What we do
relief [ri-leef] noun
1. Food, money or services for individuals in need. 2. Reassurance following release from anxiety or distress. 3. Prevention of poverty
Red Wine Grape Grower’s Support Grants
The RBS Relief Fund is pleased to be working with the South Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) to provide household relief to South Australian red wine grape growers who are in financial distress due to low prices and red wine grape oversupply issues.
The Red Wine Grape Grower’s Support Grants (RWGGSG), of up to $1500, aim to provide household and bill relief that can be used to pay for specific items, services, or bills; assisting red wine grape growers and their families.
The RBS Relief Fund will only accept applications for a RWGGSG from a member of the business financial counselling team on behalf of eligible red wine grape growers who have registered for, and commenced the process of, Rural Business Financial Counselling through RBS having committed to at least 4 (four) business financial counselling sessions.
Do you meet the following checklist:
- Red Wine Grape Grower (Grower) is in financial distress due to low prices and red wine grape oversupply issues
- Grower relies on their primary production enterprise for their main source of income
- Grower held (and continues to hold) an ABN for their primary production enterprise prior to FY2021
- Grower is currently a red wine grape grower with significant commercial purpose
- Grower has earnt an average income of ≥$60,000pa over FY19/20, FY20/21 and FY 21/22 from wine grapes
- At least 30% of the Grower’s income has historically been from red wine grapes
- The Grower has developed a current Financial Statement of Position with the support of a rural financial counsellor or their accountant
- The Grower has committed to (or completed) at least four rural financial counselling sessions with Rural Business Support
- The client is not currently receiving the Farm Household Allowance
Please download the criteria for the Red Wine Grape Grower’s Support Grants here.
If you are a grower in need of support, please start by registering for free, confidential and independent Rural Financial Counselling through Rural Business Support on FREECALL 1800 836 211.
The Rural Financial Counselling service is delivered by RBS in SA and the NT on behalf of the South Australian, Northern Territory and Australian Governments. The service is free, confidential and independent.
Please contact Mon Saunders, Communications and Philanthropy Manager at Rural Business Support on 1800 836 211 if you wish to make a tax-deductible donation to the RBS Relief Fund, or to chat about how we can do more to support farmers who are experiencing tough times.
Some say that drought, like floods, fires and cyclones, is part of the Australian landscape. Farmers are optimists and adaptive. Whether it’s a drought or a downpour during harvest, responding to a crop pest infestation, or a sudden loss of livestock, it doesn’t matter.
There is always something that Aussie farmers have to cope with. Then there’s the changing landscape of farming, succession planning, the high cost of technological infrastructure required to meet the demand for economies of scale, and the market risks when critical items, like fertiliser costs and diesel go through the roof, while market prices crash.
Some farmers have effective strategies for managing risk and are well prepared for droughts, floods, fires and other economic hits. But not all farmers have the resources nor financial resilience to manage simultaneous or long-term events like the ones seen in recent years: drought followed by bushfire followed by a pandemic.
For these farmers, our first step is to provide some relief through the RBS Relief Fund. The RBS Relief Fund aims to provide practical and immediate relief to primary producers, foresters, fishers and small related agricultural enterprises in distress and at risk of poverty, financial distress, or emotional hardship due to adverse events or natural disasters beyond their control.
Launched in July 2022, the RBS Relief Fund aims to help rural families in tough times through:
Support Grants
Small non-repayable support grants that provide household relief enabling struggling farming families and small rural enterprises in SA and NT to meet their day-to-day living expenses.
more details...
Support Grants may be used to provide
- Council Rates
- Emergency Clothing / Footwear
- Emergency Accommodation / Temporary Housing
- Fuel
- Groceries
- Medical Fees (including medication, specialist appointments, GAP payments)
- Pet Food
- Utilities
- Vehicle license renewal
- Water
No more than 15% of monies donated will be withheld for administration and reporting on impact.
