Past Programs
FRRR is responsive to evolving community needs and our programs reflect this. Sometimes programs run their course and are closed, or another focus emerges for our donor partners.
Below are some of FRRR’s previous programs, listed by the year grants were last awarded.
If you would like to know more about a particular program, please get in touch.
2023
Networks to Build Drought Resilience
Thanks to a partnership between the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, FRRR and a wide range of collaborative donors, the Networks to Build Drought Resilience program funded grants to support agriculture-dependent communities to be more prepared for, and resilient to, the impacts of drought.
The Networks to Build Drought Resilience Program was one of the Future Drought Fund’s foundation programs. It was designed to build community capacity by strengthening social and community networking, support, engagement and wellbeing. The aim was to build an enduring resilience to the impacts of climate change, drought, and enhance the public good in agriculture-dependent communities.
This program was funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund. In 2023 we published a report that reflects on the implementation and outcomes of the program.
COVID Regional Community Support
COVID Regional Community Support was a two-part program, designed to support eligible not-for-profit organisations, community groups and associated volunteer-based organisations that were involved in delivering food and/or personal care hampers to individuals and families affected by COVID lockdowns.
The first stream offered contribution towards reimbursement for the costs of personal and care hampers, while a second stream of the program supported community projects that increased capacity for service provision in ongoing and future pandemic events.
This program was funded by the NSW Government and delivered by FRRR, on behalf of the NSW Reconstruction Authority, the successor organisation to Resilience NSW, established in December 2022.
Investing in Not-for-Profit Capacity in Regional NSW
The Investing in Not-for-Profit Capacity in Regional NSW program aimed to support resourcing and capacity of NFP organisations in bushfire-affected communities, including Bega, Taree and Glen Innes, helping them to respond and thrive in the face of current challenges.
The Yulgilbar Foundation Fund
The Yulgilbar Foundation Fund supported communities in the Clarence Valley and surrounding regions who had a desire and need to strengthen their capacity and resilience in response to the 2019/20 bushfires, flooding and continued challenges across the region.
2022
Volunteer Emergency Services Fund
The Volunteer Emergency Services Fund grant program supported the needs of local volunteer emergency services and first responders supporting communities affected by the Black Summer bushfires.
Grants of up to $25,000 were available for disaster preparedness and response activities that included rebuilding or upgrading emergency services infrastructure and replacing or upgrading emergency services equipment; enabling the support and management of an emergency services volunteer workforce through recruitment and training; and programs to support volunteer mental health and wellbeing.
2021
Westpac Foundation Rural Community Grants
Westpac Foundation partnered with FRRR to enable the delivery of the Westpac Foundation Rural Community Grants.
The Rural Community Grants helped to create strong and more inclusive communities in rural, regional and remote areas, providing assistance in what has been one of the most challenging years on record.
The grants focused on supporting organisations who are creating job opportunities and providing training and education to enhance employment readiness for people experiencing disadvantage.
Grants for Resilience & Wellness (GR&W)
Thanks to the generosity and support of the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund, the Grants for Resilience & Wellness (GR&W) program supported the long term recovery of communities impacted by the 2009 Victorian Bushfires.
A total of $4,111,633 was distributed via 283 grants across 18 rounds to provide assistance towards community-strengthening and resilience-building projects.
This program has now fully expended the funds available and no further applications will be considered.
News Corp Bushfire Fund Grants
News Corp partnered with FRRR to enable the delivery of the News Corp Bushfire Fund grants.
This program supported local not-for-profit organisations and community groups that delivered locally-led projects and activities to assist people in their recovery as a result of the 2019/2020 bushfires.
In total, 73 grants were awarded totalling nearly $1.4 million to help communities impacted by the Black Summer bushfires.
2020
Aussie Cotton Farmers Grow Communities
Aussie Cotton Farmers Grow Communities was a grant program initiated by the Bayer Fund in 2014, in partnership with FRRR. The program gave cotton farmers the opportunity to support their communities by nominating a local not-for-profit organisation to receive a $5,000 grant to enable them to undertake projects and activities that offer clear public benefit.
