Future Drought Fund Strengthening Drought Resilience on Country

The Australian Government is inviting First Nations businesses, organisations or consortia (with a First Nations lead) via a restricted (by eligibility) process, as outlined in sections 4.1 and 10.4 of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines, to apply to deliver services under the Future Drought Fund’s First Nations Initiatives program.

The Strengthening Drought Resilience on Country Program grant opportunity supports the Australian Government’s commitment to building drought and climate resilience in partnership with First Nations peoples. It will run from 2025–26 to 2027–28, with $12 million (GST exclusive) available to support up to six First Nations businesses and organisations, as Delivery Partners.

As a devolved grant program, Delivery Partners will, with communities, undertake a co-design process to identify place-based, community-led projects (such as, local priority activities within the grant project) that build drought and climate resilience. Delivery Partners will manage grants and support the rollout of these activities. These initiatives aim to strengthen connection to Country and build resilience to dry times and climate impacts.  While Delivery Partners won’t directly run the place-based, community-led projects, they will play a vital role in enabling and supporting the communities in their successful delivery.

Up to $1 million in administrative funding will be available to Delivery Partners, to manage the grant, plus up to $1 million in project funding to be distributed to selected sub-grantees (that they have identified) to deliver the co-designed place-based, community-led projects.

To be eligible as a Delivery Partner, you must be one of the following entity types:

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

If you are applying as a Trustee on behalf of a Trust, the Trustee must be an eligible entity type as listed above.

You must also have an account with an Australian financial institution that is set up for the purpose of grant funding.