Overview

Disaster Ready Fund

The Australian Government’s Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) provides up to $200 million annually to support projects that strengthen resilience to natural hazards and reduce disaster risk across Australia. For Round Four, there will be $142.477 million in Australian Government funding available for resilience-building initiatives across the country.

Funding decisions are made by the Australian Government, with state and territory governments responsible for administering the program within their jurisdictions.

Tasmanian organisations have performed strongly under the Disaster Ready Fund to date, securing significant investment in projects that improve disaster preparedness, resilience, and risk reduction across the state.

Applications for Round Four of the Disaster Ready Fund are now open

Applications for funding under Round Four must be submitted through the Department of Premier and Cabinets' (DPAC's) grant management system, SmartyGrants by 5:00 pm on Wednesday 1 July 2026.

Who is eligible?

Funding is available to a broad range of eligible organisations, including councils, community organisations, and other entities identified in the program guidelines.

Applicants must submit project proposals through Lead Agencies. For Tasmania, this is Resilience and Recovery Tasmania via the Department of Premier and Cabinets' (DPAC's) grant management system, SmartyGrants (to apply, select Apply now below).

The Tasmanian Government will undertake a merit-based assessment process to ensure applications meet program eligibility requirements and align with the priorities outlined in the Tasmanian Disaster Resilience Strategy, with suitable projects then submitted to the National Emergency Management Agency for national assessment and funding decisions.

What projects are eligible?

Eligible projects may include:

• systemic risk reduction and resilience-building activities to improve the quality and impact of the response to future disasters, or
• direct investment in grey and green-blue, social and natural hazard monitoring infrastructure, including development of business cases and/or feasibility studies for future infrastructure (including investigation, modelling, concept and detailed design activities).

Applicants are required to make a minimum 50 per cent co-contribution, with reduced co-contribution requirements applying to eligible organisations, such as First Nations organisations, remote or low rate-based councils, and not-for-profit organisations. This can include in-kind contributions such as wages directly attributable to the delivery of the project, supplies, materials, or specific equipment required. The Resilience and Recovery Tasmania team can help you to understand your options for meeting this requirement. You can contact the team at resilience@dpac.tas.gov.au

How will projects be selected?

Funding decisions are made by the Australian Government. This includes the selection of successful projects.

The Tasmanian Government will undertake a merit-based assessment process to ensure eligibility and alignment with state and local priorities to select suitable proposals to include in the Tasmanian application.

The process for applying for funding under Round Four is outlined below:

1. Applications are submitted through the Department of Premier and Cabinets' (DPAC's) grant management system, SmartyGrants with full supporting documentation by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, 1 July 2026.
2. All eligible proposals are considered by the Tasmanian Government during a merit-based assessment process. Submission of a proposal does not guarantee that it will be included in the Tasmanian application.
3. The Tasmanian Government submits suitable projects to the Australian Government by Tuesday, 25 August 2026 for assessment and decision.
4. The Australian Government chooses and announces successful projects.

Please note successful recipients are anticipated to be announced in October 2026.

For further information, please refer to the National Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Ready Fund website, or contact resilience@dpac.tas.gov.au with any questions about this program.

Round 4 Briefing Session

The Round 4 briefing session has now been held. You can access the session recording, presentation slides and tips for writing a strong application below.

• Round 4 Briefing Session Recording (mp4)
• Round 4 Briefing Session Presentation Slides (PDF)
• Tips for Writing a Strong Application (PDF)