Media releases: 4 February 2025
$400,000 available for resilience and preparedness in disaster impacted communities
FRRR and insurer Suncorp, today launched the latest round of grants aimed at supporting community groups in remote, rural and regional Australia to build back better after extreme weather events.

Community groups and not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) in regions affected by declared disasters or extreme weather events between 2019 and 2024 are invited to apply for funding to reduce the impact of disasters and prepare for future weather events.
As extreme weather events increase in frequency and severity, the Rebuilding Futures program has strengthened its focus on supporting communities to be prepared and resilient.
This latest round of funding will provide grants across two funding streams for projects that can mitigate risks by adapting physical infrastructure, enhancing social connectedness or building the capacity of NFPs.
The two funding streams include:
A small number of grants are available for local community places, such as community halls or meeting places, that play a critical role in disaster response and recovery. These grants will be focused on strengthening the ability of the wider community to be resilient to future declared disasters and extreme weather events.
Nina O’Brien, FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead, said the Foundation knows that many small, grassroots community groups struggle to access funding and expertise for projects that they know will help their community to prepare or recover, beyond the bricks and mortar.
“People often only see the physical damage from disaster events but it’s important to take a holistic approach to supporting community recovery through a balanced focus on strengthening both built and social infrastructure, which is critical to longer-term community wellbeing.
“These events take a huge emotional toll on the community. It can really knock people about. Resilient, functional and well-resourced community meeting places are a critical component of the complex community recovery process, and we are incredibly pleased to be working alongside Suncorp to help local community organisations be better prepared for the future.” Ms O’Brien said.
Suncorp Chief Executive Consumer Insurance, Lisa Harrison, said helping communities to build back better after disasters was crucial.
“We are proud to partner with FRRR to provide increased support to communities affected by disasters to recover faster and be better prepared for future extreme weather events,” Ms Harrison said.
“This funding is aimed at rebuilding essential community infrastructure, such as local meeting places, which are vital for fostering connection and growth within communities.
“This critical community infrastructure needs to be built to last, and it’s exciting to see significant advancements in technology and materials for mitigation infrastructure, which will greatly enhance our communities’ resilience to extreme weather.
“We look forward to reviewing the applications submitted during the second stream of the ‘expressions of interest’ process, aimed at building back better.”
Applications are now open for the Rebuilding Futures program. Expressions of interest (EOIs) for the Stream 2 grants (up to $50,000) must be lodged by 25 February 2025. Full applications for both streams close 5pm AEDT, 3 April 2025. Funding will be awarded in June 2025.
GRANTSEEKER WEBINAR DETAILS
FRRR’s ‘Rebuilding Futures’ Grantseeker Webinar – Tuesday 11 February 12.30pm -1.30pm AEDT. Click here to register.
Learn more about eligibility criteria and what’s required in the application on the Rebuilding Futures program page.