Over the past seven years, Bayer Fund, in partnership with FRRR, distributed over $1 Million (AUD) to rural and regional Australia, through 210 grants. The Bayer Fund is currently renewing their Corporate Strategy, and accordingly the Aussie Cotton Farmers Grow Communities grants program was concluded at the end of 2020.
Community Group Futures
In 2016, FRRR opened Community Group Futures (alongside Grants for resilience and Wellness) to support not-for-profit organisations working in and for the benefit of communities affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires, thanks to funding from the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund (VBAF).
The Community Group Futures program has been developed by FRRR to support community groups that continued to experience particular operational and service delivery challenges and were working in very different environments from those prior to the bushfires.
The Community Group Futures program provided resources for organisations to consider their viability, sustainability and future roles in their communities, and to strengthen organisational capabilities to achieve their aspirations. It presented an opportunity for organisations to think beyond day-to-day operations and short-term needs and look ahead to what would be required to be sustainable and viable to meet the needs of the community in the years to come.
VISY Tumut Region Recovery Fund
The Visy Tumut Region Recovery Fund was established in February 2020 to support community-led projects designed to address a diverse range of bushfire recovery needs and community priorities in the Snowy Valleys. A total of $970,136 in funding was granted to 36 projects over a seven month period, and the program is now closed.
Through the provision of grants, this program aimed to address a range of needs, including but not limited to:
- Mental health and wellbeing;
- Environmental and wildlife recovery and rehabilitation;
- Strengthening social connectedness and reducing social isolation;
- Culturally appropriate activities and resources for impacted communities;
- Community infrastructure and equipment that strengthens volunteer community groups and their activities;
- Community-based therapeutic programs and activities such as arts, theatre, gardening, community dinners, or informal mentoring and peer support groups, which engage vulnerable and at-risk members of the community.
Westpac Foundation Rural Community Grants
The Westpac Foundation partnered with FRRR in 2020 to take their annual community grants program truly national, to encompass rural, regional and remote communities. A total of $500,000 was distributed to 50 community organisations in $10,000 grants to support organisations who are creating job opportunities and providing training and education to enhance employment readiness for people experiencing disadvantage.
Find out more about the Westpac program.
Enhancing Country Health Outcomes (ECHO)
The Enhancing Country Health Outcomes (ECHO) grant program was delivered for two rounds from October 2018, thanks to funding from Beyond Medical Education. Grants of between $50,000 and $150,000 aimed to improve health outcomes for people living in rural, regional and remote Victoria and New South Wales.
The program provided targeted funds for charitable initiatives delivered by not-for-profit organisations to strengthen, improve accessibility and retain quality and contextually appropriate primary health care services in local communities, addressing the distinct challenges associated with distance and isolation, which place these communities at greater risk of poorer health outcomes and management.
Find out more about the ECHO program.
Caring for Ageing Rural Australians (CARA)
The Caring for Ageing Rural Australians (CARA) Program was delivered from 2005 to 2020, thanks to support from various donors, and was designed to support projects and activities that benefit and support older people living in small rural and remote communities.
The program focused on the ageing population in remote, rural and regional Australia, enhancing aged care services and facilities; building community capacity for aged-friendly communities; fostering community development through opportunities and participation for older people; and encouraging positive and active ageing, community health and wellbeing, and education programs.
School and Beyond
The School and Beyond program was delivered from 2015 to 2020, thanks to support from the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund (VBAF) across 11 LGA’s in 2009 Victorian bushfire-affected regions. The program focused on supporting young people who experienced the fires, and the aims included removing financial and psychological barriers to participation and completion of study, supporting pathways to vocational training and employment; and to support the cost of education and training costs.
2018
Small Grants for Rural Communities
Small Grants for Rural Communities evolved into the Strengthening Rural Communities program. It still offers the same broad grants that were available under SGRC, with the added benefits of being a rolling program that is open year round and higher levels of funding.
