Tell us a little bit about the Ian Rollo Currie Estate Foundation. Who was Mr Currie and why his specific interest in supporting ageing Victorians?

That’s an interesting question because back in 2014, we had a system whereby we would either give grants of $50,000 to various organisations, or give what we call pledges, which were larger amounts to help with buildings of predominantly aged care facilities. We called for applications every year and in 2014 we got an application from FRRR. We looked at it and thought, well, FRRR is really just doing the same thing that we’re doing. Catriona Fay from Perpetual suggested we might want to consider this more closely because FRRR has got a lot of expertise.

When we investigated further, we thought, well, in terms of getting the maximum benefit from our donation, FRRR is well trusted in the regions and they’ve got their own grant processes and they spend a lot more time than we do going through it in a rigorous way.

So when we got the acquittal back from FRRR and we saw the range of the funded projects, we felt they were getting a lot of applications and covering a lot wider range then we were able to because we were really relying on applicant organisations to get involved with our grants program.

So that’s been the primary reason why we have backed FRRR and continued with our funding; because of the quality of the projects they fund and the fact that we can get a breadth of projects and geographical spread.

I should reflect and say that Mr Currie’s will says the Foundation should provide relief to aged persons in necessitous circumstances in Victoria. However because of his interest in Euroa, we have a particularly soft spot for supporting regional areas. We have given money to metropolitan areas and organisations, but we’ve always had an emphasis on regional Victoria.

What other sort of grants does the Foundation make each year to meet these charitable objectives?

We used to give grants of up to $50,000 to a whole lot of projects and pledges of $100,000 and above to aged care facilities, but we thought we were spreading ourselves too thinly and we weren’t getting the impact we needed. So we decided to give larger amounts of money to small organisations, and we also gave multi-year money to the Stroke Foundation and the Heart Foundation for research into heart and stroke issues specifically for older people.

About five years ago we tried to rationalise the program after I attended an event put on by Perpetual about strategic philanthropy with Paul Brest, former President of the Hewlett Foundation. His presentation made us really try to identify ‘what are the critical issues for the elderly and necessitous circumstances’ because that’s where we should direct our funding. So we did some research, and involved FRRR, and concluded that what were necessitous circumstances back in Mr Currie’s day would have been mainly financial. But as society’s got wealthier and we’ve grown older, there are other issues that have come to play; the obvious ones related to health and dementia. But we also we did some research and identified the one of the key issues is homelessness, specifically focused in regional areas for elderly people.

We have developed a joint venture with Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) and, through further research, identified the Murray Goulburn, Hume and Mitchell Shires as the best areas to commence our venture. We established a pilot project for elderly people experiencing homelessness just before COVID kicked in, which of course slowed things down. Then we had trouble recruiting people and there were the bad floods in that area, so it’s been a bit of a stop-start, but last year we finished the pilot and we have really started to get some good traction.

The vision is to roll it out all over Victoria, but like all these things, we’ve just got to do it gradually. This is a big area of emphasis for the Foundation now and it has sort of become our flagship program. We feel like we’re on the strategic philanthropy journey now with our partnership with HAAG and support for FRRR with its expertise in regional areas.

What do you say are the strengths of FRRR on that basis?

One of the things that came through in our research and FRRR reinforces this, is that you don’t just go into regions, hang up your shingle and say here we are, we’re here to help you, come in. You’ve got to embed yourself in the community to be successful. You’ve got to understand the issues and get the trust of the community and you’ve really got to get into the grassroots of communities.

FRRR is really embedded in rural communities, they understand their communities and are well-trusted. That’s one of the big learnings I’ve got from dealing with FRRR – their understanding of and their emphasis on getting into communities with a sort of a bottom-up type approach, rather than a top down.

Can you think of any particular grants through FRRR that are noteworthy in your mind or are particular favourites?

