Tackling Tough Times Together

• What are the program objectives?

  The Tackling Tough Times Together (TTTT) program gives drought-affected communities across remote, rural, and regional Australia the opportunity to access funds that benefit their immediate and long-term needs. Grants are available for grassroots, community-led initiatives that directly benefit local communities.

  Applications received must address at least one of the following Program Objectives:

  1. Reduce social isolation by facilitating strong social cohesion and connection;
  2. Support and engage the community in leadership development and skills training;
  3. Support opportunities for social and educational participation and address disadvantage caused by the drought, for children and young people;
  4. Reduce volunteer fatigue and build the capacity, capability, and sustainability of local not-for-profit organisations to provide support to their communities, particularly where they are playing an increased role during the drought; and
  5. Support local economic recovery or renewal through projects that stimulate economic activity and cash-flow within communities.

• Is this grant available in my area?

  Projects must benefit communities affected by drought in LGAs listed here. FRRR will use this list to inform eligibility, but it will not be the only basis on which an application is assessed and prioritised. If you believe that you are in a drought-affected community whose LGA is not listed, call us on 1800 170 020 to discuss the situation before applying.

  Visit our Find Funding Now page for other options that may suit your needs.

• How much funding is available? Are there priority areas?

  Thanks to the generous support of the donor partners listed above, FRRR has funding available to support drought-affected communities in eligible LGAs.

  The program has a strong preference to support grassroots organisations based in drought-affected regions rather than those delivering services to, but not based in, affected regions. While all requests will be considered, projects led by local communities will be given strong preference.

  Grants up to $10,000 are available for drought-affected communities in eligible Local Government Areas.

• What can be funded?

  This program is designed to provide flexible funding to support community-based activities in eligible drought-affected regions that both help to relieve current stressors and symptoms, and most importantly, build capacity and resilience for the future. Funds could also support activities that engage your local community in being proactive, exploring options and creating something that will stand the test of tough times.

  This program funds a broad range of initiatives and purposes, including:

  • Delivering activities, programs and services;
  • Purchasing or hiring equipment and materials;
  • Community infrastructure projects;
  • Art, drama and creative expression projects to assist people to creatively express their experiences, which are otherwise limited due to the drought;
  • Experiences for school children such as camps that connect young people and provide an opportunity to have fun with other young people off-farm.

  Operational and administrative costs associated with your project will be considered. This could include wages, paying a skilled contractor, or paying for overhead costs incurred in the project’s delivery.

• What can’t be funded?

  There are several areas that we can’t fund through this program. If in doubt, please contact us.

  • Ongoing core organisational operational costs (e.g. rent, utilities, regular wages, loan repayments);
  • The encouragement or advancement of sport, recreation and social activities are not considered charitable activities under Australian law. Applications from sporting organisations need to clearly demonstrate charitable outcomes and benefit to the wider community that are above and beyond the sporting activities of the club;
  • Overseas travel and overseas projects;
  • Prizes, gifts, trophies or awards;
  • Projects that have already occurred or will occur before the grant is confirmed;
  • Political lobbying;
  • Projects solely focused on animal welfare cannot be considered;
  • Projects that are for private benefit or which are the core responsibility of Government; or
  • Projects outside a remote, rural or regional area.

• Is my organisation eligible?

  Projects must benefit communities affected by drought in LGAs listed here. FRRR will use this list to inform eligibility, but it will not be the only basis on which an application is assessed and prioritised. If you believe that you are in a drought-affected community whose LGA is not listed, call us on 1800 170 020 to discuss the situation before applying.

  To apply, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Applicant organisations must be a not-for-profit organisation with either an Incorporation Certificate and/or an ABN. If you are unsure if your organisation is a registered not-for-profit (for example, if you are a Co-operative, Other Unincorporated Entity, Public Company or Trust), please contact FRRR;
  • Project must offer clear public benefit (i.e. have a charitable purpose) for drought-affected communities across remote, rural and regional Australia and address a need in a community (see What Can be Funded above);
  • Not-for-profit organisations with or without DGR-1 endorsement are eligible;
  • Organisations can submit one application per grant round; and
  • Projects must be in a remote, rural or regional area.

  Please note, you will be considered ineligible if the:

  • Application is submitted by individuals, sole traders, private or commercial businesses (as per the submitted ABN);
  • Application is submitted by an organisation that is not a legal entity, without the written consent of the governing / partnering body who holds the ABN / Incorporation number;
  • Application is submitted without required financial documentation (see additional information on the second tab);
  • Final report/s from any FRRR grants awarded in the previous seven years have not been acquitted (delivery organisations should check with legal organisation to see if there are any outstanding final reports);
  • Application is for a project or activity that has already occurred / is occurring prior to the announcement of funding;
  • Application is incomplete. NOTE: Due to the volume of applications received, applications are assessed based on the documentation received at the time of application. FRRR is unlikely to follow up missing documentation after applications have been submitted.