Project Based Relief
We partner with likeminded organisations in the period following a major event or long-term situational distress to develop and deliver bespoke programs focused on relieving anxiety and creating stability assisting in individual and community recovery, and to enhance their opportunities to build resilience.
more details...
Our impact
- 2021 Kangaroo Island fire affected Farmers’ Tour to the 2015 Pinery Fire Ground
Proudly supported by Bank SA Foundation - 2022 Pinery to Kangaroo Island Reconnect and Recovery Tour
Proudly supported by NAB Foundation
Emergency Relief
Our intimate knowledge of regional communities in South Australia and the Northern Territory affected by natural disasters and other events enables us to distribute funds to rural families who are in immediate need and find themselves unable to meet their day-to-day living expenses.
We are proud to partner with humanitarian networks and welfare agencies to distribute funds to rural families in SA and the NT.
more details...
Our impact
2021-2022
- $1,080,000 – SA CWA Emergency Relief to farming families impacted by drought, bushfire and floods
- $61,000 – Rotary SA Drought Relief for farming families
- $14,058 – Red Cross Grant to assist in the facilitation of Emergency Relief Funds
2022-2023
- $97,500 – Wyatt Trust Capacity Grants enable South Australian farmers and small and family business owners suffering financial hardship to access additional financial support to help them recover and build financial resilience
“When farmers spend less, the community shrinks…You begin losing services. The hardware shop closes, one of the hairdressers leaves. The Doctor leaves and the emergency department at the local hospital closes. The next thing you know, people are being laid off and are leaving town.” – Andrew, Farmer
Read our Impact Report for 2023
In the face of unprecedented challenges presented by the 2019-2020 Black Summer Bushfires, the prolonged drought, and the COVID pandemic, Rural Business Support (RBS) took a decisive step in July 2022 by launching the RBS Relief Fund. This initiative is a cornerstone in our commitment to assist rural business families who are in distress, offering essential financial assistance and wellbeing support.
Our aim is to continue assisting farmers and small family businesses to rebuild financially and enhance family wellbeing.
We are proud of our progress in our inaugural year of the Relief Fund and thank you for your support to help rural families in tough times.
Together, our journey is just beginning.
Support our farmers
Through our programs, RBS has been helping farmers rural communities to recover from hardship and build resilience since 2006.
As a specialist farming and rural charity, we have the reach, relationships, networks and know-how to ensure that relief is provided when and where it is needed as we work towards sustainable and resilient rural communities together.
Help us to do more – a little help can go a long way.
Become a Relief Fund Champion
We know that while farmers and their communities need our help in times of crisis, they also need ongoing support to build resilience and the capabilities to recover from adversity for the long term.
Recovery takes time. RBS is committed to being there for the long term, and we hope that you will be too.
At RBS, we’d love the opportunity to truly understand your commitment to supporting our farming communities and how we can work together to ensure the maximum impact from your gift.
We welcome your involvement in any of the following areas:
- Make an annual donation to the Relief Fund on behalf of your organisation
- Establish a workplace giving program offering your employees the opportunity to make payroll deductions
- Lean in with other likeminded organisations who depend on resilient rural communities to help fund resilience and recovery projects in rural communities
Get In Touch
Please reach out to RBS Chief Executive Officer Brett Smith, or Mon Saunders, Communications & Philanthropy Manager on 1800 836 211, for a confidential chat about how you, and your organisation can join our growing group of corporate supporters.
RBS is an independent charity registered with the ACNC and has deductible gift recipient status. This means that donations over $2 may be tax deductible in Australia.
Allocating our resources for impact
No more than 20% of monies donated are used for administration, fundraising, compliance reporting and vital infrastructure that ensures the organisational capacity and sustainability of the Rural Business Support Relief Fund.
However, our funding allocation is just one measure of effectiveness. To learn more about the Relief Fund and the programs we are delivering, please read our Impact Report 2023