I don’t think it’s any one thing. What jumps out at me is just the variety and range of the projects that FRRR funds and the geographic spread. I was going through the acquittals the other day and there is the cycling program for older people in Portland, grants to St Arnaud Neighbourhood House, Anam Cara House Colac, Central Highlands Rural Health, Avenel Active. Projects like life stories, training palliative care volunteers, capital funds for specialised beds in nursing homes, digital literacy skills; such a wide range of grant projects and this reinforces our initial judgement about getting involved with FRRR and how our relationship has progressed.

How do you see the future of the partnership with FRRR?

The challenge is that we’ve got to be very specific under the terms that we have to follow, and therefore the Foundation’s support has to be for the elderly in Victoria. So we’ve got to be quite disciplined in where we give the money under the terms of the will.

My observation is that older people, particularly in regional areas, are not good at beating their own drum and coming up with projects that need funding. Older regional people, by their nature, are probably pretty independent and sort of don’t necessarily want to be seen as being the recipients of philanthropy.

The challenge for the Foundation is to maintain and to sort of ‘smoke out’ the opportunities for funding. That’s where FRRR comes in and can achieve this well.

We have similar issues around homelessness. People don’t like to admit they’re homeless, but there are a lot of people experiencing housing instability, and you’ve really got to work hard to identify where it is occurring and how to help.

Nineteen grassroots initiatives across remote, rural and regional Australia will share in $172,069 in grants through the FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Grants program.

This year, the program took ideas generated by young Australians at the ABC Takeover Shepparton Summit and offered rural community organisations the opportunity to apply for a grant that would bring one of the six ideas to life. This year’s ideas for change centred around the themes of LGBTQIA+ allyship; hands on learning for young people; promoting healthier communities; supporting people in need; cultural awareness; and homelessness.

These 19 grants will mean that community organisations will have the support and resources they need to help address some of the issues that matter most to young people.

Deb Samuels, FRRR’s People Portfolio Lead, said that this program is so important because it gives young people a say and prepares them for future leadership roles within their communities.

“This program not only gives young Australians a platform to champion the causes that matter to them but, more importantly, it puts their thoughts and ideas into action. Young people are the future and the initiatives being funded are a great example of how they can have a direct and positive impact on regional Australia.

“The young people who participate in this program – either in developing the ideas or helping them come to life in their community – often go on to do great things in their communities and beyond. For the last couple of years, due to COVID we’ve had to adapt the way the ideas are generated, yet young people have continued to step up and show their dedication to working towards a better future for regional Australia,” Ms Samuels said.

Deakin, one of the young people who attended this year’s 2022 Takeover Shepparton Summit, run by the ABC in partnership with VicHealth, said it is so exciting to see that communities are going to adapt and adopt the ideas they were part of developing.

“Participating in Takeover this year was an amazing experience. Having the opportunity to get together with likeminded young people who are passionate about improving the future of regional Australia was really empowering.

“The conversations we had were really productive and, now, seeing the ideas we came up with turn into real initiatives and projects is amazing. I’m proud to think that the ideas we came up will reach so many communities,” said Deakin.

The FRRR Program Advisory Committee, which recommends the applications to be supported to the FRRR Board, is also made up of ABC Heywire alumni. This ensures young people to have an input in each step of the program, giving them a say in which initiatives best align with the issues affecting young people. The Committee role means they also gain valuable insight into the world of philanthropy and see just what’s involved in assessing and validating the applications, under the guidance of FRRR Directors and staff.

The Board endorsed 19 projects, some of which are highlighted below:

