Celebrating 25 years of FRRR

This year, FRRR is celebrating 25 years of supporting remote, rural and regional communities across Australia.

With the generous support of our donors and partners, we’ve distributed more than $200M through around 15,000 grants, mostly to small, grassroots, community-led not-for-profit organisations who know what is needed in their area.

And we plan to be here for another 25 years to help make the vision that local leaders have for their communities come to life. By 2050, we want regional and remote Australian communities to be thriving.

We invite you to help us celebrate and, if you can, please support us, so that we can help local leaders create sustainable, vibrant, resilient and empowered remote, rural and regional communities.

Read about some of the impacts that FRRR’s support has had in these stories shared by community groups.

Lasting Solutions, Local Impact – Celebrating 25 Years of FRRR
(click to read the report)

In 2025, FRRR will celebrate 25 years of supporting remote, rural and regional communities across Australia – please share your story.

As part of our celebrations, FRRR is inviting community groups to share how FRRR’s funding and support has made a difference in your community. We want to put the spotlight on how these grants have strengthened the skills and capabilities of people and organisations who are the backbone of these towns and regions.

We’re also keen to hear your ideas and hopes for the future. We will share your thoughts and stories with the wider Australian community throughout 2025, raising the profile of the hard work and dedication of the thousands of volunteers and people who make the communities outside our major cities such vibrant, resilient and sustainable places to live, work and play.

Click here to share your story

Thank you for backing FRRR’s vision of a vibrant, thriving remote, rural and regional Australia.

As the only national foundation specifically focused on ensuring social and economic strength in remote, rural and regional areas of Australia, your support will ensure we can continue to fund vital community projects for the next 25 years.

All donations are appreciated but we particularly invite you to contribute to one of our Endowment Funds to ensure our long-term sustainability. These Funds are invested in perpetuity, with a portion of the income generated distributed annually via grants or to FRRR projects or operations, in line with the Fund’s nominated purpose.

Small Grants Fund – ensures FRRR can continue to fund small and vital grants to grassroots communities. Read more here about the importance of small grants.

Many of the not-for-profit organisations that receive funding from FRRR are grassroots community-led and volunteer-run groups that cannot easily fundraise or access philanthropic support. Every year, FRRR relies on the generosity of individuals, philanthropy, business and government to be able to offer small grants and other capacity building opportunities for these organisations.

To provide a level of reliability and security in the future for these types of grants, the Small Grants Fund endowment will build over time to ensure there will always be funding available for small grants for remote, rural and regional communities. Small grants allow flexibility for responsive support for projects that are needed and they often kick start a community to secure other funding.

You can give securely online to FRRR’s Small Grants Fund or contact the Partnerships Team.

Disaster Resilience and Recovery Fund – funding projects to enable disaster recovery and preparedness in the medium to longer term.

As Australia faces an increasing number of natural disasters – bushfires, floods, cyclones and extended droughts – it is increasingly important to have the resources and funds ready to support communities affected and to help them prepare for future disaster events.

Established in 2019, FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Fund (DRRF) already has a corpus of more than $5M – growing this endowment will provide support for communities in their medium to long-term recovery and to prepare for climate-related disasters.

This Fund ensures that FRRR can support community recovery, long after the headlines have faded. It also funds preparedness initiatives so that communities are in a better position to recover from a disaster event.

You can give securely online to FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Fund or contact the Partnerships Team.

Backbone Fund – supports FRRR’s operations, including major projects such as systems upgrades and builds our evaluation and impact measurement capability to ensure our funding and support drives positive outcomes for communities.

FRRR has the track-record, the expertise and the reputation to deliver grants and build the capacity of community organisations in remote, rural and regional communities across Australia, and we need to build our own capability to ensure we can stand alongside them. A donation to our Backbone Fund will support FRRR’s operations and systems, as well as our evaluation and impact measurement to ensure our funding and support drives positive outcomes and gives a stronger voice for communities.

You can give securely online to FRRR’s Backbone Fund or contact the Partnerships Team.

Bequest – make a lasting difference in remote, rural and regional Australia through a gift in your will to FRRR.

Including a gift to FRRR in your Will means that you will be contributing to creating strong, resilient and sustainable communities by bringing to life the projects that local communities prioritise.

Bequests are the gift that never stops giving and they are not difficult to set up. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money to make a difference.

