More than $650,000 awarded to 24 inspiring community initiatives – with more than half benefitting First Nations communities
FRRR’s Community Led Climate Solutions program (CLCS) has awarded more than $650,000 in grants to 24 not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) from across remote, rural and regional Australia for initiatives that will address the localised impacts of global warming and energy industry transitions.
The CLCS program supports locally-led projects that inform and empower locals to adapt or act to mitigate the risks caused by a changing climate. It also supports initiatives that empower community groups to assist locals impacted by transitions away from fossil fuel industries and/or transitions to clean energy industry.
The $652,740 in grants are funded through two streams, with grants ranging from $19,186 for a native plant nursery in Moora, WA, to $75,000 for an Indigenous STEM education program to be rolled out in multiple remote communities across the country.
Through the Engage and Deliver stream, nearly $400,000 will be shared by 20 NFPs in grants of up to $20,000, while four community groups will share nearly $255,000 via the Scaling stream. These larger grants of up to $75,000, not only help scale an appropriate existing locally-led project, but they will also directly alleviate socio-economic disadvantage and improve the capacity of the local community to take an active role, or lead, in the mitigation or adaptation of climate change.
Natalie Egleton, FRRR’s CEO, said that rural people are keen to get on the front foot of climate change, but they also want a seat at the table when transitions and investments are directly impacting their community.
“The projects we’re funding present a range of climate solutions that showcase future-focused community-led responses. The support, engagement or education of young people is a strong theme and these projects stood out as robust in their planning, engagement, partnerships and the community support mechanisms that would be activated,” Ms Egleton said.
“We also saw groups keen to develop and share contextualised and culturally responsive knowledge and skills with the wider community. This reflects a desire for local community organisations to broadly engage and provide education and information on climate solutions initiatives that are relevant to improving local lives and livelihoods through tangible actions and respectful conversations.
“Pleasingly, of the 24 organisations receiving funding, two are First Nations-led and controlled organisations, while 11 demonstrated a partnership with local Traditional Owner groups for the delivery of their project. We’re particularly pleased to see this strong engagement, as these projects will benefit many remote and very remote communities,” Ms Egleton explained.
FRRR is grateful to partner with a growing number of like-minded organisations including Hand Heart Pocket – The Charity of Freemasons Queensland, Paul Ramsay Foundation, Elders Insurance (backed by the QBE Foundation) and PNI Foundation.
“The strong demand for support we continue to receive from groups across remote, rural and regional Australia reinforces the vital role that our partners play in empowering communities to be vibrant and sustainable, for the long-term.
“For other philanthropic or corporate bodies that share this vision, we encourage you to join this partnership of like-minded organisations,” Ms Egleton said. For more information, please visit https://frrr.org.au/funding/community-led-climate-solutions/.
The full list of grant recipients and their projects are below.
| Organisation | Project | Location | Grant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STREAM 1 (<$20,000) | ||||||
| NEW SOUTH WALES | ||||||
| Glenrac Incorporated | Clever Climate Solutions for Celtic & Ngarabul Country, Glen Innes NSW Build understanding of local climate solutions in the Glen Innes region by delivering four events that engage and educate to activate action. | Glen Innes | $19,789 | |||
| Murrumbidgee Landcare Incorporated | Riverina Harvest - Community Coming Together for a Resilient Regional Food Network Through Festival Build capacity to deliver a conference on local food system sustainability with a dedicated project officer to co-ordinate engagement and action outcomes from the event. | Wagga Wagga | $20,000 | |||
| Purple Card Project Pty Ltd | Tackling Textile Waste in Dorrigo Engage the Dorrigo community in textile reuse and recycling initiatives to reduce landfill and improve circular economy practices. | Dorrigo | $20,000 | |||
| Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance | Progressing Sustainable Community Power in Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba Advance investigations required to install a community-owned microgrid that will support energy resilience and local agency. | Central Tilba | $20,000 | |||
| Southern New England Landcare Ltd on behalf of Uralla Rivercare | Water Resilience and Sustainable Management for Homes and Community Villages of the Southern New England Improve climate resilience through five workshops that will focus on water management for Southern New England households. | Uralla | $20,000 | |||
| NORTHERN TERRITORY | ||||||
| Temora Shire Council | Temora Community Garden & Environmental Learning Space Enable the next generation in Temora to lead climate education, sustainable food production and cultural learning by establishing a sustainable community garden for education. | Temora | $19,777 | |||
