawal of your application. If the closing date has passed, you cannot submit additional information. However, if you find an error in your application, you should call us immediately on 13 28 46. Also, during our assessment of your application, we may contact you if we require additional information or clarification.

Timeframes for project activity approvals

We can only accept applications where any required approvals are planned for, or are in place in order to commence your project around May 2022. Your application should address this and outline any approvals that may require more time to obtain.

Permission from relevant land owner/manager for infrastructure projects

If you do not own or manage the proposed project site/s, written consent from the site owner and/or manager must be provided prior to entering into a grant agreement. You do not need to submit it at the time the application is lodged.

The consent should allow for the implementation of the proposed project on each project site for the duration of the proposed project term.

Template for project plan

If your application is seeking a grant amount $100,000 or over, a detailed project plan needs to be submitted with the application.

There is no template or format for your project plan, but the amount of detail and supporting evidence in it should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant amount requested.

The plan should contain the following:

• a summary of your project including key objectives and outcomes
• a background of your organisation and your key management staff
• scope of the project and overview of project activities, including milestones
• project timeline
• a breakdown of roles and responsibilities
• a communication plan identifying key stakeholders
• a risk management framework identifying risks, impacts and mitigation strategies.

Assessing your application

We assess your application against the eligibility criteria and then against the assessment criteria.

Only eligible applications will proceed to the assessment stage. To be competitive, you must score highly against all the assessment critieria:

• Assessment criterion 1: Project alignment with policy intent (50 points)
• Assessment criterion 2: Capacity, capability and resources to deliver the project (30 points)
• Assessment criterion 3: Community support and broader public benefit (20 points)
• Assessment criterion 4: Applications for projects that address the hazard risks in the selected LGAs identified in Appendix A of the grant opportunity guidelines will be awarded an additional 20 points

The amount of detail and supporting evidence you provide in your application should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant amount requested. You should define, quantify and provide evidence to support your answers. The sample application form displays character limits.

Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience will make the final decision.

Selection of priority LGAs

A priority location is a Local Government Area (LGA) that has been assessed as having high exposure to bushfire, tropical cyclone or flood, relative to other LGAs across the country. Further explanatory material about this is available from the NRRA website.

Further information during assessment

If we find an error or information that is missing from your application, we may ask for clarification or additional information from you that will not change the nature of your application. However, we can refuse to accept any additional information from you that would change your submitted application after the application closing time.

Unsuccessful applications

It is important your application includes all the information necessary to confirm your eligibility and that of your proposed project. The department will carefully review the eligibility of all applicants and applications received under the program. Applications determined not to be eligible will not proceed to merit assessment and will not be approved. If you are unsuccessful, we will give you an opportunity to discuss the outcome with us and you may be able to submit a new application for the same or similar project in any future funding round.

If your application is successful, you'll receive a written offer. If you are unsuccessful, we'll notify you in writing and give you the chance to discuss the outcome with us. We expect to be able to notify successful and unsuccessful applicants by mid 2022.

Successful applicants must enter into a grant agreement with the Commonwealth. The grant agreement will specify the reporting requirements, payment schedule and milestones necessary to receive payments.

We'll make payments according to an agreed schedule set out in the grant agreement. Payments are subject to satisfactory progress on the project. Payments will be made by direct credit into a nominated bank account.

Commencement of project

You may elect to commence your project from the date we notify you that your application is successful.

We are not responsible for any expenditure you incur until such time as a grant agreement is executed. The Commonwealth will not be liable, and should not be held out as being liable, for any activities undertaken before the grant agreement is executed.

Completion of project

You must complete your project by 31 March 2025.

When determining the length of your project, the guidelines prescribe that the earliest start date for projects is May 2022. You may start your project and accumulate expenditure from when we notify you that your application is successful, but we are not liable or responsible for anything prior to a grant agreement being signed.

In your planning, you should also factor in additional time for matters such as contracting tradespeople, consultants and advisors, possible weather and seasonal delays, additional time for obtaining approvals, and any other unforeseen circumstances that may prevent you from completing your project on time.

We can only consider the application you submit after the close date if:

• there is a natural disaster that stops you from submitting your application on time
• there is a technical issue that you tell us about prior to closing time that stops you from submitting your application on time.

We know many businesses have concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on grant applications and grant management. When preparing your application, you need to take into consideration the timeframes and any constraints that may impact the delivery and participation in workshops and other activities resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Projects need to be designed to ensure participants’ safety and health.

You can find further COVID-19 government financial assistance and support for Australian businesses on our coronavirus information and support for business page.

We expect there will be a second round of the program, with the funding amounts and design still to be decided. The outcomes and experience from the current round will inform the design of any future rounds

Projects that are already receiving grant funding from government

The grant opportunity guidelines specify that any expenditure on activities, equipment or supplies that are already being supported through other sources is not eligible project expenditure. If you have new activities that are not being funded through existing opportunities, you may be eligible to receive funding for those activities.

Receiving project funding from different sources

Funding can come from any source including Commonwealth, state, territory and local government grants.

If your project will receive cash contributions from other sources, you must provide formal documentation confirming the cash contributions from those sources (e.g. state government) such as a commercial finance agreement or letter of offer with your application.

Funding amounts for each category of eligible activities

There is no specific amount set aside for each category.

Local sourcing of goods, labour and services

It is not mandatory, but you are encouraged to provide opportunities for local procurement of goods, labour and services.