Funding Amount:
No standard individual-business grant amount. Up to $86.7 million in total is available for seven Hub providers through to June 2032.
Closing Date:
10 August 2026, 9:00 pm AEST — closed.
Status:
Applications closed — the current round closed on 10 August 2026.
Provider:
Australian Government — Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, through the Future Drought Fund
Rounds:
Current 2026 competitive funding round
Location:
National — seven regional Hub areas covering NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Southern WA, Queensland and Northern Australia
Who Can Apply:
Organisations seeking to operate and deliver the next phase of a regional Drought Resilience Hub
Co-contribution Required?
No standard individual-business co-contribution is identified in the program overview
Purpose and Program Overview
The Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs are part of the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund (FDF) and are designed to help farmers, agricultural businesses and regional communities prepare for, manage and recover from drought. The Hubs connect farmers and communities with regional experts, researchers, innovative technologies and new practices that can improve long-term drought resilience.
The current program transition provides up to $86.7 million through to June 2032 to establish and operate seven Drought Resilience Hubs nationally from 2027. The current grant round was designed following an independent review of the previous eight-Hub model and is intended to strengthen the adoption of drought-resilient technologies, practices and knowledge across regional Australia.
The Hubs are not a conventional business grant providing individual businesses with a fixed cash payment. Instead, the competitive grant opportunity selects organisations to operate regional Hubs that deliver drought resilience activities, partnerships, knowledge transfer, trials and adoption support for farmers and communities.
Key Grant Details
- Grant amount or funding range: Up to $86.7 million in total is available for the seven Hubs through to June 2032. The program is structured around selecting Hub providers rather than providing a standard grant amount to each individual business.
- Application opening date: 29 May 2026.
- Application closing date: 10 August 2026 at 9:00 pm AEST. Applications are now closed.
- Eligible applicants: The current opportunity sought providers to establish and operate the next phase of Drought Resilience Hubs, rather than individual farmers applying for a standard business grant.
- Co-contribution: No standard individual-business co-contribution requirement is identified in the publicly available program overview.
- Location: National program covering seven regional Hub areas across NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Southern Western Australia, Queensland and Northern Australia.
- Program commencement: The refreshed Hub program is intended to operate from 2027 and continue until June 2032.
Priority Sectors
The program is primarily focused on agriculture and regional communities affected by drought and climate risks. It is not restricted to a narrow commercial industry classification.
Relevant areas include:
- Agriculture and farming
- Agricultural-dependent businesses
- Rural and regional communities
- Agricultural technology and innovation
- Water management and hydrology
- Climate science and climate-risk management
- Soil management and landscape rehabilitation
- Drought-resilient farming practices
- Innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialisation
The University of Newcastle identifies areas including climate resilience, water resources, soil science, water technologies, decision-making under uncertainty and landscape rehabilitation as relevant research areas within the Southern Queensland/Northern NSW Hub.
Funding Scope
Current Hub funding
The current funding round provides up to $86.7 million through to June 2032 for seven Hubs. The funding is intended to support the operation and delivery of Hub activities rather than provide a standard per-business grant.
The seven Hub regions are:
- New South Wales
- Victoria
- Tasmania
- South Australia
- Southern Western Australia
- Queensland
- Northern Australia, covering Northern Territory, Northern Western Australia and Northern Queensland
Examples of supported activities
Hub activities can include:
- On-farm trials of transformational technologies and practices
- Training farmers to use decision-support tools
- Upskilling farmers in innovation and entrepreneurship
- Commercialisation support
- Connecting farmers with researchers and regional experts
- Knowledge sharing and collaboration
- Adoption of drought-resilient technologies and practices
The current program is intended to run through to June 2032.
Eligibility Criteria
Because the current opportunity is a provider-selection grant, eligibility differs from a conventional grant for individual businesses.
Key considerations include:
- Applicants needed to be organisations capable of delivering the next phase of a regional Drought Resilience Hub.
- The grant opportunity was designed to select providers for seven regional Hubs.
- Hub activities must support farmers and regional communities to develop, extend and adopt drought-resilient technologies and practices.
- Delivery needs to reflect regional conditions and local needs.
- Effective engagement with farmers, industry, researchers and community stakeholders is central to the Hub model.
- The program operates under the Future Drought Fund framework.
The available program overview does not specify a conventional turnover threshold, GST requirement or ABN-based eligibility test for individual businesses because the current grant opportunity is aimed at selecting Hub providers.
Eligible Activities and Expenses
The program supports activities that facilitate the development and adoption of drought-resilient practices and technologies, including:
- On-farm trials
- Demonstration of new technologies and farming practices
- Training and capability development
- Decision-support tools
- Innovation and entrepreneurship programs
- Commercialisation activities
- Research-to-practice knowledge transfer
- Collaboration between farmers, researchers, industry and communities
- Adoption of drought-resilient technologies and practices
- Regional knowledge-sharing and networking activities
Individual farmers and businesses may benefit from these activities through their local Hub, but the current grant round does not operate as a general-purpose reimbursement program for businesses to purchase equipment or undertake standalone projects.
Assessment Process
The current opportunity is a competitive grant process. The Australian Government is selecting providers to deliver the next phase of the Drought Resilience Hubs.
The program has been informed by an independent review of the previous Hub model. The review examined the performance, governance and operation of the Hubs and made 51 findings and 28 recommendations aimed at improving the model and its contribution to drought preparedness and resilience.
Applicants should therefore demonstrate their capacity to:
- Deliver effective regional drought resilience activities
- Engage farmers and relevant regional stakeholders
- Connect research and innovation with practical adoption
- Address local and regional drought risks
- Build collaboration between industry, researchers and communities
- Generate practical drought resilience outcomes
Recent Program Updates
The program has undergone a significant transition following an independent review of the original Hub model.
The original program established eight Hubs in 2021, covering major climatic and agricultural regions. The original Funding Plan committed $89 million to the Hubs between 2020 and 2024. A further $28 million over two years from 2024–25 was announced in the 2024–25 Budget to maintain on-ground activities while the future model was developed.
Following the review, the Australian Government opened a new competitive funding round on 29 May 2026. The refreshed model will establish seven Hubs, with up to $86.7 million available through June 2032. Applications closed on 10 August 2026.
The previous eight-Hub model included the Southern Queensland/Northern NSW Hub, which works with farmers and regional communities to develop activities responding to local drought resilience needs.
Application Tips
For organisations considering future Hub funding opportunities, applicants should:
- Confirm the relevant grant opportunity and current eligibility requirements before preparing an application.
- Demonstrate strong understanding of regional drought and climate risks.
- Clearly identify the farmers, businesses and communities that will benefit.
- Establish credible partnerships with agricultural, research, industry and community organisations.
- Demonstrate capability to translate research and innovation into practical adoption.
- Provide measurable outcomes for drought preparedness and resilience.
- Demonstrate how proposed activities respond to local and regional needs.
- Ensure budgets, governance arrangements and delivery plans are realistic and compliant.
- Monitor future Future Drought Fund announcements because the current 2026 application round has closed.
Where to Get Help
Consider consulting a grant specialist like Pattens Group for a personalised eligibility assessment and expert assistance in preparing a strong, compliant and competitive application. Contact Pattens Group to discuss available grant opportunities and application support. For official guidelines, application details, templates and further information, applicants should refer to the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Future Drought Fund and relevant Hub websites.
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