• The Scouts of the 1st Burrill-Ulladulla Sea Scout Group in Ulladulla NSW, received $2,782 to develop the Humanity Helping Homelessness idea by reducing food insecurity with the installation and promotion of a community food pantry and vegetable gardens.
• Melaleuca Refugee Centre Torture & Trauma Survivor’s Service of the Northern Territory Inc in Darwin, NT, received $10,000 to develop the Fusion Festival idea and encourage cultural inclusivity, by running a multicultural festival featuring food, workshops and live performances that provides an opportunity for migrants and former refugees to share their culture with the community and explore business opportunities to utilise their culture and skill set.
• RoboCoast Sunshine Coast Robotics Association in Bamaga, QLD, received $10,000 to develop the Hands On Learning idea by providing youth throughout remote Australia with a hands-on opportunity to learn about Robotics.
• Roxby Downs Community Board in Roxby Downs, SA, received $6,393 to develop the Take Care idea by empowering youth with the skills to recognise and respond to a friend experiencing a mental health problem or a crisis situation through Mental Health First Aid training at Roxby Downs Area School.
• Launceston Hazara Community in Launceston, TAS, received $10,000 to develop the Supporting People In Need idea by supporting upskilling and social opportunities for youth in the Hazara community through a program of culturally safe and supportive social opportunities.
• Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Ltd in Shepparton, VIC, received $10,000 to develop the Hands On Learning idea by expanding the use of the current ‘Pit Stop’ program with a series of workshops for youth focusing on hands-on projects such as woodwork, car maintenance and push bike refurbishment.
• City of Albany in Albany, WA, received $4,664 to develop The Allies Project by highlighting the stories of what it means to be a LGBTQIA+ ally in the Albany community through the production of The Ally Podcast.

A full list of the projects funded can be found on FRRR’s website.

These grants are possible thanks to the generous support of the Sally Foundation, Findex Community Fund, David Mactaggart Foundation and The Collie Foundation, Greater Shepparton Foundation as well as several private donors.

Grants on offer to address issues that matter to young rural Australians

Grants of up to $10,000 are now open for local community groups that will help fund projects developed by youth and for youth. Adopting and adapting these projects will help create positive change by addressing priority issues such as career options, peer support, diversity and discrimination and mental health, which impact youth in rural communities.

Since 2013, the FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Grants program has supported remote, rural and regional youth to address issues that matter most to them. This year, thanks to the generosity of FRRR’s partners,  $130,000 is available nationally, and $30,000 is available specifically for grants in or around the Shepparton region.

This year’s grant program ideas have come from the ABC’s Takeover Shepparton event in May. It brought together 44 young leaders from in and around Shepparton to share stories and workshop ideas on how to make rural and regional Australia a better place for young people to live and work.

The ideas they developed include:

• The Allies Project: How might we celebrate the strength of regional LGBTQIA+ people and educate rural communities on the importance of being an ally?
• Hands on Learning: How might we support young people to learn in ways that work for them?
• Take Care: How might we promote healthier communities in regional Australia?
• SPIN – Supporting People In Need: How might we improve morale in regional communities?
• Triple H- Humanity Helping Homelessness: How might we reduce homelessness and support people who are experiencing it?
• Fusion Festival: How might we raise cultural awareness and stop racism in regional communities?

Natalie Egleton, FRRR’s CEO, said that young people always bring so much to the table, giving current issues a whole new perspective.

“I congratulate the ABC for running such a powerful event, where young people’s voices and ideas were able to shine and be celebrated. These incredible young people brought so much energy and heart to the table, and some fantastic ideas to address issues they face, which will no doubt be common to younger people all across the country.

“Thanks to our donor partners, we look forward to helping local community groups to adapt and adopt these ideas and bring them to life around the country. If you’re a local community group, I encourage you to reach out to your young locals and ask which of these ideas will help make a meaningful change for them. I look forward to reading the applications,” says FRRR CEO Natalie Egleton.

This is the 10th year of the partnership between FRRR and the ABC to run the Heywire Youth Innovation Grants.

“We’re proud to be working with FRRR to once again bring a set of incredible ideas to life, supporting regional communities to back their young people,” says Judith Whelan, ABC Director, Regional and Local. “We’re excited to see where these ideas go and to tell those stories through the ABC.”

To date, more than $1.2 million in community and philanthropic investment has helped to fund more than 150 projects in more than 130 communities. The program is possible thanks to the generous support of FRRR’s donor partners, including The Sally Foundation, Findex Community Fund, David Mactaggart Foundation, Greater Shepparton Foundation, The Collie Foundation and private donors.

Applications close Monday, 18 July 2022 and recipients will be announced in October. More information is available on FRRR’s website.