The Strengthening Regional Communities (SRC) Rebuilding Regional Communities (RRC) stream gives small remote, rural and regional communities across Australia the opportunity to access funds for a broad range of initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities.

Recognising the impacts of COVID-19 on communities, the Australian Government has partnered with FRRR to distribute $5 million from 2022 to 2024 to support community-led initiatives that:

• Enhance the process of recovery of remote, rural and regional communities from the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Reduce social isolation and foster stronger, more resilient remote, rural and regional communities; and/or
• Sustain local remote, rural and regional organisations and their work.

Eligible projects will have a focus on recovering from or adapting to the impacts of COVID-19 in remote, rural and regional communities and may include:

• Supporting, training or attracting volunteers;
• Events and activities to reconnect the community;
• Enhancing community spaces to increase community use;
• Developing services and support to assist vulnerable people, and people experiencing disadvantage;
• Purchase of equipment or resources to strengthen organisations that support communities.

Projects funded must align with one or more of the following charitable outcomes:

• Bringing people and community organisations together to foster stronger, more resilient communities;
• Fostering and celebrating a sense of identity, diversity and cultural connection within the community;
• Supporting diverse groups within remote, rural and regional communities including, but not limited to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse, those living with disability, and LGBTQIA+;
• Improving community health and social wellbeing;
• Enabling people to develop skills, knowledge and confidence to lead and contribute to the prosperity and renewal of their community;
• Building a sustainable volunteer base and/or supporting the wellbeing of volunteers;
• Celebrating and resourcing volunteer-led efforts;
• Increasing access and inclusion for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including remote communities;
• Enhancing places where communities gather;
• Promoting connection to place and enabling initiatives that champion a community’s social, cultural or economic aspirations;
• Reducing the divide on access to digital technology and connectivity for remote, rural and regional communities;
• Enabling locally-led responses within rural, regional and remote communities endeavouring to reduce the impacts of the changing climate within their community.

Funding

The SRC Rebuilding Regional Communities stream received grant funding from the Australian Government. This round, there is $800,000 available grants across two funding tiers:

• Grants up to $10,000, for communities with fewer than 50,000 people; and
• Grants from $10,001 to $50,000 (offered twice a year until November 2023), for communities that are classified as remote, rural or regional as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Australian Geography Standards.