Farm Drought Support Grants

Submissions are now being accepted.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND READ THE PROGRAM GUIDELINES PRIOR TO COMPLETING THIS APPLICATION

The Victorian Government has established the Farm Drought Support Grants program to assist primary production businesses implement on-farm infrastructure improvements and undertake essential business activities that improves drought management and preparedness.

A grant of up to $5,000 (excluding GST) per eligible primary production business is available statewide. Primary production enterprises located in eligible LGA’s of southwest Victoria are eligible for a grant of up to $10,000 (excluding GST). Primary producers in southwest Victoria that have already received a grant can apply for the difference between what they have already been granted up to the maximum amount. Eligible primary production businesses must provide a matching co-contribution equal to or greater than the approved grant amount.

Please read the Program Guidelines and refer to eligible Local Government Areas on the Rural Finance website at ruralfinance.com.au before completing this form.

Applicants must declare they have met the relevant criteria and will be expected to provide documentation to demonstrate the eligibility criteria have been met. This will include the following documentation: 

A. Proof of ID – Such as valid Drivers Licence

B. Proof of property location – e.g. copy of latest Council Rates, lease documentation, share-farming contract, or other contract that confirms the place where the Primary Production Business is operating.

C. Proof of Income – Latest available Tax Return or Financial Statements for your Primary Production Business

D. Proof of proposed infrastructure investment – Quotation and supporting documentation

E. (If applicable) Owner Driver Claims - Valid Copy of Vehicle Registration Certificate and logbook (>100km)

Upon receiving in principle approval, applicants are required to purchase or complete eligible projects or activities within three months of the date of approval of the On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Grant. Following completion and payment for eligible activities you will need to provide:

Proof of Payment – Tax Invoices and corresponding Official Receipts or Bank Statement

For queries about the guidelines, deadlines, or questions in the form, please contact us on 1800 260 425 during business hours or email admin@ruralfinance.com.au and quote your submission number.

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The Rural Finance online grant application service is powered by SmartyGrants. If you need more help using this form, download the Help Guide for Applicants or check out Applicant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Saving your draft application:
If you wish to leave a partially completed application, press 'save and close' and log out. When you log back in and click on the 'My Submissions' link at the top of the screen, you will find a list of any applications you have started or submitted. You can reopen your draft application and start where you left off. You can also download any application, whether draft or completed, as a PDF. Click on the 'Download PDF' button located at the bottom of the last page of the application form.

Submitting your application:
You will find a Review and Submit button at the bottom of the Navigation Panel. You need to review your application before you can submit it. Once you have reviewed your application you can submit it by clicking on 'Submit' at the top or bottom of the screen or on the navigation panel. You will not be able to submit your application until all the compulsory questions are completed and there are no validation errors.

Once you have submitted your application, no further editing or uploading of support materials is possible. When you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your submitted application attached. This will be sent to the email you used to register. If you do not receive a confirmation of submission email then you should presume that your submission has NOT been submitted. Hint: also check the email hasn't landed in your spam or junk email folder.

Attachments and supporting documents:
You will need to upload/submit attachments to support your application. This requires you to have the documents saved on your computer, or on a storage device. You need to allow enough time for each file to upload before trying to attach another file. Files can be up to 25MB each; however, we do recommend trying to keep files to a maximum of 5MB – the larger the file, the longer the upload time.