Nearly $900,000 in federal funding for rural, regional and remote COVID recovery projects

The Australian Government has partnered with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) to provide $897,755 through 53 grants to support COVID-19 recovery in communities in rural, regional and remote parts of Australia.

This funding is part of FRRR’s largest ever small grants round, which will see 176 community groups share over $2.3 million in grants in total.

The COVID-19 recovery grants will support community projects ranging from $10,000 to up to $50,000, and are distributed through the Australian Government-funded Strengthening Rural Communities – Rebuilding Regional Communities (RRC) stream.

The funding will help communities deliver projects including:

  • Providing practical assistance, wellness activities and a community garden to enhance the COVID-19 recovery of 117 Aboriginal families in New South Wales.

  • Delivering a creative dance festival to increase tourism in a town recovering from bushfires in Victoria.

  • Constructing a new hanger at an aeronautical museum to run a job training program for students to restore vintage aeroplanes in Queensland.

  • Encouraging greater community participation by seniors by providing upgrades to cooling and heating at a local arts facility in South Australia.

  • Enabling connection to back up power generators for a medical centre in a severe storm-prone area of Western Australia.

  • Expanding training and purchasing more life-saving equipment for a surf club in Tasmania.

The Australian Government has committed $5 million from 2022 to 2024 to FRRR for the RRC stream.

A full list of grant recipients and more information about the RRC program is available at https://frrr.org.au/rural-groups-awarded-a-record-breaking-2-3-million/.

Sara Johnston