Suncorp will provide up to $400,000 in grants to communities affected by declared disasters from January 2019 to last December.  

The funding for community support groups and non-profit organisations comes under the fifth round of the Rebuilding Futures program – a partnership between Suncorp and the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal to help build back better following catastrophes.

The grants will be provided through two streams. The first offers up to $20,000 for locally prioritised recovery and preparedness programs that build resilience, enhance community wellbeing, create stronger networks or improve disaster risk understanding.  

The second stream offers up to $50,000 for work to upgrade small-scale community-owned infrastructure to withstand future disasters. Grants will also be available to strengthen sites such as community halls and meeting places.  

“This critical community infrastructure needs to be built to last, and it’s exciting to see significant advancements in technology and materials for mitigation infrastructure, which will greatly enhance our communities’ resilience to extreme weather,” Suncorp consumer insurance CEO Lisa Harrison said.

Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal disaster resilience and recovery lead Nina O’Brien said: “People often only see the physical damage from disaster events, but it’s important to take a holistic approach to supporting community recovery through a balanced focus on strengthening both built and social infrastructure, which is critical to longer-term community wellbeing.  

“These events take a huge emotional toll on the community. It can really knock people about.” 

Applications for stream one of the funding are open now. Applicants for stream two must provide an expression of interest by February 25.

Bids for both streams will close on April 3, with funding to be delegated in June.

The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal will hold a webinar on the program tomorrow from 12.30pm-1.30pm. Register here.