NSW Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund (BCRRF)

This program aims to support community recovery by funding projects and initiatives that will promote community well-being, social and broader recovery and future disaster resilience following the bushfires.

Phase One (also known as the Bushfire Community Resilience and Economic Recovery Fund) was delivered in March 2020 by the Department of Regional NSW, with funds made available directly to eligible Councils.

This initiative is split into two streams:
1. Stream 1
- Aims to deliver flexible, small-scale grants to local Councils for smaller-scale, locally led community recovery activities. The purpose is to support communities overcome the social impacts of the bushfires.
- Phase Two Stream 1 is a non-competitive funding round. Local Councils eligible have been identified through prioritised consideration of social recovery indicators including capturing residential impact, small business support needs and percentage of land scarred by the bushfires. Councils will receive notification in writing advising the total funding amount they are eligible.
- Payments of $250,000 or $100,000 are available to eligible Councils only.
- Applications closed on 3 November 2020, midday.

2. Stream 2
- Aims to support social recovery from bushfires for affected local communities to reduce the adverse impact of the bushfires and make a sustained recovery, and be more resilient to future disasters and improve general wellbeing.
- Funding is available for approved projects with a value of no less than $20,000 and no more than $300,000 and  may be provided in instalment(s) depending on the proposed project size and delivery duration stipulated in the application.
- Applications opened on 29 September and closed on 11 December 2020, midday.

A total funding pool of $25 million is available.

Eligible applicants:
1. Stream 1
- Local councils that have been determined as priority social recovery Councils and have been declared in New South Wales (NSW) relating to bushfires from 31 August 2019 onwards, and are eligible for Category C funding assistance under the Commonwealth Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

2. Stream 2
- Incorporated non-government organisations including not-for-profit organisations, local community groups, business chambers and industry groups/peak bodies.
- Local Councils.
- Joint organisations of Council.
- Unincorporated community groups auspiced by an organisation that is eligible to apply in their own right.

Please refer to the Guidelines for the complete eligibility requirements and the list of eligible Councils.

Eligible projects must contribute to fulfil one or more of the following disaster recovery outcomes:
- The needs of vulnerable groups are addressed in disaster recovery.
- The community is aware of the disaster recovery processes.
- The community can express its changing disaster recovery needs.
- Community members are aware of the risks of future disasters.
- The community has improved capacity and capability to respond to future disasters.
- Business and not-for-profits have in place adequate mitigation practices for risks and threats.
- Government, private sector, civil society and organisations are engaged in plans for preparedness and management of the recovery.

Stream 1 funding is intended to be flexible in order to meet recovery needs of local communities. Local Councils are asked to undertake activities within a disaster declared LGA related to bushfires from 31 August 2019 onwards that contribute to community recovery and/or resilience including projects that support community wellbeing.

Stream 2 funding is focused on delivering projects that support sustained community recovery and improved community resilience in bushfire impacted areas. Projects can be aligned to local, regional or across multiple Local Government Areas.

Please refer to the Guidelines for the list of examples of eligible projects of each stream.

The main assessment criteria (for Stream 2 only) include:
- Identified need and level of community support for the delivery of the project.
- The geographical reach of the project within the affected bushfire region as well as the engagement reach within those communities.
- How the project supports the local area’s and/or region’s social, community and broader recovery.
- How the project will improve the community resilience to future natural disasters.
- The project meets a local recovery need not covered by existing programs.
- Whether the project aligns with existing government commitments and priorities.
- How the project result in ongoing and sustainable benefit to the community.
- Alignment to one or more of the disaster recovery outcomes.
- The value for money that the project provides.
- The consideration of evaluation in the project’s design and delivery.

The following are ineligible for funding:
1. Stream 1
- Application that seek support for supplementing, increasing or continuing ongoing service delivery that is the core business of the Council.
- Applications that request ongoing program funding.
- Applications for projects and/or activities that are not related to the community recovery attributed to the bushfire event.
- Applications that request covering existing debts or budget deficits.

2. Stream 2
- Applications that seek support for supplementing, increasing or continuing ongoing service delivery that is the core business of the lead organisation.
- Activities that have already occurred or are part-completed at the time of the application.
- Duplication of the same or similar project applications by the same lead organisation between BCRRF Stream 1, BCRRF Stream 2 and other similar government funding programs.
- Applications that request ongoing program funding.
- Applications for projects and/or activities that are not related to the community recovery attributed to the bushfire event.
- Applications that request covering existing debts or budget deficits.
- Works that involve building new assets or infrastructure capital works.