Your grant application MUST include:

• Eligible legal entities

  Every application needs to include an organisation that holds either an ABN or Incorporation Certificate. If your organisation doesn’t have that, FRRR may still fund the project but you need another organisation’s support, which we refer to as the ‘legal organisation’ (with your organisation being the delivery organisation). This situation often occurs when the organisation delivering the activity or project is a branch of an overarching organisation – such as a local CWA or YMCA branch. In this case, the CWA or YMCA would be the legal organisation.

  Even though your organisation may complete the application (and will be doing the work), it’s the ‘legal organisation’s’ legal and financial information that needs to be provided. They also need to provide a letter of support, confirming they are willing to play this role.

  Why is this important?

  This program is only able to distribute funds to not-for-profit organisations with an ABN or Incorporation Certificate, and FRRR needs to know that the organisation with that ABN / Incorporation number understands and agrees to carry out their responsibilities in relation to your project, if successful.

• Financial information

  Applications received without the requested financial information are ineligible. Providing incorrect financial information is currently the most common reason why applications are not able to be considered. You must attach the following:

  • For organisations that have audited financial reports: Attach the most recent annual audited statements;
  • For organisations that do not have an annual financial audit: Attach the most recent 12 months Income and Expenditure Statement. If you have a Balance Sheet, please also submit this;
  • For organisations less than one year old: Provide Bank Statements for the period you have been operating.

  Please note:

  • If financial documents are more than 18 months old, please provide an explanation as to why the organisation does not have more recent documents;
  • Bank Statements are only acceptable as financial documentation if your organisation has been operating for less than one year;
  • Please explain any deficits and steps to sustain the organisation financially;
  • Provide a brief explanation of any large financial surplus or current assets and reasons why FRRR funds are still required;
  • Income and Expenditure statements must cover a full 12-month period.

  Please contact us if you cannot provide required financials or you are unsure about what to provide.

  Why is this important?

  FRRR uses this information to understand your organisation’s financial viability and ability to manage grant funds.

• Project budget

  You must include a project budget that clearly shows the items that FRRR grant funds would be used for and that also shows all income and expenses related to your project.

  Budgets should be realistic and must add up – i.e. total expenditure must match total income.

  Applicant contributions in cash or in-kind are highly regarded. Quotes or detailed rationale for items over $1,000 are required, where possible. Note: FRRR suggests costing unskilled volunteer labour at $41.00 per hour.

  Why is this important?

  A clear budget helps FRRR to understand the size of your project, exactly how FRRR funds will be spent and helps demonstrate community support for your project through in-kind contributions either from your organisation or partners / community members.

  Helpful resources: How do I cost labour in my project? Preparing your budget

• Supporting materials

  FRRR strongly recommends that you provide supporting materials such as letters of support, community plans, survey results, photographs, media clips and research reports that can show broad community support and partnerships involved in the project.

  Large documents should be referenced and explained in the application.

  Why is this important?

  FRRR seeks to fund projects that are well-supported by the broader local community, are locally-led and delivered, show good partnerships and benefit multiple parts of the community. As FRRR is not always familiar with your community, our staff consider support material as evidence toward understanding the level of community need, benefit and support.

  Helpful resources:

  Tips on taking great photos

• Clear project information

  A clear description of exactly what the grant funds will be used for, when and where the project will happen, who will benefit and who will be involved in delivering the project, why the project and grant funds are needed, how funds will be spent and how the activities and success of the project will be recorded, evaluated and shared.

  Where possible, we encourage you to make it really clear that your organisation is ready and able to deliver the project and, if required, provide ongoing support for the initiative.

  Why is this important?

  FRRR needs to clearly understand your project to assess its merits. Applicants should focus on addressing the what, when, where, who, why and how of the project, as this is the best way to clearly communicate the details of the project.

  A ready community is best placed to achieve the aims of your project, so during assessment, our staff look for information that tells us that good leadership, skills and awareness exist in your community to support the project now and in the future.

  Helpful resources:

  Tips for great applications

  Project Planning ToolDownload

• Focus area

  We have grouped the kinds of projects communities commonly ask us to help fund into seven areas, which we call the Activity Tree:

  1. Building community resilience
  2. Developing organisational resilience and capacity
  3. Enhancing environmental sustainability
  4. Fostering cultural vibrancy
  5. Lifelong learning and education
  6. Economic strength
  7. Improving community health and social wellbeing

  We ask you to nominate one of those seven areas when you apply. So, before you lodge your application, download the Activity Tree to help you identify your focus area.

  Why is this important?

  FRRR makes grants to communities, but we also need to be able to demonstrate to our funding partners where communities need support.