Small Grants for Rural Communities ran for 34 rounds over a 17 year period.
Domino’s Give for Good
FRRR partnered with Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd for two years from 2016 to 2018 to deliver the Give for Good program, which offered grants of up to $5,000 for community-led projects that responded to one of these three impact areas:
- Education and youth initiatives (17 yrs to 25 yrs)
- Leadership and entrepreneurship (17 yrs and over)
- Skills, knowledge, and networks needed to prepare and recover from natural disasters.
Social Innovation Fund
To address pressing and persistent social issues in three particular communities, in collaboration with the NSW Department for Families & Community Services (FACS), FRRR developed the Social Innovation Fund. It focused on the communities in and around the townships of Wagga Wagga, Eden and Kempsey on the South Coast of NSW.
The project had four phases:
- Community engagement and consultation – to ensure that the funding addresses priority issues in each community.
- Co-designing the local responses and use of funding allocations.
- Developing an evaluation framework.
- Designing and administering a grants program or allocating financial investment to charitable projects.
Fast Track Ag Innovation
The William Buckland Foundation shared FRRR’s concern about the stand-still in agricultural productivity, the reduction in public agricultural research, development and extension and the subsequent gaps in innovation. Together we developed the Fast Track Ag Innovation program.
The invitation-only grants program saw four farmer groups across four primary industries in Victoria use grants of $150,000 each, over three years, to drive the adoption of science and innovation to address one of their top three production constraints.
Repair-Restore-Renew 2017
The 2017 Repair-Restore-Renew program provided grants to support the medium-to-long term recovery of communities impacted by the cyclones and floods in Queensland and New South Wales in 2017.
2017
Social Change 101
FRRR partnered with the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund to deliver the Social Change 101 program in three regions that were impacted by the 2009 Victorian bushfires.
Social Change 101 provided an opportunity for local change-makers to develop their ideas for social enterprises and learn from their leading business and social enterprise experts to gain the skills, knowledge and networks to bring their social enterprise idea to life for the broader benefit of their community.
The program kicked off with a community roundtable in November 2015 to introduce the initiative and build the support networks necessary to deliver the program and support the entrepreneurs and their ventures over the long-term. It then ran in 2016 in the Alpine / Indigo region and in 2017 in the Mitchell and Murrindindi regions.
Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week (CPPW)
Community and Philanthropy Partnerships Week was a three-year initiative created to celebrate the ways in which partnerships between grassroots community groups and philanthropy build strong and vibrant places to live and work. The Australian Government provided funding through the program, with the last funds distributed in August 2017.
The Leading Practices of Community and Philanthropy Partnerships report, which captured insights into effective partnerships from some of the groups that participated in CPPW can be found here.
REAPing Rewards
The Rural Education Australia Program, also known as REAPing Rewards, was a national program targeting educational outcomes in rural and remote communities.
The flexible program provided grants of up to $10,000 for not-for-profit community groups, early childhood service providers, and primary and secondary school community support committees, for locally developed or locally-driven ideas, projects and programs that would directly enhance the educational outcomes for children and students (0-18 years) in remote, rural and regional communities.
Innovation for Community Impact (I4CI)
Innovation for Community Impact (I4CI) supported innovative responses to issues including domestic and family violence, education disengagement, criminal behaviour, and unemployment. Co-funded by the NSW government, the philanthropic sector and local community groups, and led by FRRR, the program helped addressed pressing and persistent social issues facing communities in ten regional NSW Local Government Areas across the Hunter New England, Mid-North and Central Coast districts.
2016
Goulburn Valley – McEwen Foundation
From 2007, in partnership with the McEwen Foundation, which was managed by Equity Trustees, FRRR provided grants for charitable projects within the wider Goulburn Valley District, Victoria. In 2016, the final round of the program delivered grants of up to $10,000 for projects and activities that offered a clear public benefit, for charitable purposes, and addressed a need in the community.
