Community-led Recovery Support Grants

Eligible Councils

ERV invites applications from the following council areas impacted by the June 2021 Flood and Storm:

• Baw Baw Shire Council
• Cardinia Shire Council
• Hepburn Shire Council
• Latrobe City Council
• Macedon Ranges Shire Council
• Moorabool Shire Council
• South Gippsland Shire Council
• Wellington Shire Council
• Yarra Ranges Shire Council

Eligible LGAs can collaborate to submit a combined application. A lead council needs to be identified to manage the funds if the application is successful.

Eligible projects

The Community-led Recovery Support grants program will allow councils to provide direct support to community groups that are leading community recovery initiatives and activities.

Working with ERV, councils will submit a Grant Delivery Plan as part of the application process, outlining the proposal for delivery and implementation of support across their delivery areas. Examples of these include:

• Funding for community projects that advance community recovery, resilience and social connectedness.
• Small-scale operational costs and costs associated with setting up and/or operating community recovery groups.
• Professional support services to assist community groups in planning and delivering on community recovery and resilience initiatives.
• Costs associated with volunteers using their personal resources or equipment for community recovery and clean up initiatives

Alternative initiatives not listed above may still be eligible, provided they are aligned with the program objectives and meet Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements guidelines governing the use and acquittal of funds.

Important information for LGAs

Contact ERV to discuss your proposal

ERV will work in partnership with LGAs on their proposal as part of the application process. During the drafting of the application, ERV staff will be available to provide support and guidance to LGAs to ensure the proposal is well aligned with this program.

Overdue reports 

An application to the Community-led Recovery Support grants program can be submitted, however applicants with previously awarded ERV funding must be up to date with all current reports and milestones under existing funding agreements to apply. If you are behind in reporting related to other ERV grant funding, please email the ERV Central Grants Team via grants@brv.vic.gov.au or call 1800 560 760 to discuss remedial actions.

Application budget - Goods and Services Tax (GST) 

Grant payments made by ERV to another Government Related Entity (GRE) such as an LGA are not subject to the Goods and Services Tax (GST). 

LGAs must provide figures in their application budget which are GST exclusive, including the total grant amount requested. If successful, LGAs will receive the awarded grant as GST exclusive. 

For more information about GST and payments between government related entities, visit the ATO website.  

Applications received from councils under the Community-led Recovery Support grants program will be reviewed during a multi-stage assessment and negotiation process.

All applications submitted will be assessed against the following:

• The strength of the application’s responses to the key selection criteria
• Whether all mandatory documents and attachments have been provided.

ERV will conduct a detailed merit assessment of the application and LGA Grant Delivery Plan against the key selection criteria before making a recommendation to the Minister for Emergency Services.

All decisions made by ERV and the Minister for Emergency Services are considered final. This includes decisions in relation to any aspect of the funding application and assessment process, any decision to offer or award a grant under this program or to withdraw the offer or cancel the grant funding agreement.

All applications will be reviewed and assessed against the key selection criteria.

Applications will receive a weighted score based on how well the responses and detail provided in the attached documents demonstrate the criteria outlined below.

Grants Delivery Plan (mandatory)

A detailed breakdown of initiatives and activities that will be undertaken to distribute the funds to community recovery groups, including anticipated timeframes and who is responsible for administering the supports. This must be completed using the ERV Grants Delivery Plan template.

Financial Statement (mandatory)

All applicants must provide a Financial Statement which is either: 

• a profit/loss statement for the most recent financial year (FY)
• an organisational bank statement including all incomings and outgoings for at least the last 12 months.

Public Liability Insurance (mandatory)

It is a ERV requirement that all prospective funding recipients must hold Public Liability Insurance (PLI) for the duration of funded initiatives and/or activities. PLI covers members of the public and protect the organisation from liability risks such as injury and property damage. 

Provide a current copy of the Certificate of Currency in the name of the LGA (or community group) that will ensure adequate cover for the delivery of project activities.

Other documents (optional)

Any other additional supporting documentation and/or attachments provided that may support the application, can also be attached. For example: quotes or costings (if available); schematics or design plans; pictures and newspaper articles etc.

Before you apply

View the guidelines

Read the guidelines provided on this page or in the Program Guidelines attachment below. The guidelines outline the criteria for this program. Emergency Recovery Victoria administer these grants.

Speak to ERV

ERV can discuss your proposal with you. Contact your Regional Recovery Director if you have questions before you apply.

When you're ready to apply

Complete your application via the Grant Portal between 9am Monday 9 May and 5pm Monday 30 May 2022.

If it's your first time using the grant portal you will need to create a profile and log in.

To resume a draft application, you can visit the Grant Portal directly.

Please note:

• applications must be submitted online via the ERV Grants Portal
• applications received after the closing date will not be considered
• only one application can be submitted per council (whether as part of a solo applicant or a regional partnership application).

ERV will contact successful LGAs with a letter of offer, a funding agreement and other documents which must be returned to accept the funding. 

Victorian Common Funding Agreement

Grant recipients are required to enter into a Victorian Common Funding Agreement (VCFA) with ERV to receive funding. The VCFA will outline the terms and conditions of the grant, including the approved use of grant funds, the VCFA term (funding period), and the due dates of all key deliverables, grant payments and reporting requirements. 
Organisations that are successful in receiving funding will have 30 days to enter into the VCFA and return all documents. If a grant offer is not accepted during this period, the grant may be withdrawn.

Grants Delivery Plan

The Grants Delivery Plan will form part of your funding agreement. Some LGAs may receive part-funding or be approved subject to additional conditions and requirements. Successful LGAs will be given an opportunity to update the Grant Delivery Plan to include any additional details required by ERV or to update activity dates if these have since changed. Once updated, the Agreement will be finalised and grant funds progressed.

Once the LGA has received grant funds from ERV, they may commence delivery and allocation of funds and/or support to local community groups as outlined in the Delivery Plan. 

Regular reporting and acquittal

Successful LGAs are required to report on the funded activities and provide regular updates during the funding period and a final report and financial acquittal at the end of the funding period. 

LGAs must provide consolidated report details to ERV outlining the progress of all funded projects on behalf of the community groups that receive LGA support. 

All reporting requirements will be outlined in the Agreement, and ERV will provide all report templates.

Reporting requirements may differ for each area of delivery, but successful LGAs should anticipate the following reporting requirements for the duration of the Agreement:

• Financial Reports - At the end of each financial year.
• Progress Reports - Every six months.
• Final Report and Financial Acquittal - One month after completion of project activities. As required, reporting will be shared with the Commonwealth under the Disaster Recovery Financial Assitance (DRFA) requirements.

ERV Acknowledgement Guidelines

Recipients of ERV grant funding must agree to follow ERV Acknowledgement Guidelines, which outlines how to acknowledge the government’s funding in speeches, written materials, and other forms of presentations (e.g., using the Victorian Government logo). 

The guidelines also outline the requirement that successful grant recipients keep their successful funding confidential until a public announcement has been made by the relevant Minister or their representative.

A breach of these guidelines will be considered a breach of the funding agreement with ERV. The ERV Acknowledgement Guidelines can be found on the Emergency Recovery Victoria website.