APPLICATIONS for the 2025-26 Grassroots Grants program are now aimed to support Riverland community-led grassroots environmental projects.
An initiative of the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board (MRLB), Grassroots Grants support the community to undertake projects and activities that help build the environmental resilience and sustainability of the region.
Applications are invited from community organisations, volunteer groups, local government, schools and education providers, First Nations groups, NGOs, landholders, and individuals in the Riverland region. 
Funding can be used towards activities such as revegetation, weed control, training, citizen science, small equipment purchases, environmental surveys and community events. 
MRLB chair Frances Simes encouraged the community to consider ways to improve the sustainability of their local environment. 
“Now’s a great time to think about a local project you’d like to tackle – it could be developing a biodiverse shelter belt on farm, or removing weeds from a waterway,” she said.
“Grassroots Grants can also be used to improve the knowledge, understanding and capacity of the community. This could be by hosting a workshop to support farmers during dry times, or organising a wetland study tour for a school or kindy group.
“This year, just over $500,000 is available through the Grassroots Grants, so we encourage all eligible applicants to consider how the funding could support their project ideas.”
To be eligible for funding projects need to align with at least one of the focus areas in the landscape board’s Regional Landscape Plan, and applicants are encouraged to discuss their project ideas with landscape board staff before completing their application. 
Grassroots Grants funding is available across three value ranges — $1000 and under, $1001 to $10,000 and $10,001 and above. 
The Grassroots Grant program is funded through the landscape levies, reinvesting levy payer contributions to support the health the Riverland region. 
Applications are open until 30 March 2025.
For more information on Grassroots Grants, including guidelines and application forms, visit the website: (flow.landscape.sa.gov.au/grassroots-grants).