Regional Recovery Fund
The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the resulting measures to protect communities has caused significant economic, social and environmental impacts. These impacts are being felt differently in Regional Victoria. The Regional Recovery Fund was established to help address these impacts, and those caused through bushfires and drought.
Overview

The Regional Recovery Fund (RRF) was established through the Victorian Budget 2020/21 with an allocation of $10 million over two financial years, 2020-21 and 2021-22.
The RRF has been established to provide flexible support for regional economic recovery, stimulating socio-economic growth and recovery, by investing in projects and innovative ideas that address regional needs, priorities addressing those immediate and persisting challenges, and opportunities (place-based needs).
Funding priority will be given to projects and programs that align with and/or support those priorities by the five Regional Recovery Committees and community engagement activities.
The Regional Recovery Fund is now closed for applications.
Objectives of Program
The Fund aims to:
- support place-based recovery initiatives;
- support locally led approaches to identify the most appropriate actions (e.g. planning activities);
- support businesses to create new jobs or secure at-risk jobs;
- meet the different socio-economic needs of each region; and
- leverage off private sector or local government investment wherever possible.
Funding Details
An upper limit of $500,000 in funding will apply to individual projects.
Applicants are encouraged to seek financial contributions from other third-party sources. Projects should maximise their funding support from a range of sources, including commonwealth/local government, higher and other education institutions, and community, private sector and regional organisations. In-kind contributions can be included as part of the total project costs.
Applicants may submit grant applications for more than one project. Applicants will be asked to indicate which project they consider to be their priority.
The Regional Recovery Fund is now closed for applications.
Projects funded by this program
Project Name | Region | Year | Amount Funded |
---|---|---|---|
Moyne Council: Koroit Caravan Park Workers Accommodation | Great South Coast | 2021 | $465,000 |
Central Highlands | 2021 | $500,000 | |
Corangamite Council: Community Events Recovery Support | Great South Coast | 2021 | $35,625 |
Moyne Council: Business & Events Collaboration and Capacity Building | Great South Coast | 2021 | $36,625 |
Mount Alexander Council: 'Get Lost' - Mount Alexander Creative Cluster Brand and Online Platform | Loddon Campaspe | 2021 | $225,000 |
Buloke Council: Re-activating Rural Volunteers - Bounce Back Buloke | Mallee | 2021 | $75,000 |
Swan Hill Council: Loddon Mallee Housing Revitalisation Strategy | Mallee | 2021 | $230,000 |
Latrobe Council: Tourism Signage & Visitor Guides | Gippsland | 2021 | $100,000 |
Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine: Brand Geelong | Barwon | 2021 | $200,000 |
Colac Otway Council: Community Events Recovery Support | Barwon | 2021 | $35,625 |
Geelong Council: Events Recovery Support | Barwon | 2021 | $32,000 |
Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Limited: Geelong, The Bellarine & Great Ocean Road Interstate & Intrastate Cooperative Marketing Campaign | Barwon | 2021 | $450,000 |
Queenscliffe Council: Events Recovery Support | Barwon | 2021 | $15,000 |
Surf Coast Council: Community Events Recovery Support | Barwon | 2021 | $35,625 |
Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine: Business Events Attraction | Barwon | 2021 | $400,000 |
Ararat Council: Ararat Rural Farmer's Market | Central Highlands | 2021 | $30,000 |
