Disaster Ready Fund Round 4 (2026-27)

Round 4 Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) applications are now open!

The Australian Government is committed to reducing the physical, social, and economic impacts of disasters while strengthening community recovery when disaster occurs.

Through the Disaster Ready Fund (DRF), the Government is investing up to $1 billion over five years (1 July 2023 – 30 June 2028) to support projects that build disaster resilience across Australia.

Disaster Ready Fund Round Four (2026-27) Guidelines available via GrantConnect
 

For Round 4, up to $142,477 million in Commonwealth funding is available for projects in 2026–27.

Available funding for Round 4 has been divided into two streams:

 

Project Stream	Funding Allocation	Project Activity
Infrastructure	$104,608 million (minimum total project value $500K)	Infrastructure Grey infrastructure Green-blue infrastructure (including nature-based solutions), Social infrastructure Natural hazard monitoring infrastructure
Other	$34,869 million (no minimum total project value)	Non infrastructure projects

_{Up to $3 million will be allocated to provide administrative support for Lead Agencies (unchanged from DRF Round 3).}

 

Key Dates

Friday, 29 May 2026	DRF Applications open
Wednesday, 01 July 2026	DRF Applications close. Proposals due to SAFECOM by 5pm (ACDT)
July – August 2026	Lead agency review and categorisation
25 August 2026	Lead agency submission to NEMA
August – September 2026	Assessment of applications by the Australian Government
October 2026	Outcome announcements
April 2027	Schedules signed and funding delivered to Lead Agencies

_{Note: The above timeline is provided as a guide only and may be subject to change.  While every care will be taken to expedite the time from announcement to payment, Applicants should be aware that they may not receive funding for several months or more after announcement.}

Round 4 South Australian Application Process

Individual agencies/organisations are unable to submit DRF applications directly to NEMA. All submissions must come through SAFECOM on the prescribed application form.

APPLICATION FORM
 

SAFECOM will only accept completed Round 4 applications via

safecom.application.grant@eso.sa.gov.au

Applications must be submitted with the email subject line: Final Submission for DRF Round 4 – [Applicant Name].

Key Documents

Disaster Ready Fund Round Four (2026-27) Guidelines available via GrantConnect

Application How to Guide
 

Templates & Tools

Applicant Check List Infrastructure Category

Applicant Checklist Other Project Category

Budget Template

Delivery Partner Letter of Support

Lead Agency Confirmation Letter

Cost Benefit Analysis Template

Attachment Record Sheet

FAQs
 

Co - Contribution                                                                                                      

Applicants (and delivery partners) are required to contribute towards each project. Co-contribution requirements for DRF Round 4 are:

Co-Contribution Category	Commonwealth funding towards eligible project costs	Minimum co-contribution towards eligible project costs
First Nations organisations as defined in the Guidelines Glossary Local councils located in ‘very remote’ and ‘remote’ locations per the Australian bureau of Statistics’ Remoteness Structure. Refer Appendix A in the Guidelines	Up to 90% of eligible project costs	At least 10% of eligible project costs
Other ‘low-rate-based’ councils, determined using the ration of Financial Assistance Grant to Net Rate Income, listed in Appendix B of the Guidelines Not-for-profit organisations as defined in the Guidelines Glossary	Up to 80% of eligible project costs	At least 20% of eligible project costs
State government bodies in Tasmania and South Australia	Up to 60% of eligible project costs	At least 40% of eligible project costs
All other applicants	Up to 50% of eligible project costs	At least 50% of eligible project costs

 

Eligibility for each co-contribution category will be determined based on the Applicant type nominated in the application form, irrespective of any partners, and must be supported by evidence.

Further information on co-contributions can be found in Section 3.1.1 of the DRF Round Four 2026-27 Guidelines.
 

Support for South Australian Applicants

SAFECOM is providing the opportunity for applicants to book a dedicated 1:1 session with a member of our grants team to guide applicants through the submission process and discuss the specific project in more detail.

1:1 SESSIONS BOOK HERE

30 minutes sessions will be available on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons during the application period.

For DRF enquiries contact the SAFECOM Grants Team on 08 8115 3926 / 08 8115 3929
or safecom.drf@eso.sa.gov.au