Annual Community Grants Program | Northern Rivers Community Foundation

Youth + Disability + Health & Wellbeing + Environment & Conservation + Aged Services

NOW CLOSED – COMMUNITY GRANT APPLICATIONS

Please note, applications for our 19^th annual Community Grants Round, closed at 5pm sharp, Friday September 29^th.

This year, for the first time in the grant’s history, a funding stream to address the long-term planning required in the era of disasters has been added. The Thriving Together three-year grant is a maximum total of $120,000 in funding, which will be paid in three annual instalments of up to $40,000 per year. It is just one of four funding streams available.

The NRCF Community Grant 2023/24 funding streams are:

Local Impact: Small grants supporting grass roots organisations to strengthen and enhance our regional communities. Up to $10,000 per grant, from a total funding pool of $265,000.

Housing and Homelessness: Funding to progress innovative models and/or provide locally appropriate housing outcomes for people on low to medium incomes. One grant up to $50,000.

Recovery and Resilience: Supporting community in the recovery from recent disasters including COVID-19, bushfires and floods. Four grants of up to $25,000.

Thriving Together: A three-year grant, supporting a high potential, community-driven project in disaster impacted communities. One grant of up to $120,000 total across the three years.

These grants are made possible thanks to our generous grant program partners Paul Ramsay Foundation, Portland House Foundation, The Siddle Foundation, The James Frizelle Charitable Foundation, Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, The Dunnet Foundation and Global Giving.

You can view our past Community Grants recipients here.

Key Program Dates

28 August 2023	Applications Open
29 September2023	Applications Close
19 October 2023	Assessment by NRCF Community Grants Assessment Committee
Early November 2023	Applicants notified of outcome – Grant Agreements and funds distributed
30 November 2023	Grant Giving Event
31 December 2023	Projects can begin
12 months from start of project	Acquittal report

The NRCF team will be available to support you throughout the application process.

Grant Streams

Eligibility

Organisation Type	Any not-for-profit group or charitable organisation registered with the ACNC and holding DGR 1 status (auspice arrangements accepted).
Gross Revenue Limit	An annual gross revenue of less than $10M.
Location	NRCF prioritises local Northern Rivers community-based organisations. We can consider national organisations with an independent Northern Rivers branch which has an annual gross revenue less than $10 million.
Project Dates	Your project must run between 31 December 2023, and 31 December 2024.

Funding Conditions

We welcome applications addressing the following impact areas:

Animal Welfare and Wildlife Conservation
Arts and Culture
Conservation and Environment
Disability and Inclusion
Education and Training
First Nations Rights, Culture, Language and Equity
Health and Wellbeing
Housing and Homelessness
Multicultural Celebration and Inclusion
Seniors Support
Youth Programs

The program can fund projects that:

Deliver activities, events, programs and services
Purchase equipment and materials
Provide community infrastructure
Strengthen and build capacity of your organisation to deliver outcomes

We cannot fund projects that:

Are currently running
Request one-off emergency relief assistance
Request 100% of project resourcing. The project budget must include in-kind support, volunteer hours, and/or other funding,
Promote religion or a political party
Duplicate a project already being run by another organisation in your local area

Housing and Homelessness Stream

The purpose of this funding is to support locally appropriate and adaptive housing models and/or accommodation outcomes. Projects should develop, progress or support innovative models in the Northern Rivers for people on low to medium incomes.

What does this mean?
It could include innovative models such as community land trusts, co-ownership models, cluster housing, etc.

Beneficiaries can include women over-55, First Nations people, essential workers, low wage workers, youth, and other cohorts at-risk or in homelessness.

This funding could be used for:

Specific activities to deliver or progress innovative housing models
Coordination of innovative accommodation programs
Convening and supporting collaborations
Education to support accommodation outcomes, including workshops
Capacity building to support pathways towards more stable forms of housing

What it doesn’t include:

Temporary emergency accommodation
Emergency relief funding
Shortfalls in housing cost 
Accommodation fit-out costs
Private purchase of property
Provision of existing services

NRCF only accepts one application per grant stream from an organisation.

Ineligible applications include incomplete applications, applications that miss the submission deadline or that do not meet basic eligibility criteria. Talk to us early and we may be able to help you resolve any challenges

The Thriving Together three-year grant is a maximum total of $120,000 in funding, which will be paid in three annual instalments of up to $40,000 per year. Ask us if you’ve got a great project but don’t know where it fits.

Essential Criteria & Assessment Process

Application is via our online grant portal. All eligible grants are assessed by a panel of community representatives and NRCF board members, who are knowledgeable and experienced in relevant local issues and grant giving. Grants will be assessed on criteria including: 

Community need: clearly explain the need for change and how it’s been identified.
Measurable outcomes: paint a picture of your project, describe the goals clearly, and detail how you will measure the impact. 
Project viability: provide an accurate budget with realistic costs.
Organisational viability: show that the organisation can support core operations and demonstrate community support and partnerships.
Show the strength and sustainability of your organisation and the experience you have in the field related to the project.

Carefully consider how your project meets the need in your community, and how it aligns to the grant guidelines and streams before taking the time to submit the application.

Our grants rounds can be competitive, and we recognise that there is a huge need in our community with a limited pool of funds to grant. If you are unsuccessful, you will have the opportunity to receive feedback on your application and project from NRCF.

Successful Applicants

We will let you know in early November
We will partner with you through a Grant Funding Agreement. This will cover key details including use of grant funds and reporting requirements
If your organisation requires an auspice arrangement, the sponsor will also need to sign the agreement, and grant funds will be released to the auspice organisation. We want to ensure that all parties involved are committed to our partnership and achieving the shared goals

Late November, we host a grant giving event to celebrate you and acknowledge our donors
Your project will run between 31 December 2023, and 31 December 2024, we will be in touch throughout the project and love hearing updates

Further Support

Our friendly grants team will support you with your application before it goes to the assessment panel. We will work support you to make sure you have the right documents uploaded and we may ask for clarification about your project. Talk to us early and we may be able to help you resolve any challenges.

Learn more about NRCF here: https://nrcf.org.au/about/

Accessibility

We have worked to make these guidelines and our grants platform easily accessible to everyone in our community. However, we understand that there may still be challenges of which we are unaware. If you experience difficulties accessing our forms or guidelines, please contact our friendly team. 

If you have any questions about the Community Grants Program 2023, please contact Kyla or Jen on 0499 862 886 or grants@nrcf.org.au (Monday to Thursday).