Ballarat Regional Tourism: Winter Visitor Activation - 1000 Doors | Central Highlands | 2021 | $100,000 |
Commerce Ballarat Limited: Resilience and Innovation Program for Grampians' Small Business | Central Highlands | 2021 | $300,000 |
Daylesford Macedon Tourism Ltd: Print and Digital Visitation Driver | Central Highlands | 2021 | $100,000 |
Golden Plains Council: Community Events | Central Highlands | 2021 | $30,000 |
Hepburn Council: Hepburn Community Events Recovery Program | Central Highlands | 2021 | $30,000 |
Moorabool Council: Event Support as an Economic and Community Recovery Driver | Great South Coast | 2021 | $30,000 |
Central Highlands | 2021 | $30,000 | |
Bass Coast Council: Shopfront and visual merchandising | Gippsland | 2021 | $100,000 |
Destination Gippsland: Regional Event Acquistion | Gippsland | 2021 | $500,000 |
Dividing Creek Honey: Production, Processing and Tourism Project | Gippsland | 2021 | $50,000 |
GBP Products Pty Ltd: Value Added Production Room Project | Gippsland | 2021 | $500,000 |
Lardner Park Events: Noise Control Plan | Gippsland | 2021 | $33,990 |
Latrobe Council: Invest Gippsland - Promoting Investment Opportunities to New Global Markets | Gippsland | 2021 | $65,000 |
Omar Cheese Pty Ltd: Village Cheese and Yoghurt Manufacturing Expansion Project | Gippsland | 2021 | $62,500 |
Pureharvest: Increase productivity project | Gippsland | 2021 | $500,000 |
R.Radford & Son Pty Ltd: Green Offal Room Project | Gippsland | 2021 | $400,000 |
Wellington Council: Invest Gippsland Digital Toolbox Workshop Series | Gippsland | 2021 | $150,000 |
Fruit Growers Victoria Ltd: Goulburn Valley Seasonal Worker Support Program | Goulburn | 2021 | $500,000 |
Glenelg Council: Training and Assistance for Community Event Committees to Comply with COVID19 Regulations | Great South Coast | 2021 | $35,000 |
Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism Limited: GOR & The Hospitality Workforce Program | Great South Coast | 2021 | $400,000 |
Southern Grampians Council: Community Events Recovery Support | Great South Coast | 2021 | $35,625 |
Warrnambool Council: Warrnambool Council Rebuild Warrnambool Forums | Great South Coast | 2021 | $35,000 |
Bendigo Council: Invest Loddon Mallee | Loddon Campaspe | 2021 | $480,000 |
Bendigo Council: Start-up Central Victoria | Loddon Campaspe | 2021 | $250,000 |
Campaspe Council: Re-engaging Volunteers in Rural Towns - Campaspe | Loddon Campaspe | 2021 | $75,000 |
Central Goldfields Council: Maryborough Retail Recovery Program | Loddon Campaspe | 2021 | $40,000 |
Loddon Council: Re-engaging Volunteers in Rural Towns - Loddon | Loddon Campaspe | 2021 | $75,000 |
Buloke Council: Sea Lake Housing Development | Mallee | 2021 | $300,000 |
Murray Regional Tourism Board Limited: Revitalising Murray Region Tourism | Mallee | 2021 | $250,000 |
Tourism North East: Workforce Management Solution | Ovens Murray | 2021 | $500,000 |
Grampians Tourism: The Grampians Way Road Trips Marketing Campaign | Wimmera Southern Mallee | 2021 | $100,000 |
Hindmarsh Council: Reconnecting Communities through Small Events in Hindmarsh Shire | Wimmera Southern Mallee | 2021 | $30,000 |
Horsham Council: Events Horsham | Wimmera Southern Mallee | 2021 | $30,000 |
Horsham Council: Stay West - Increasing Grampians region overnight stays | Wimmera Southern Mallee | 2021 | $100,000 |
Northern Grampians Council: Bringing Back the Buzz: Boosting Events in the Northern Grampians | Wimmera Southern Mallee | 2021 | $30,000 |
West Wimmera Council: Re-imagining the Possibilities for Events in West Wimmera | Wimmera Southern Mallee | 2021 | $30,000 |
Wimmera Development Association Inc: Implementing Affordable Housing Solutions in Wimmera Southern Mallee | Wimmera Southern Mallee | 2021 | $500,000 |
Yarriambiack Council: Kickstart Yarriambiack Flagship Events | Wimmera Southern Mallee | 2021 | $30,000 |