The outcomes of the Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) Round Two and the All West Australians Reducing Emergencies (AWARE) programs are now available.
Please check out the Successful projects section under the relevant grant programs on the Disaster Resilience Grants webpage.
Information on the DRF Round Three will be coming soon. Round Three will provide up to $200 million of Australian Government funding in 2025-26.
For general enquiries about the Disaster Resilience Grants programs please contact DisasterResilienceGrants@dfes.wa.gov.au
The frequency and severity of natural hazards are increasing in Western Australia (WA). These events become disasters when they result in significant impacts to our WA communities, economy or environment.
Disaster resilience is a shared responsibility including all levels of government, businesses, the non-government sector, and individuals. Strategic investments across built, natural, social and economic environments will help communities to better prepare and mitigate the impact of natural hazard disasters, resulting in safer and resilient communities.
In WA, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) administers the following disaster resilience grant programs on behalf of the WA State Government:
Purpose
The annual AWARE competitive grant program aims to enhance West Australia’s emergency management arrangements by investing in capacity building and preparedness activities at a local level.
Funding
A total of $200,000 per financial year is available to projects that build emergency management capability.
Eligibility
Only West Australian Local Governments are eligible to apply for AWARE grants. Local governments are encouraged to collaborate and submit joint applications.
Applicants are encouraged to refer to the Eligibility check in the Grant Guidelines before proceeding with their application to ensure the proposed project meets all the program requirements.
Status
The 2024 Round of the AWARE program closed on 1 July 2024. $225,436 in AWARE funding was allocated across 19 local government projects. The list of the projects is available under the Successful AWARE projects section.
The AWARE program is administered by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) on behalf of the State.
To be eligible, activities must address at least one or more of the following four criteria:
• further the emergency risk management process
• facilitate capability-based exercises
• assist in reviewing Local Emergency Management Arrangements
• deliver emergency management training, events or forums
AWARE does not support capital or asset purchase, or an upgrade or maintenance.
Applicants can apply for between $2,500 and $35,000 (no GST applied) per application including local level risk assessment projects. The grant request can only account for up to 75 percent of the total project cost.
AWARE applications must be submitted through an online grant management portal. The portal will provide guidance on navigating and completing your application. A sample application form is also available for applicants for reference.
Yes, a local government can submit any number of eligible applications.
Yes. Applicants must co-contribute at least 25 percent of the total project cost. Co-contributions can be made in cash and/or in-kind.
An individual Funding Agreement will be developed for each successful applicant and must be signed by both DFES and the successful applicant. Once the Funding Agreement has been signed by both parties, the project can begin, and funds can be expended. Any activities conducted prior to signing the agreement are not eligible for grant funding.
The AWARE targets projects of up to 12 months duration.
The assessment process is as follows:
• Applications received by due time/date through the online grants portal and reference number issued.
• Eligibility Check completed by the DFES.
• Merit selection assessment by the Assessment Panel.
• Notification of assessment outcome provided to applicants.
The funding will be paid in advance to the grantee once the deliverables, timeframes and milestones have been agreed and the Funding Agreement signed.
Yes. Requests for feedback must be made by the original applicant, by email DisasterResilienceGrants@dfes.wa.gov.au
There are two types of reporting required for AWARE.
1. Biannual reports - project managers for successful projects under the AWARE program are required to provide biannual reports within 15 days of the end of the six-month period, as per below:
Reporting Period Report Due
January to June: 15 July
July to December: 15 January
2. Final report - the final report should be submitted within eight weeks of completion of the AWARE project.
Failure to comply with reporting requirements will make the project non-compliant with the Funding Agreement terms and conditions.
A project is deemed non-compliant if it does not comply with the terms and conditions set out in the Funding Agreement in relation to reporting and/or achievement of deliverables and milestones and/or not expending the project budget as scheduled in the Funding Agreement.
You are not eligible to apply for an AWARE grant if you are currently delivering a project funded by the National Disaster Risk Reduction (NDRR), Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) or AWARE programs that has been deemed non-compliant. If you make arrangements to close any non-compliant projects in a manner that is satisfactory to the DFES, you may be eligible to apply. If unsure, please contact us to check.
Successful applicants need to ensure that the agreed outcomes are achieved as per the approved scope. Where a project does not deliver all of the approved outcomes, then the project funding may be reduced based on the undelivered scope.
All variations to a project Funding Agreement, scope or timeframes or budget of a project are to be agreed formally in writing in the approved template.
For all enquiries please email DisasterResilienceGrants@dfes.wa.gov.au
Purpose
The Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) is an Australian Government initiative that will deliver up to $200 million in funding over five years from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2028, to fund projects that support natural disaster resilience and risk reduction. The DRF will focus on building community resilience through disaster prevention, rather than response and recovery. It will support the planning and construction of infrastructure and systemic disaster risk reduction projects.
