Community organisations can now apply for funding through the three-year, $5 million Community Wellbeing and Resilience Flood Recovery Grants program, as well as assistance to help with their grant application.
Grants will be awarded to non-government providers helping the community from the ground up, by providing community-based trauma and healing programs that support local recovery and build community resilience.
Funded by the NSW Government as part of the Northern NSW flood recovery package, the grants will be delivered by Healthy North Coast to help communities recover from flood impacts and strengthen their capacity to meet future challenges.
Healthy North Coast Chief Executive Officer, Julie Sturgess, said Healthy North Coast is seeking innovative proposals that get people connecting, communicating, learning and supporting each other – activities that tap into the region’s social support networks.
‘We know many people are focussing on the basics right now, but we also need to rebuild community connections that are so vital for a positive outlook when times are tough. This is about supporting hearts and minds to get the North Coast back on its feet,’ Ms Sturgess said.
To support participation, Healthy North Coast has partnered with Successful Grants to offer local community organisations up to 2 hours of free professional assistance with the application process.
This assistance includes concept scoping, application review and feedback.
‘We welcome our partnership with Successful Grants, which will help those smaller organisations that might be unfamiliar with the tender process and overwhelmed by the writing task,’ Ms Sturgess said.
Community Wellbeing and Resilience Flood Recovery Grants program
The grants program has a key focus on young people, older people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the NSW local government areas of Lismore, Richmond Valley, Tweed, Ballina, Byron, Kyogle and Clarence Valley.
Healthy North Coast is inviting proposals for the following eligible community-led activities or services:
- Trauma-based education programs: Training and education programs such as trauma education or personal resilience programs, that promote trauma-informed principles and practices.
- Social and emotional wellbeing: Clinical or psychosocial trauma-informed interventions that improve wellbeing and increase emotional resilience.
- Cultural connection: Activities that strengthen cultural connection
- Social and community connection: Initiatives that build individual or community connections to support recovery. Examples include, but are not limited to, neighbourhood networks, peer support groups, etc.
Grant application assistance and submission
As well as offering assistance with the grant application process, Successful Grants has also distilled the tender documents into an easy-to-read one-page document, so that organisations can quickly assess their eligibility for the program.
If you are a local community-based organisation and would like to access this assistance, please email info@successfulgrants.com.au.
For more information on the Community Wellbeing and Resilience Flood Recovery Grants program, including how to apply, visit https://hnc.org.au/community-wellbeing-and-resilience-flood-recovery-grants-program/.
Applications close at 8am on Friday 27 May 2022.