Media releases: 7 February 2020
Bendigo, 7 February, 2020: The Pratt Foundation has partnered with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) to offer grants to support the Tumut region to recover from the effects of last month’s fires.
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There is $1 million available through the Visy Tumut Region Recovery Fund for local not-for-profit organisations and community groups that are delivering locally-led projects and activities to support the recovery of all of the communities in the Snowy Valleys Council region.
FRRR’s CEO Natalie Egleton says that from the Foundation’s past experience of supporting disaster-affected communities, the organisation knows that access to flexible funding that can help address different priorities is crucial – now, and into the medium to long-term.
“The recent fires caused significant damage across the Snowy Valleys Council region, but the impact is different in each community. That means that what is needed differs place to place.
“So, we’ve deliberately designed the Visy Tumut Region Recovery Fund to ensure that it can support a wide variety of community needs.
“In some areas, the priority might be providing mental health support; for others it could be supporting environmental recovery and rehabilitating habitat, or simply providing opportunities for people to come together and share their experiences. That could be done, for example, through arts programs, theatre performances, gardening, community dinners, or informal mentoring and peer support groups.
“Some communities may need support to rebuild community infrastructure and replace equipment and facilities that were lost, while others might need support to help coordinate recovery activities.
“This program has the flexibility to support any of these activities – and more – so we encourage local leaders to put in an application for whatever is needed in their community to help start the recovery process.”
Applications for the first round of funding close 28 February, and FRRR anticipates the first grants will be announced at the end of March.
Applications will remain open with the second round closing date to be confirmed.