Eligibility
Anyone can develop a DRF proposal, however only Australian state and territory governments are eligible to submit projects to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for potential funding. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is the Lead Agency for Western Australia and is responsible for coordinating applications for the DRF.
Applicants are encouraged to refer to the program objectives and eligibility criteria in the Round Guidelines before proceeding with their application to ensure the proposed project meets all the program requirements.
The first round of funding supported a wide range of preparedness activities such as bushfire mitigation works and community education programs, including firewise landscaping, a bushfire virtual reality program and a family-centred disaster resilience gallery as well as upgrading vital infrastructure such as evacuation centres to safeguard WA communities during disasters.
For all enquiries please email DisasterResilienceGrants@dfes.wa.gov.au
Disaster Ready Fund Round Two
Successful projects under Round Two of the DRF were announced on 28 August 2024.
Applications Open
22 January 2024
Applications Close
20 March 2024
Assessment
May – June 2024
Funding Delivered
Early 2025
Project Funding Agreements executed, and projects commence
Early 2025
The above timelines are provided as a guide and are subject to change.
For all enquiries please email DisasterResilienceGrants@dfes.wa.gov.au
Details for Round Three will be available here when announced.
The Emergency Response Fund (ERF) was established on 12 December 2019, upon commencement of the Emergency Response Fund Act 2019 (ERF Act). Under the ERF Act, the Commonwealth Government may draw up to $50 million each financial year to build resilience to prepare for or reduce the risk of future natural disasters. Under the ERF, the following programs were established.
Purpose:
In 2019, the Australian Government announced the $50 million National Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Program (NFMIP) which will deliver on the improvement or construction of flood mitigation infrastructure to support local communities mitigate their priority flood risks and reduce the impact of flood events.
Purpose:
In February 2022, the Australian Government announced the $50 million Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program (CERMP) to fund projects that reduce the impact of disasters on coastal communities.
No further ERF program rounds are expected.
The list of successful WA projects for CERMP and NFMIP are:
For all enquiries please email DisasterResilienceGrants@dfes.wa.gov.au
The Western Australian Government has a National Partnership Agreement with the Commonwealth to fund projects that deliver on the priorities and goals of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework (NDRRF). The NDRR aims to increase WA communities’ resilience to disasters through enhanced preparedness for, reduced exposure to, and minimisation of the effects of one or more natural hazards. The NDRR supports projects that:
• take action to reduce existing disaster risk
• minimise creation of future disaster risk
• equip decision-makers with the capabilities and information they need to reduce disaster risk and manage residual risk
In Western Australia, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services administers the NDRR on behalf of the State.
In WA, five competitive National Disaster Risk Reduction (NDRR) grant rounds were run between 2021 – 2024. A total of fifty-one (51) disaster risk reduction projects were approved. In addition, the SEMC also approved five (5) State level projects. No further NDRR grant rounds will be conducted by WA. All future underspends, if any, will be allocated to State level projects approved by the SEMC.
As an effective mechanism to ensure any underspends and under allocations from the NDRR and its predecessor Natural Disaster Resilience Program (NDRP) are reinvested into projects aimed at reducing disaster risk, the SEMC endorsed the establishment of the State Level Project Fund (SLPF) in WA. The SLPF provides funding for projects with whole-of-State impact or significance and supports the outcomes of the National Partnership Agreement (NPA) on Disaster Risk Reduction (2019-2024) and the State Emergency Management Committee’s (SEMC) strategic objectives and priority outcomes as per the SEMC Strategic Plan 2022 – 2025.
The list of successful WA projects for NDRR are:
For all enquiries please email DisasterResilienceGrants@dfes.wa.gov.au
Purpose
The National Disaster Resilience Program (NDRP) was a Commonwealth funded program that focused on reducing communities’ vulnerability to natural hazards, and addressed priorities outlined in the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience. From 2010 - 2011, the NDRP replaced the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program, the Bushfire Mitigation Program, and the National Emergency Volunteer Support Fund, with the focus on community resilience.
A National Partnership Agreement (NPA) 2015 - 2019 with the Commonwealth allocated a total of 9.4 million to boost community resilience and to reduce disaster risk.
Under the 2015 - 19 NDRP NPA, Western Australia (WA) conducted four competitive NDRP grant rounds between 2016 - 2021. A total of fourty seven (47) disaster resilience projects were approved. No further NDRP grant rounds will be conducted by WA. DFES will continue to monitor open NDRP projects until completion. All future underspends, if any, will be allocated to State level projects approved by the State Emergency Management Committee.
The list of successful WA projects for NDRP under NPA 2015 - 2019 are:
For all enquiries please email DisasterResilienceGrants@dfes.wa.gov.au