South Eastern NSW PHN – Drought Support Grants: Empowering our Communities

This program aims to promote community resilience and enhance community wellbeing through group based activities that deliver mental health and wellbeing benefits to individuals.

The purpose of the program is to support activities that are delivered at no cost to the consumer and will:
- Promote resilience and reduce stigma associated with mental illness and accessing mental health and suicide prevention services.
- Improve physical and mental health.
- Provide community education on topics such as managing stress, anxiety, depression and stigma.

There are two levels of grant amounts available:
- Level 1: Up to $1,500
- Level 2: Between $1,501 and $10,000

Eligible applicants include organisations, community groups and local governments who are based in an area identified as a drought-affected area within the South Eastern NSW PHN region:
- Bega Valley
- Eurobodalla
- Goulburn Mulwaree
- Queanbeyan Palerang
- Shoalhaven
- Snowy Monaro
- Yass Valley
- Upper Lachlan Shire

Eligible activities may include:
- Community health and wellbeing events or workshops that promote individual and/or community resilience and reduce stigma associated with mental illness and accessing mental health and suicide prevention services.
- Complementary and lifestyle interventions known to improve physical and mental health, that can be delivered in a group setting, such as exercise classes, relaxation and yoga classes, mindfulness meditation classes.
- Community education sessions on topics such as managing stress, anxiety, depression and stigma.

The main assessment criteria include:
- Evidence that the planned activity is consistent with the grants program’s objectives.
- Provides an outline of how the grant activity will benefit one/or more of the eligible regions identified as drought affected.
- Capacity of grant recipient to deliver the activity on time and within budget.
- Value for money.

The following are ineligible for funding:
- Activities/services which duplicate existing.
- Reimbursement of individual activities (e.g. gym membership, aromatherapy etc.).
- Construction of new community infrastructure.
- Refurbishment, repair and maintenance of existing community infrastructure.
- Purchasing of assets (i.e. buildings or vehicles).