Current Grant Opportunity View - GO7157

The Australian Government through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) is inviting organisations via an open competitive process to apply for a grant under the Future Drought Fund Resilient Landscapes Program grant opportunity.

Up to $40 million GST exclusive is available over 6 years for projects commencing in May-June 2024-25 to 2029-30. Applicants can apply for a minimum of $2 million up to a maximum of $6 million GST exclusive.

The focus and objectives of the Program is to demonstrate how the implementation and scaling of practices, technologies or approaches that manage natural resources on farm, build drought and climate resilience through improving landscape function and ecosystem services. Projects must aim for delivering public good by primarily building drought resilience, as well as contributing to broader climate resilience, across the Future Drought Fund’s 3 strategic objectives (economic, environmental and social resilience).

Projects delivered through the Program will focus on achieving and measuring transformational change and impact at landscape scale by undertaking scenario planning to identify natural capital tipping points, or thresholds in landscapes – as social-ecological systems. Activities can then focus on managing these to keep the systems functional or transform when it is clear that the current systems are untenable and losing resilience. Through this, projects will enable farmers to be prepared for, and have the capacity and diversity of options to respond to drought. Projects will also promote learning and capacity building by communicating with farmers about the results of practices, technologies or approaches through demonstrations, field days and case studies.

Applications must involve a consortium of partners, with a lead organisation nominated as the ‘applicant’. Each applicant must develop a theory of change for the project as part of the application process.

To be eligible you must be an Australian-based organisation, capable of entering into a legally binding and enforceable agreement with the Commonwealth. This includes the following entity types:

• Company
• Cooperative
• Corporate Commonwealth Entity
• Corporate State or Territory Entity
• Incorporated Association
• Indigenous Corporation
• Local Government 
• Non-corporate State or Territory Entity
• Non-corporate State or Territory Statutory Authority
• Statutory Entity.

Aboriginal Land Council, Aboriginal Land Trust or Torres Strait Islander Land Trust (or equivalent entity) established under Commonwealth, state or territory legislation may apply.

Projects must include a consortium arrangement.

Assessment of applications - Within 12 weeks from the closing date

Approval of outcomes of selection process - Within 16 weeks from the closing date

Notification to applicants - Within 18 weeks from the closing date

Negotiations and award of grant agreements - Within 24 weeks from the closing date

Earliest start date of grant activity - 30 May 2025

End date of grant activity - 30 June 2030

To apply you must:

• complete the online application form on GrantConnect 
• provide all the information requested
• address all eligibility criteria and assessment criteria
• include all necessary attachments
• submit your application/s to the Community Grants Hub by 9:00 pm AEDT on 19 November 2024.

A pre-recorded information Webinar will be delivered in October 2024. Further details, including a link to watch the webinar, will be added here soon.