Networks to Build Drought Resilience

What is the Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program?

The Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program is a grant opportunity to build community capacity by strengthening social and community
networking, support, engagement and wellbeing.

Background

The Future Drought Fund: Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program activities are to be delivered nationally, ensuring that there is equity and opportunity for people throughout agriculture dependent communities to participate.

The successful provider will be selected based on their specialist expertise and capability to deliver the NBDR Project’s activities in a tailored manner that addresses the needs of particular regions, such as dealing with remoteness and lack of connectivity, or specific regional agriculture sectors. To deliver the outcomes of the Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program, activities to be delivered include:

Training of social network members to increase their community reach, dissemination of information that assists communities’ capacity building and skills to deal with risks posed by drought and climate change, collaboration with other social network members from diverse backgrounds and experiences to share information and maintain knowledge over the long-term, coordination and collaboration with other community organisations.
Small-scale infrastructure projects to address social isolation and decline in community wellbeing and amenity value due to the impact of drought and climate change such as: improvements to community meeting places – upgrades to parks/gardens, tourist attractions, and places of ecological and/or cultural significance that have been affected or at risk of being affected by drought; water efficiency or recycling infrastructure and shade measures for sporting and other community facilities.
Hosting ongoing community-related events directed at mitigating the impacts of drought and climate change by strengthening the social capital of communities. Activities may include: networking events/conferences, fostering ongoing social networking, support, engagement and wellbeing building; festivals and field days focused on improving drought Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program resilience by building positive community culture over the long-term and improved place of embeddedness (eg regional branding and recognition) of local agri-food systems.

Objectives

The Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program will:

improve the sharing of learnings amongst agriculture dependent communities
increase social networking, support, engagement and wellbeing through building community network members’ skills and social network diversity and strategic capacity
improve wellbeing and reduce social isolation through increasing participation in community networking events/conferences, stimulating higher rates of innovation in the local economy and the agricultural sector over time
improve community networks access to risk management information and training, increasing the capacity of community networks to participate in regional drought resilience planning
increase community economic development and diversification opportunities to improve access to meeting places and facilities, reducing social isolation and improving community wellbeing over time
deliver small scale projects, such as improving meeting places for the network members, purchasing small equipment (such as computers, printers) to assist the management of the network, and community facilities that support community drought resilience.

Funding

The Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program must create opportunities for grantees to apply for different amounts of funding proportionate to the scale of the activities proposed, for example:

From $10,000 and up to $20,000 for small or low risk activities
Between $20,001 and up to $50,000 for broader medium term impact activities
$50,001 and $150,000 for broader large scale short- or medium-term impact activities

Applicants can apply for a grant, which includes administrative funding, up to a maximum of $3.75 million (exclusive of GST). Administrative funding is capped at a maximum of 10 per cent of the actual grant value sought.

Eligible Projects

The grant is to:

Design and deliver a competitive NBDR Project nationally in accordance with the guidance provided at Appendix A.2 and section 3.3 of these guidelines, and in line with the principles of the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines (CGRGs).
Develop and contribute to a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) plan for the NBDR Project, identifying data and information to support an evaluation of the project, in accordance with the Future Drought Fund’s MEL Framework (guidance is provided at Appendix B). The MEL Framework identifies the anticipated short, medium and long-term Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program outcomes of the NBDR Project. It includes indicators to identify progress towards achieving overall drought resilience.

Eligible expenditure items from the $3.75 million (GST exclusive) NBDR Project grant funding are:

1. NBDR Program administration:

The grant (not exceeding 10 per cent of the program funding) can be used by the provider to deliver the NBDR Project. This may include wages covering staff time spent directly engaged in delivering the NBDR Project.

2. NBDR Project funding:

The grant can be used to fund suitable activities in the NBDR Project, selected in accordance with the guidance provided at Appendix A.2 and that contribute to one or more of the project’s outcomes (refer to section 3.3).

Philanthropic and/or other financial (cash) co-contributions must only be used to fund activities in the NBDR Project.

Eligible Applicants

To be eligible you must be a legal entity with an Australian Business Number (ABN), have an account with an Australian financial institution and be capable of entering into a legally binding and enforceable Agreement with the Commonwealth. For example:

an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander organisation, council or incorporated association
Company
Cooperative
Incorporated Association
Sole Trader
Partnership
Trustee on behalf of a Trust

Consortia applications are eligible to apply, providing all partners are eligible entities individually.

Timing

Applications close 25 September 2020.

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