Disaster Risk Reduction Fund - Local and Regional Risk Reduction Stream

Under two funding pathways, Pathway 1 and Pathway 2, the Local & Regional Risk Reduction stream aims to deliver direct risk reduction and risk mitigation solutions, build capabilities in disaster risk reduction, and promote collaboration between local communities, councils and other stakeholders.

Pathway 1 offers funding of $50,000 to $300,000, for projects run by a single entity with a focus on implementing smaller scale, place-based solutions to prevent new, reduce existing and manage residual disaster risk.

Pathway 2 offers funding of $300,000 to $1.5 million, for projects delivered by a consortium of organisations or partnerships with a focus on strategic initiatives that create long-term regional benefit and build risk reduction capability building efforts across communities or regions.

Eligible organisations can only submit one application per pathway.
 

Who can apply

Applicants eligible for funding in Pathway 1 are:

• Local councils
• Charitable and incorporated not-for profit organisations, including culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) non-governmental organisations; and peak bodies and industry groups (if applicable) 
• Local Aboriginal Land Councils and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs)
• Unincorporated community groups under the auspices of an organisation eligible to apply in its own right.

Applicants eligible for funding in Pathway 2 are: 

• Joint organisations of Councils (JOs) 
• Regional organisations of Councils (ROCs)
• County Councils
• Consortia and partnerships with Local Aboriginal Land Councils, ACCOs or non-governmental organisations
• Consortia and partnerships with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) non-governmental organisations, communities, or groups
• Consortia and partnerships where the lead applicant is an eligible entity included in the list of eligible organisations under Pathway 1. Non-lead partners can include the private sector, social enterprises and B-Corporations, universities and academic institutions.

Who can't apply as a lead applicant

• NSW Government entities 
• Universities and research institutes
• Unincorporated community groups not auspiced by an organisation that is eligible to apply in its own right
• Individuals
• Organisations or businesses that may, or will, realise a commercial gain from the project.

What kinds of projects will be funded under this stream?

Projects must address a specific or multi-hazard natural disaster risk of local or regional significance to communities in NSW.

Projects under Pathway 1 may include:

• Risk reduction education and capability building activities to support communities to understand and take action to address disaster risk 
• Training or courses that build the understanding, capability, competency and capacity of individuals, organisations, and communities to engage with systems thinking, disaster resilience and adaptation planning, systemic risk approaches and cultural, traditional and on-country risk reduction practices
• Risk or vulnerability assessment activities
• Place-based or community-led efforts. Practical examples could include river clearing, hazard reduction burns and fire trail upgrades
• Small scale infrastructure activities including drainage culverts that address a specific flooding risk and/or Master Plan design activities related to prevention and DRR (for Pathway 1 only)
• The apportioned salary for a formal resilience and risk reduction role in local government for a period of up to 18 months or the life of the project (for Pathway 1 only).

Projects under Pathway 2 may include:

• Participatory strategic planning activities related to risk reduction against natural hazards, including community focused disaster risk reduction blueprints, plans, policies, frameworks or strategies 
• Design, development and piloting of tools, technologies, platforms, systems and capabilities that measure progress, build on previous successful risk reduction efforts, and disseminate learnings in usable formats and forums
• Risk reduction communication initiatives both in terms of infrastructure and channels between agencies across the sector, and between agencies and communities
• Technical assessments of feasibility and/or development of options for investments to mitigate risks.

For more examples under each pathway, please refer to the Guidelines or FAQs.

What are considered natural hazards? 

The DRRF aligns with the priorities of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework, which focuses only on natural hazards: shocks caused by a natural process or phenomenon that may cause loss of life, injury, damage and disruption. Natural hazards include bushfires, floods, cyclones, tornados, storms, heatwaves, earthquakes and tsunamis.

What kind of projects will not be funded under this stream

Projects are ineligible where they:

• Do not demonstrate a benefit for communities in NSW.
• Demonstrate benefits in disaster response or recovery only, without clearly demonstrating a focus on prevention of disaster risk.
• Demonstrate benefits in disaster preparedness, response or recovery only, without clearly demonstrating a focus on prevention of disaster risk.
• Request funding for projects to reduce the risk of droughts.
• Involve the construction of large-scale infrastructure such as flood mitigation works. 
• Have already commenced or are already complete
• Are requesting funding for the same project or project activities that have already received funding under any Government grant program.
• Attract ongoing costs necessary to sustain the value and outcomes of the project, without demonstrated capacity or mechanisms to meet ongoing costs such as revenues.
• Are of a primarily commercial nature, deriving ongoing revenues for private entities, except where applicants demonstrate ‘fees’ and ‘revenues’ do not inhibit or unreasonably restrict access to the product, such that social or financial inequity may result or be exacerbated; or funds are reinvested in DRR programs or services.

All applications must be completed via the Resilience NSW online grants portal. No other form of submission will be accepted.
 
Each pathway has its own application form. 

Pathway 1 – the following information must be included in the online application for Pathway 1:

• Project name
• Project location
• Estimated project timeframes
• Justification of need, intended outcomes and sustainability of impact
• Description of relevant and existing work in the community or communities targeted in your project
• Key milestones (Establishment, Delivery and Completion & Evaluation) with forecast delivery timeline
• Key project personnel
• Experience delivering similar projects
• Staged project budget and total amount requested
• Monitoring and evaluation measures – please ensure you include costs for an evaluation in your budget
• Project risk assessment and proposed mitigations 
• Applicants do not need to have obtained all approvals for projects including small-scale infrastructure prior to submitting an application. However, they must provide evidence of in-principle support from relevant authorities or land owners; and identification of all necessary approvals required, along with their anticipated timeframes must be included in the application.
• Evidence of entity type (such as constitution, annual reports, financial statements)
• Letter of understanding jointly signed by all partners (if applicable)
• At least one (1) quote for small-scale infrastructure projects
• Landowner consent (if applicable)
• Evidence of public liability insurance for small-scale infrastructure projects (if applicable)
• Conflict of interest declaration

Pathway 2 – the following information must be included in the online application for Pathway 2:

• Project name
• Project location
• Estimated project timeframes
• Needs justification
• Intended outcomes and widespread benefits that will be created including sustainability of impact – please include a basic format of theory of change, program logic or equivalent
• Description of relevant and existing work in the community or communities targeted in your project
• Project plan with key milestones (Establishment, Delivery and Completion & Evaluation) with forecast delivery timeline
• Key project personnel and the value, including co-contributions, that each partner is providing 
• Experience delivering similar projects
• Staged project budget and total amount requested
• Monitoring and evaluation measures - please include costs for an evaluation in your budget
• Project risk assessment and proposed mitigations 
• Evidence of entity type (such as constitution, annual reports, financial statements)
• Letter of understanding jointly signed by all partners (if applicable)
• Conflict of interest declaration

Applications have now closed.

• Disaster Risk Reduction Fund local and regional program guidelines
• Disaster Risk Reduction Fund local and regional risk reduction stream FAQs
• DRRF Fact Sheet
• Recording of Local & Regional Workshop 
• Presentation from Local & Regional Workshop (PDF 401.77KB)
• Local & Regional - Regional Support Sessions (PDF 1.78MB)
• Grant writing information sheet (PDF 163.77KB)