Risk and Resilience Grants Program

About the Risk and Resilience Grants Program

The Risk and Resilience Grants Program is funded under the National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction (NPA).

The NPA aims to reduce the risk and limit the impact of disasters associated with natural hazards on Australian communities and economies and will deliver on the priorities and goals of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework (External link).

Current funding opportunity

Grants of between $10,000 and $250,000 are available under this program.

Interested organisations should review the guidelines for the program and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework to support the development of project proposals.

Eligibility

The following organisations from Victoria can apply for the Risk and Resilience Grant Program:

• State government departments and agencies including floodplain management authorities
• municipal councils
• volunteer emergency service organisations
• peak bodies and incorporated associations/organisations with an emergency management purpose, connection or interest
• research institutions
• private and non-government organisations, including small business and associated business groups.

What can be funded

Projects must contribute to at least one outcome under the NPA and fall within the parameters of the NPA’s outputs and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework’s priorities.

Projects must also focus on one of the following 3 key themes:

1. Climate change adaption and risk reduction – supporting climate change adaption and mitigation initiatives that reduce disaster risk.
2. Designing for risk and resilience – supporting initiatives that strengthen the resilience of Victoria infrastructure including government and community infrastructure.
3. Managing local and regional risks and building resilience – supporting initiatives that improve understanding of local or regional disaster risks, strengthen accountability for and governance of regional risks, and/or support initiatives that are seeking to directly reduce disaster risk at a local or regional level.

What will not be funded

Grants will not be available for:

• ongoing program funding or funding for projects considered to be core business of an organisation
• purchase (where an organisation normally provides for such investment), maintenance or upkeep of assets
• projects that have already commenced or are complete
• projects that are funded under other grant or government funding programs
• projects developing products or services for commercial application, including by the not-for-profit sector
• projects that primarily confer a potential commercial benefit upon the applicant or a key partner.

Projects that are an element of another larger project will only be considered if it will produce a discrete output that is useable on its own, even if further stages of the larger project are not funded.

How to apply

Submitting your application:

• please read the 2023 Risk and Resilience Grants Program Applicant Guidelines
• apply for the Risk and Resilience Grants Program through SmartyGrants (External link)
• applicants will need to register with SmartyGrants before making an online submission if they don’t already have an account
• once registered, applicants will need to complete and submit the application form, attaching relevant supporting documents and evidence, as relevant
• look at the Guide to completing an application for further guidance and some Frequently Asked Questions through SmartyGrants (External link)
• submit your application by the due date.

Applications will only be accepted through SmartyGrants, a web-based grants management system. The application form can only be accessed through the SmartyGrants application portal.

Start your application (External link)

Following submission:

• once a round closes, applications will be assessed and prioritised by the assessment panel against eligibility and funding criteria.
• the Panel will forward recommendations to the Minister for Emergency Services.
• following the Minister’s decision, you will be advised of the outcome of your application in writing.

How applications are assessed

Applications are assessed and prioritised by an assessment panel that includes all-hazard emergency management, flood mitigation and planning experts.

All applications are assessed against the following criteria:

• Evidence, significance and priority of the risk or need 
• Quality of the proposal
• Potential value or benefits of the outcomes and output in relation to addressing the needs of a Victorian community
• Ease of implementation and delivery

Funding decisions may also be informed by:

• Inclusion of Aboriginal people/groups in developing proposal and/or in implementing the project
• Innovation, transferability and scalability
• Additional benefits gained through collaboration 
• Regional spread of projects
• Agency, applicant or project diversity
• Previous project grants under this or related programs and where other project/s have not progressed according to their original time frame
• Where other project/s are a precursor to the project and are not close to completion

Successful grant recipients

View the list of approved Risk and Resilience Grant recipients.

More information

For more information, contact Emergency Management Victoria via email at emvgrants@justice.vic.gov.au (External link).