Repair-Restore-Renew 2013
The 2013 Repair-Restore-Renew 2013 program provided grants to support the medium-to-long term recovery of communities impacted by the bushfires, cyclones and floods in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland in 2013.
Thanks to the generosity of our donor partners, five grant rounds were conducted across these disaster-affected regions, with nearly $530,000 distributed in funding to 48 community groups.
2015
Repair-Restore-Renew 2014
The 2014 Repair-Restore-Renew program provided grants to support the medium-to-long term recovery of communities impacted by the bushfires, cyclones and floods in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
- Victorian bushfires – Feb 2014
- Barossa Valley & Eden Valley bushfires – Feb 2014
- Perth Hills bushfire – Jan / Feb 2014
- Severe Tropical Cyclone Christine – Jan / Feb 2014
Due to limited funding available, only one grant was awarded. This went to the Shire of Mundaring, in the heart of the Perth Hills, where the bushfires in January 2014 destroyed 57 homes and damaged many more.
Lachlan Region Community Grants
This program provided funding, provided by the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, for projects that addressed Education and Young People, Employment and Industry, Community Spirit and Stability or Services and Infrastructure for communities in the Lachlan Shire, NSW. The final grant round was run in 2015.
Creating Inspiring Rural Community Leadership & Engagement (CIRCLE)
CIRCLE aimed to create capacity and enhance community leadership in rural and remote communities, tapping into local ingenuity and resources to reality-test ideas and put them into practice, learning along the way, as well as celebrating and sharing success stories.
The CIRCLE program, developed by FRRR, with the support of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, had three components:
1. Training and development resources and materials – including webinars, animated video and video case studies;
2. A $350,000 grants program and diversity scholarships – twenty groups received grants up to $25,000, and four diversity scholarships were awarded to the value of $10,000;
3. An environmental scan to assess gaps in leadership training – the aim of the research was to ascertain what leadership development support is available across rural, regional and remote Australia and inform future investments. The full report has now been released and is available to download.
2014
Skills, Training, Engagement and Practical Support (STEPS)
This program focused on supporting communities affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires. It was designed to enhance leadership in rural communities, improve the ability of not-for-profit groups to develop and implement community projects and ensure community groups avoid experiencing the effects of volunteer fatigue.
2013
2011 Repair-Restore-Renew
FRRR’s 2011 Repair-Restore-Renew program helped communities recover from natural disasters, by providing grants that helped to address community needs that begin to emerge 12-18 months after the disaster event. This is often when the rest of the community has turned its attention to subsequent natural disasters.
The 2011 Repair-Restore-Renew program supported Queensland, Victoria, and New South Wales communities impacted by the floods and cyclones in the summer of 2010/11.
Culture, Arts, Tourism and Cultural Heritage (CATCH)
In 2009, FRRR established the stand-alone CATCH program, to provide focused support for these areas, with five rounds running over six years.
We have since streamlined our program offering, and projects relating to culture, arts, tourism, history and heritage are now funded through other programs, such as SRC.
2011
Rural Early Childhood Education (REACH) program
The REACH program was established in 2009 to support the delivery of early childhood education across rural and remote Australia. The program ran for three years and subsequently informed the creation of the REAPing Rewards program.
2009 Repair-Restore-Renew
This program was set up immediately following the 2009 Victorian bushfires to provided support for community recovery. Projects ranged from repairing minor infrastructure, such as community meeting places, providing equipment to help communities fundraise or provide local support, such as BBQs and trailers, to projects that enhanced community connectivity, wellbeing and resilience.
2010
Rural Education Program (REP)
The drought of the 2000’s was one of the worst on record, causing devastation of agricultural production and the social and economic heart of rural communities. The Rural Education Program (REP) was established in 2002 as a short-term response to concerns about the effect of drought on children living in rural and remote areas of Australia.
The program ran for eight years (2002 – 2010) and funded 385 projects across Australia valued at $2.839 million. The success of this program shaped FRRR’s subsequent education programs, including REAPing Rewards. This program was also included among the Top 50 Philanthropic Grants of all time, which were announced in 2013.