| The Anglican Parish of Kempsey | Mapping and Maximising Kempsey's Circular Economy Potential Empower the Kempsey community by mapping & maximising their circular economy practices to educate and inspire local climate solutions. | Kempsey | $19,990 | |||
| Zero Emissions Byron Limited | Befriending Fire: Delivering Ecological and Cultural Solutions for Community, Country and Climate Build understanding of the impact that Good Fire practices can have on the landscape to improve restoration practices and climate adaptation through a series of workshops and Indigenous traineeships. | Byron Bay | $19,976 | |||
| QUEENSLAND | ||||||
| Cairns and Far North Environment Centre Inc | Climate Frontlines FNQ Build the grassroots capacity of remote communities at the frontline of climate change and renewable transition through multimedia and advocacy workshops that enable local representation and negotiation. | Barron River | $20,000 | |||
| Queensland Community Alliance Limited | Gladstone Community Benefits Co-Design Project Build local organisational capability to inclusively develop a roadmap for managing transition opportunities for a thriving community. | Gladstone | $20,000 | |||
| Soils for Life (The Trustee for the Soils for Life Trust) | Accelerating Momentum Towards Regenerative Grazing: A Regenerative Grazing Workshop Series Engage and educate small farming communities on regenerative farming climate adaptation to support peer to peer learning and livelihoods in regional and rural communities. | Eidsvold | $20,000 | |||
| TASMANIA | ||||||
| Live Well Tasmania | Empowering the Waratah-Wynyard Community to Address Climate Change Deliver climate solutions workshops for the Warahtah-Wynyard community covering circular economy, biodiversity and energy efficiency. | Wynyard | $19,522 | |||
| Lorinna Landcare | Lorinna Landscape Rehydration Workshop Build local skills and knowledge in land rehydration through training to address drought challenges through climate adaptation practices. | Lorinna | $20,000 | |||
| VICTORIA | ||||||
| GV Community Energy Pty Ltd | Low Cost Cooling for Low Income Homes Advance climate adaptation in hot houses by designing and piloting a low-cost awning social enterprise solution. | Euroa | $20,000 | |||
| Parklands Albury Wodonga Limited on behalf of The Bhutanese and Multicultural Community Farm Incorporated | Powering Food Security and Social Cohesion in Albury Wodonga Build capability for local CALD multicultural farm food system with solar power and battery infrastructure, thereby reducing emissions and increasing efficiency. | Wodonga | $20,000 | |||
| Sustainable Upper Ovens | Student-led Home Energy Audit Build leadership and capability in our next generation by educating students to become their own home’s energy auditor and share learnings across the community. | Bright | $20,000 | |||
| Wimmera Southern Mallee Development Limited | Regional Food Security Resilience Lab Establish a Regional Food Security Resilience Lab to consider climate risks and develop a framework for local action. | Horsham | $20,000 | |||
| WESTERN AUSTRALIA | ||||||
| Coorow Community Resource Centre Incorporated | Recycle and Renew - Working Together for a More Sustainable Community Enable circular economy practice by establishing a centralised hub for raw and recyclable materials, and delivering workshops tailored to the evolving interests and climate solution priorities identified by the community. | Coorow | $20,000 | |||
| Environs Kimberley Incorporated | Environs Kimberley's Climate and Conservation Frontlines Support collaborative spatial mapping of the Kimberley to support place-based climate action and conservation leadership. | Broome | $20,000 | |||
| Yued Aboriginal Corporation | Establishment of a Native Plant Nursery Establish a nursery for seed collection and native propagation by Yued Noongar Rangers for Country care and climate adaptation enterprise. | Moora | $19,186 | |||
| STREAM 2 ($20,001 - $75,000) | ||||||
| NORTHERN TERRITORY | ||||||
| Deadly Science Ltd | Deadly Weather Provide 30 schools across remote and regional Australia with weather monitoring kits, teaching resources and implementation support to build local capacity for climate awareness, adaptation, and action. | Kalkarindji | $75,000 | |||
| NEW SOUTH WALES | ||||||
| Energy Forever Incorporated | Power to The People Install solar on NFP organisation to establish a business model of local renewable upgrades for NFP’s that supports this sector to participate in the transition. | Wauchope | $44,500 | |||
| ShoreTrack Ltd | Growing Gumma: Restoring Country, Empowering Youth Build local capability in climate adaptation through place-based, curriculum aligned learning for young people to develop knowledge, skills and care for Country (Gumma). | Macksville | $60,000 | |||
| SOUTH AUSTRALIA | ||||||
| The Trustee For The Cool Australia Trust | Empowering Future Leaders: First Nations Voices in Clean Energy Education Co-design and deliver ten curriculum-aligned education resources that embed First Nations-led clean energy solutions into classrooms. These resources will embed real-world, community-driven and culturally appropriate renewable energy initiatives into school learning. | Port Augusta | $75,000 | |||