Disaster Ready Fund

NTES is the lead agency coordinating and submitting applications for the DRF on behalf on the NT. Any government or non-government organisation can apply for funding if the proposed project delivers benefit to the community. There will be no limit on the amount of funding projects can apply for, but applicants must contribute 50 percent of the total project cost in cash or in-kind.

Disaster Ready Fund - Round Three 2025-26 - now open for applications

Round Three of the DRF is now open.

Important update:

Today (27 April 2025) NEMA has announced that due to significant disruption caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, as well as weather events in other states and territories, the closing date for project proposals to Lead Agencies has been extended from 2 April to 16 April 2025. The new timeline is reflected in the "Key dates" section below. A revised version of the Round Three Guidelines has also been updated.

Key dates:

Proponents that have already submitted a project proposal are allowed to amend and resubmit their proposals, provided this occurs prior to 5:00 pm Wednesday 16 April 2025.

Key aspects about this grant round opportunity

Applications for project initiatives in disaster risk reduction and resilience initiatives are being accepted for Round Three 2025-26.

Projects can run for up to 5 years and applicants must provide 50% co-contribution towards the proposed initiative.

Round Three 2025-26 builds on the previous rounds by making a further $200 million available for grant initiatives in disaster risk reduction. Investment in larger scale infrastructure projects is encouraged, to provide enduring investment in reducing disaster impacts.

The option to apply for a partial or full waiver of the 50% co-contribution requirement has been replaced by a tiered approach.

For more information on the Round Three Program, please refer to National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) DRF R3 Guidelines:

Round Three - Guidelines

Project proposals must be submitted before 5:00 pm Wednesday 16 April 2025.

To apply for the DRF grant program, applicants MUST COMPLETE the following documents provided below:

1. Offline Individual Application Form
2. Indicative Budget Template

Round Three - Application R3 Budget template

All applications must be submitted via email to NTDRF@pfes.nt.gov.au before 5:00pm Wednesday 16 April 2025.

To assist applicants, the following guide will help you to complete the application:

R3 application How to guide

For further information, please contact Mr Nick Mavros on 0492 260 660 to discuss your initiative or proposal.

Results from the Disaster Ready Fund - Round two 2024-25

The Northern Territory was successful in Round Two with a total program of $32.4 million. The successful projects are:

1. Increasing community resilience, adaptive capacity and preparedness through trauma care workshops for emergency first responders - Care Flight.

2. Managing Fire Risk in the Central Desert Regional Council Region - Central Desert Regional Council

3. Nhulunbuy Community Cyclone Shelter - NT Department of Logistics and Infrastructure

4. Waste for Disasters: Planning to reduce impact and build capacity in the Macdonnell and Victoria Daly regions - Charles Darwin University

The list of all national projects for Round Two can be found at Disaster Ready Fund | NEMA

All jurisdictions are awaiting completion of the Federal Funding Agreements with the Australian Government before Round Two projects commence in 2025.

Results from the Disaster Ready Fund - Round One

A total of 9 projects have been funded for the NT under Round One. Successful projects include enhancing communication for emergency management responses and increasing disaster resilience capacity and capability across the NT, with a particular focus on the provision of food relief for vulnerable people living in remote and isolated communities in times of disaster.

A list of all national funded projects can be found at Disaster Ready Fund | NEMA

NTES has informed all proponents of projects recommended under the NT Application of the outcome of the Commonwealth assessment in writing and will establish funding arrangements with all proponents of funded projects. Funding is contingent on proponent co-contributions outlined and committed to in their submissions.

Successful projects

2023-24

Project Title	Description	Funding
Enhanced Tri-service Communications in Regional & Remote Regions of the NT	This project will implement APX Next Generation radios across all regional and remote Police and Fire Stations in the NT to enhance communication capabilities.	Commonwealth Awarded	Co-contribution (from state/territory or project delivery partner)	Total Project Cost
		$809,000	$809,000	$1,618,000
NT-wide flood data management and storage system	This project will support accessibility and useability of relevant and timely flood data to support critical decision-making.	Commonwealth Awarded	Co-contribution (from state/territory or project delivery partner)	Total Project Cost
		$360,000	$360,000	$720,000
National Highway Network – Flood Resilience Assessment	Assess the current flood resilience of the Northern Territory National Highways under a range of flooding scenarios.	Commonwealth Awarded	Co-contribution (from state/territory or project delivery partner)	Total Project Cost
		$1,000,000	$1,000,000	$2,000,000
Structural Monitoring of Darwin Buildings Under Earthquake Loading	The project will instrument a number of buildings in the city to monitor their response to large earthquakes in the region, to establish a real-world structural monitoring data set for Australia.	Commonwealth Awarded	Co-contribution (from state/territory or project delivery partner)	Total Project Cost
		$150,000	$150,000	$300,000
NTES Volunteer Community Engagement Course	Development of a training package so that NT Emergency Service volunteers can attain relevant skills to deliver community engagement programs across the NT.	Commonwealth Awarded	Co-contribution (from state/territory or project delivery partner)	Total Project Cost
		$108,000	$112,750	$220,750
Northern Territory Remote Aerodromes - Resilience Assessment	Assess the current resilience of 69 NT Government maintained remote aerodromes under a range of major disaster event scenarios.	Commonwealth Awarded	Co-contribution (from state/territory or project delivery partner)	Total Project Cost
		$1,000,000	$1,000,000	$2,000,000
NT Flood Warning Systems communications upgrade project	This project will support the ongoing operation of the flood warning system to ensure monitoring sites have the latest communications technology to communicate with the alerting system.	Commonwealth Awarded	Co-contribution (from state/territory or project delivery partner)	Total Project Cost
		$185,000	$190,000	$375,000
Sustainable Disaster Relief Food Solutions in Northern Australia	The Sustainable Disaster Relief Food Solutions in Northern Australia will provide regional and remote infrastructure (including a Katherine warehouse, Food Hubs and Food Lockers) to coordinate the efficient distribution of food to communities in the event of a natural disaster	Commonwealth Awarded	Co-contribution (from state/territory or project delivery partner)	Total Project Cost
		$1,150,000	$1,150,000	$2,300,000
Trial Satellite Internet Across Tri-service Communications Network	This project will trial satellite internet technology across the tri-service communications network and connectivity with drones used to assess disaster sites to obtain critical incident information.	Commonwealth Awarded	Co-contribution (from state/territory or project delivery partner)	Total Project Cost
		$140,000	$295,000	$435,000

Further information

For more information about the NT application for the Disaster Ready Fund – Round One please contact NTES at NTDRF@pfes.nt.gov.au

Download the frequently asked questions for Disaster Ready Fund Round One Outcomes