Donate securely below or contact the FRRR Partnerships team by email partnerships@frrr.org.au.

FRRR’s vision is for vibrant, resilient, sustainable and empowered remote, rural and regional communities. By 2050, that means rural Australia is thriving — economically sustainable, enriched by cultural diversity and equipped, connected and confident to take advantage of opportunities, and able to tackle the challenges, within their locality.

We aim to achieve this by supporting:

Capability of remote, rural and regional organisations to support their communities;
Empowered community members to influence and lead local priorities and solutions;
Reinforced strength and resilience of remote, rural and regional economies;
Strengthened individual and community physical and mental wellbeing;
Enhanced community capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters and other shocks;
Communities that are equipped to successfully navigate climate change and energy transitions;
Improved access to and use of community infrastructure;
Greater geographical access to services and amenities;
Cultural vibrancy, connectedness and inclusiveness in communities;
Lifelong learning, education and / or training for people in remote, rural and regional communities; and
Improved environmental health and biodiversity.

What do communities want?

We’ve also been asking rural communities about their hopes and dreams. Here’s what they are saying:

As a volunteer across various community groups in Wilmington my vision is for Wilmington to be a thriving small community in 2050. I hope that all projects, investments and improvements that I have been involved with are pathing a way for a sustainable and viable community for future generations.
Babies born today will be in their mid-20s in 2050. It is my hope that more of the children born today successfully finish their education and are supported by their families and community to engage in meaningful study, employment or work. It is my hope that more children have positive childhood experiences that ultimately influence the way they parent and manage relationships. It is my hope that the statistics show better developmental outcomes across all domains for children starting school.
We hope to see a region powered by renewable energy, with strong local industries supported by a skilled workforce and innovative technologies. Gippsland will be a leader in environmental stewardship, balancing economic growth with the preservation of our natural landscapes and biodiversity. Our community will be connected and inclusive, with a strong social fabric that values collaboration and equity. By 2050, Gippsland will be a model for regional transformation, demonstrating how communities can successfully navigate the challenges of a transition from coal fired power to large scale renewables while creating lasting economic, social, and environmental benefits for future generations.
I am deeply involved in various community issues. In December 2024 I was unsuccessful in running for the local council, but that doesn’t stop me. My main interest is Growth Strategy Development. I want to open up land for housing, and redevelop old housing blocks that have been left empty for years. I want that for two reasons. The ongoing housing disaster in Australia, and our local council does not have enough ratepayers to pay for the services asked for and required. Small country towns, from my perspective, provide the easiest way to reopen housing that’s been left idle and repurpose and rejuvenate these towns, while giving younger people an opportunity to be a part of a community. To own a home.
A safe climate.
I hope for a stronger, safer and more resilient community. A community that nurtures creativity, builds connections and has a strong sense of identity. The ultimate aim would be improved quality of life and liveability for our community, ensuring the benefits of economic prosperity are broadly spread and that the most vulnerable in our community are not left behind. A community that recognises and values its cultural diversity as an asset not a challenge and protect, celebrate and preserve the unique cultural heritage of Australia’s Indigenous peoples. A community that respects, values and encourages our older citizens to become active members – our mentors and teachers. A community with inclusive facilities, services and networks, which maximise our potential to develop and enhance our wellbeing and where housing options meet different needs. A community that preserves, protects and promotes our region’s unique natural assets within the Cassowary Coast, QLD.
The 2022 floods had a devastating effect on a lot of families across our region. Some are still struggling with recovery and even when life has got back on track, their expectations have been diminished. The Bridge Art Project, as a new community project will give all members of our community something to celebrate. Our new art gallery will be operational by 2026, so hopefully by 2050 it will be celebrating its 34 year anniversary and be a thriving cultural hub for Echuca Moama residents and those from further afield.
To have a community that pulls together to help one another. A community that seeks cooperation between all the volunteer groups and organisations. A community that works together and isn’t afraid to try new ideas such as growing hemp and making products from it such as hempcrete, hemp fibre hemp plastic, hemp building timbers etc. A community that values and respects our Indigenous Elders and families. A community that listens to our Indigenous knowledge that they wish to share. A community that is serious about being caretakers for the forests, fauna and flora, and cares about our rivers and quality of water protecting our water catchments and coastal environments. A community that dares to care and is inclusive to all.