About $500,00 has been awarded in grants by Suncorp and the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal to support 27 recovery projects for communities affected by the February/March floods. 

The donation is part of Suncorp’s and its GIO brand’s $1 million pledge made to the not-for-profit body’s Rebuilding Futures program aimed at boosting disaster resilience. 

Projects supported in this second round of funding include mental health training for life savers in Byron Bay, NSW; resilience strengthening community events in Lismore, NSW; and purchase of a solar battery in Wilsons Creek, NSW, to ensure power supply is available even during extreme weather events. 

“The grant applications we received in this round are all the proof needed to reaffirm community leaders are best placed to understand exactly what the people in their areas need at this moment in time,” Suncorp Group Head of Disaster Response & Customer Experience Cath Stewart said. 

“These communities were all impacted by the same natural disaster, yet it’s very clear that they have diverse needs based on the point that they’re at on their road to recovery.” 

The grants awarded range from $4129 to $25,000, covering a range of projects from equipping community facilities to food security initiatives, environmental restoration, buying emergency equipment and restoring flood-damaged infrastructure. 

In the first round of funding under the partnership, about $200,000 were given in December last year to 17 community groups to assist recovery from the March 2021 floods.