Reports, evaluations and submissions

Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the 2019/20 Bushfire Response
FRRR has made a submission to the Senate Finance and Public Administration Committees’ inquiry into lessons to be learned in relation to the preparation and planning for, response to and recovery efforts following the 2019-20 bushfire season.

Submission to the Productivity Commission Review on Mental Health
In reviewing close to 800 grant applications across rural, regional and remote Australia per year, FRRR is able to see first-hand the innovative proposals presented by these communities in seeking to address mental health and wellbeing challenges in their communities.

CPPW Insights Report
The purpose of the Community & Philanthropy Partnerships program was to showcase examples of successful partnerships, celebrate what has been achieved and shine a light on what can be accomplished when community and philanthropy partnerships are harnessed effectively.

Art Resides Here
‘The arts’ come in many guises and play diverse roles in remote, rural and regional communities. To explore this, FRRR received support from the H&L Hecht Trust to undertake a project known as Art Resides Here. Authentic community voices and stories from five Victorian communities have been captured by Julie Millowick, photographer, photo-journalist and creative producer. Each community has engaged with the arts in a different way and for different purposes, and each has been supported by FRRR to deliver arts-based projects. Community leaders will share these stories at Artlands Victoria in October 2018.

Senate Economics Reference Committee Inquiry into Regional Inequality
In August 2017, FRRR had the opportunity to contribute to an independent review of rural, regional and remote education, with recommendations to be put forward to Government. This report is a summary of our submission to the Review. The final report is now available here.

Submission in response to the Tax Deductible Gift Recipient Report Opportunities discussion paper
In August 2017, FRRR had the opportunity to submit a response to the Tax Deductible Gift Recipient Reform Opportunities discussion paper in an effort to create a simpler and more accessible system to enable the charitable and philanthropic sectors to grow and continue to support a more prosperous and equitable nation.


The lasting impacts: Pratt Foundation FRRR water projects
FRRR began partnering with the Pratt Foundation in 2002 to realise the vision, held by the late Richard Pratt, for more efficient water use and healthier ecosystems in Australia.
There were thirty community projects funded through this partnership and this report revisits five of them which reflect the diverse size and scale of funding, and to explore the legacy of targeting grants at community-led water projects.

Lessons in Disaster Recovery: Learning from FRRR’s response to the 2009 Victorian Bushfires
This is a summary of an independent review of our collective response to the 2009 Victorian bushfires commissioned in late 2011. The review of the outputs and outcomes of the twenty-one member philanthropic partnership was conducted by Helen Morris, thanks to a grant from Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority.

Evaluation of Performance Over the First Ten Years and the Contribution FRRR Makes to Rural and Regional Australia
The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) distributed more than $25 million in grants over its first ten years. During this period, FRRR has demonstrated strengths in the effectiveness, efficiency and reach of its programs as this evaluation attests.

Rural Education Program, Fourth Report 2008 -2010
Since the Rural Education Program (REP) was established in 2002, the six Founding Donors have personally donated and attracted other donors to FRRR through REP for almost ten years now, to a variety of organisations to improve the opportunities for children in the bush. Some of the program’s achievements are summarised within this document.

Rural Education Program, Third Report 2008
When Rural Education Program (REP) began in 2003 it was meant to run for two years, to assist children during the drought. Such a short time ago, we believed that droughts came and went, and that REP would only be needed during the (then) current drought. We now know that drought is likely to be the normal condition of many parts of Australia and there will be continuing effects on the education of rural children.

Rural Education Program, Second Report 2004 -2006
Rural Education Program (REP) was established in 2002, as a program of Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, by private donors as a short-term response to their concerns about the effect of drought on children living in rural and remote areas of Australia. Some of the program’s achievements are summarised within this document.

Rural Education Program, First Report 2003 -2004
The Rural Education Program (REP) seeks to ensure that quality education remains accessible to children in rural and remote communities regardless of weather and financial adversity. Through collaboration with local agencies and sponsored partnerships with individuals and corporations, the REF will be able to extend the educational resources and individualised learning support that rural students need and deserve.