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Funding for community organisations to prepare for droughts

By Contributed

Jul 3, 2023

Planning ahead: Agriculture-dependent communities have been given more than half a million dollars worth of funding by the Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal. Photo by geoff adams

Local organisations throughout the Goulburn Valley and East Gippsland have been awarded $548,745 for projects that will help agriculture-dependent communities prepare for future drought.

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The East Gippsland and Goulburn Valley regions are two of 11 regions that will benefit and will be sharing in a total of $3,733,324.

The money comes from the Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal’s Future Drought Fund’s Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative and more specifically through the initiative’s Community Impact Program.

The program’s funding will be used by local organisations to deliver a range of projects, events, initiatives, training, capability building and small-scale community infrastructure projects designed to assist local people prepare for future droughts.

Disaster resilience and recovery lead for FRRR Nina O’Brien said rural and regional communities had always shown an impressive amount of fortitude and ability to band together to face challenges.

Ms O’Brien said the Community Impact Program had been well received by local organisations.

“They (local organisations) have really stepped up, coming together to shape local solutions to increase understanding and provide practical solutions to increasing drought preparedness that make sense at a local community level,” she said.

“With the Australian Government’s support, these grants will create opportunities for these agriculture-dependent communities to increase social connection, strengthen network opportunities and identify and adopt innovative and transformative ways to build drought resilience.”

Local organisations given funding include: