Children and Young People Wellbeing Recovery Initiative

Large grants for storm and flood impacted regions

A children's playground under flood waters

This funding creates programs, events and resources to help children and youth living in storm and flood impacted regions to recover, build resilience, improve wellbeing and strengthen community connections.

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Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: Up to $50,000
  • Application opened: 9 February 2022
  • Application closed: 31 December 2022

Program objective

This program will fund projects to build resilience, improve wellbeing and strengthen community connections for regional children and youth living in storm and flood affected areas of regional NSW.

The Large Grants for Storm and Flood Impacted Regions is one of three grants available under the Children and Young People Wellbeing Recovery Initiative. It forms part of the NSW and Commonwealth governments joint disaster recovery program.

This program is funded and administered by Department of Regional NSW.

Eligibility

Who can apply

Eligible Local Government Areas from storm and flood impacted regions are encouraged to apply for funding.

Funding can be used for a range of projects such as community events and social activities, training and cultural and community connections programs.

Government and non-government organisations in Local Government Areas included in the Natural Disaster Declarations, with the Australian Government Reference Number (AGRN) 954 and 960, are eligible to apply including:

  • local Councils
  • joint Organisation of Councils
  • schools
  • not-for-profit organisations
  • research or academic organisations 
  • Local Aboriginal Land Councils. 

See the list of eligible LGAs.

Please note, we have reached our funding cap for the below LGAs: 

  • Ballina Shire Council
  • Blue Mountains Shire Council
  • Byron Shire Council
  • Canterbury Bankstown City Council
  • Central Coast Council
  • Clarence Valley Council
  • Hawkesbury City Council
  • Kempsey Shire Council 
  • Mid-Coast Council
  • Port Stephens Council
  • Shoalhaven City Council
  • Wollondilly Shire Council

Who can't apply

This funding is not available to LGAs not listed in the Natural Disaster Declarations above.

What kinds of projects will we fund under this program

Programs that may be eligible for funding include, but are not limited to:

  • community events and social activities
  • sport and recreational programs
  • youth mental health training
  • cultural and community connection programs
  • healing initiatives to support Aboriginal children, vulnerable children and young people affected by adverse events
  • peer support programs, mentoring and training for children and young people
  • digital communications and resources
  • partnership programs, activities with schools, early childhood and NGOs.

What kinds of projects are not eligible for funding under the program

The following activities and costs are not eligible for funding under the program:

  • costs associated with existing ongoing staff
  • purchase of plant, equipment, and other capital items. In exceptional cases, equipment essential to project delivery as part of larger projects may be approved by the administering agency in consultation with Resilience NSW and the National Recovery and Resilience Agency
  • requests for ongoing program funding 
  • projects and/or activities that are not related to wellbeing of young people and communities in areas impacted by the February or March 2021 storm and flood events
  • requests to recover costs for existing debts and/or budget deficits.

Most recent recipients

All recipients (87)

What your application needs to include

You can download the full grant guidelines:

 

1

Prepare your application with this checklist

To be eligible, program funding recipients must

  • hold an Australian Business Number (ABN), Australian Company Number (ACN) or be registered with NSW Fair Trading under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009
  • have or be able and willing to purchase at least $20 million in public liability insurance.
2

Address the eligibility criteria

Eligible programs must:

  • be delivered in LGAs listed in the Natural Disaster Declaration for the storm and flood events AGRN 954 and AGRN 960 
  • focus on children and/or young people aged 0-24 years
  • address mental health, wellbeing or healing in children and young people impacted by the storms and flood events for AGRN 954 or AGRN 960

Refer to the program guidelines (PDF 10.95MB) for all other eligibility requirements including eligible and ineligible costs and programs.

3

Address the assessment criteria

Proposals will be assessed against the eligibility requirements and the following assessment criteria:

  • delivers new or enhanced existing programs, activities or services
  • coordinates and works together with existing services, does not duplicate existing services
  • promotes community cohesion to improve community recovery from adverse events and resilience of children and young people
  • supported by the community and meets community need
  • focuses on vulnerable children and young people
  • equity of programs for different age groups with the 0-24 year cohort
  • appropriately costed and costs incurred between September 2021 and 30 June 2023
  • inclusive and accessible for children and young people with a disability, LGBTIQ+ and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Greater weighting will be given to the following criteria:

  • cooperative program delivery -  brings together agencies and organisations to deliver programs to support wellbeing and mental health of children and young people
  • demonstrated support from the community and meets community need
  • focuses on vulnerable children and young people
  • programs with reach across LGAs.

Start the application

Eligible applicants are encouraged to express an interest in these grants by visiting the SmartyGrants portal by 31st December 2022.

Please note, funds have been expended and we are not accepting applications for the below LGAs: 

  • Ballina Shire Council
  • Blue Mountains Shire Council
  • Byron Shire Council
  • Canterbury Bankstown City Council
  • Central Coast Council
  • Clarence Valley Council
  • Hawkesbury City Council
  • Kempsey Shire Council 
  • Mid-Coast Council
  • Port Stephens Council
  • Shoalhaven City Council
  • Wollondilly Shire Council

After the application is submitted

Assessment and approval process

Funding proposals will be assessed by a panel comprised of the Department of Regional NSW and Resilience NSW representatives. NSW Health will be invited to participate in the assessment panel.

The panel will meet monthly as required to consider and recommend projects for funding to the NSW Minister for Regional Youth for approval.

If your application is successful, we will create a funding agreement and set up milestones that meet the program requirements.

Support and contact

Getting support

For more information, please contact the Department of Regional NSW at youthcommunity@regional.nsw.gov.au.

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