Applications are now open for local communities recovering from the Black Summer bushfires to apply for funding under an Australian Government grants program. 

Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor said applications for the $280 million Black Summer Bushfire Recovery grants program are now open to community organisations, businesses and councils in the Wollondilly, Wingecarribee, Goulburn-Mulwaree and Upper Lachlan local government areas.

“We know recovery is a long haul and needs to match the pace of communities – so this is a great chance to access funding for priority projects in this region,” Mr Taylor said.

“The Black Summer Bushfire Recovery grants will be delivered directly by the Australian Government to support impacted communities with their ongoing recovery.

“These grants, ranging from $20,000 to $10 million, will fund a broad range of recovery and resilience projects, from social and community wellbeing projects right through to projects that support the recovery of local economics and built environments.”

Mr Taylor said the grant criteria and process had been designed to be as flexible and straightforward as possible, with applications open until 2 September 2021. 

The $280 million grants program is part of the Australian Government’s $2 billion National Bushfire Recovery Fund and builds on other bushfire recovery support provided over the past 18 months. To date, $2.3 billion in Australian Government support has been provided to help bushfire affected communities, including more than $1.6 billion spent so far from the National Bushfire Recovery Fund.

Information about applying for these grants and the support available, including workshops (in-person and online), are available at recovery.gov.au/black-summer-grants.