30 June 2020: Thanks to support from our donor partners, the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) has awarded two more grants to support communities in their recovery from the 2019/20 Summer bushfires.

The Orara Valley Progress Association and the Blue Mountains Community Resource Network (BMCRN) each received a $25,000 grant for projects that will help their communities to rebuild and recover from the bushfires.

The Orara Valley Progress Association will use the $25,000 grant, funded by R.M.Williams, to engage a Community Recovery Officer to lead the establishment of Community Hubs in Glenreagh and Nana Glen, on the NSW central coast. Both communities were devastated by the Liberation Trail fire in November last year, and then adversely affected by flooding in February.

For those who have lost their homes and/or sustained significant damage from fire and floods, the Community Recovery Officer will be a direct a point of contact and will assist community members to navigate support from various charitable organisations.

The Community Hubs will serve as a central place for community information, as well as offer a safe place in times of need. This paid role will greatly alleviate the workload of community volunteers, many of whom are at breaking point.

The Community Recovery Officer will also work alongside the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area’s (LGA) Community Recovery Officer to coordinate the delivery of workshops to better prepare the Orara Valley communities for future disasters, and address environmental and wildlife needs.

For BMCRN, the $25,000 grant, funded by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, will be used to support the costs of a casual Project Coordinator to deliver a series of disaster preparedness and resilience events ahead of the 2020/21 fire season.

BMCRN acts as a peak organisation for the community services sector across the Blue Mountains, providing leadership and strengthening ties across the incredibly varied and dynamic sector.

Like many fire-affected places, Blue Mountains communities are currently experiencing interwoven layers of community-level trauma, following three megafires in the area over the summer 2019/20. This comes on top of bushfires in recent years, including the 2013 bushfires. Consequently, people are on high alert about the potential impacts of future fire events.

This project will provide a visible, achievable goal for the community to both enhance recovery and preparedness, and enhance community connection, which is especially important in a recovery context exacerbated by COVID-19.

Natalie Egleton, CEO of FRRR says the Foundation strongly believes that supporting communities to take charge locally is key to their recovery.

“From our 15 years’ experience supporting communities affected by natural disasters, we’ve learnt that every community is different, and those that are locally based are best placed to know what the community needs.

“One of the strong messages we have heard time and again is that people don’t want outsiders coming in and telling them what, how or when they need to do things. These grants mean that these Orara Valley and Blue Mountains can each appoint a locally-based person who will become the key point of contact to support local recovery, now, and into the future.

“We also know that being prepared is critical as disasters become more frequent and severe,” says Ms Egleton. “Communities that are active and engaged, and understand the emergency management system, are better equipped at the time of a disaster. So too are those that have strong social capital. These two positions will play a key role in that respect too.”

Twelve projects funded for bushfire recovery

25 June 2020: The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) has awarded $138,815 in grants for 12 community-led projects in rural, regional and remote communities impacted by the Summer bushfires, through its Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program.

SRC is a grant program that aims to help rural communities across Australia by providing flexible funding for projects that support broad community needs. In total, this round of SRC saw 89 community projects across Australia share in $912,986 in grants.

While FRRR is not yet formally running the bushfire stream of SRC, the organisation made the call to fund a number of applications that were for bushfire recovery projects using donations received from a variety of donors over the summer. Through this funding, nine bushfire recovery projects in NSW shared in $97,910 in grants and three projects in Victoria shared in $40,905 in grants.

FRRR CEO, Natalie Egleton, says that despite ongoing uncertainty as a result of COVID-19, it’s vital to keep funds flowing into regional areas.

“Many rural and remote communities have been hit hard by droughts, floods and bushfires and are stretched to the limit when it comes to coping with the economic impacts and additional pressures caused by COVID-19. We recognise that some of the projects may need to be changed to respond to COVID-19, but we wanted to get funding out to communities so that they can adapt and adjust as needed, especially as recovery starts.

“This is particularly relevant for bushfire-affected communities who have experienced the ‘double whammy’ with COVID-19. For this reason, FRRR made the call to fund a number of applications that were for bushfire recovery projects using donations received from a variety of donors over the summer. While FRRR is not yet formally running the bushfire stream of SRC, 12 bushfire recovery grants totalling $138,815, have been awarded as part of this round,” said Ms Egleton.

These grants will go towards helping bushfire affected communities to reduce social isolation, improve community connectedness and boost the local economy through workshops and festivals to help rebuild the economy. Several grants also went toward supporting community resilience and disaster preparedness through resourcing and education, and improving community infrastructure.

Some of the 12 bushfire recovery projects awarded this round include:

• Bruthen and District Neighbourhood House, Bruthen and District Citizens Association Inc, Bruthen, NSW – Holistic Community Well-being and Resilience – $25,000 – Support volunteer capacity and bushfire recovery by increasing community engagement through the employment of a community worker.
• Lifeline Central West Incorporated, Dubbo, NSW – Rapid Community Support Program – $9,000 – Support individual and community resilience in Central West communities by providing funding for Lifeline crisis response workshops.
• Bobin School of Arts Incorporated, Bobin, VIC – The Bobin COMA – $24,983 – Strengthen the resilience of the Bobin community by providing an outdoor shaded area at the Bobin School of Arts Hall, which will also enhance its amenity as a bushfire-evacuation centre.

The SRC program is collaboratively supported by a number of generous donors including: Australia Post, Bertalli Family Foundation, John T Reid Charitable Trusts, Sidney Myer Fund, Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, The Yulgilbar Foundation, Westpac Group, The Sylvia & Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation, Baxter Charitable Foundation, The William Buckland Foundation  Portland House Foundation, The Ross Trust, R.M.Williams, Estate Late Gordon Harold Jones, FRRR and Private Donors.

The bushfire recovery grants are funded thanks to donations from Australian Community Media’s South Coast is Calling initiative, Nelson Alexander Charitable Foundation, Charter Hall, Fire Fight Australia Fund, Pepper Money, Vicinity Centres and Westpac Group.

The next round of SRC grants will open in late July and will include a dedicated stream of funding for communities in bushfire-affected local government areas.

Organisation	Project	Location	Awarded
New South Wales
Bermagui Seasiders Inc.	Seaside Sounds Support community recovery and boost local economy through the establishment of a contemporary music festival in Bermagui.	Bermagui	$10,000
Evans Head Business & Community Chamber	‘Hooked on Evans’ Community Festival Stimulate the local economy in Evans Head and support community recovery through supporting the delivery of the ‘Hooked on Evans’ festival.	Evans Head	$10,000
Lifeline Central West Incorporated	Rapid Community Support Program Support individual and community resilience in Central West communities impacted by bushfires by providing funding for Lifeline crisis response workshops.	Dubbo	$9,000
Mackville Community Health Mid North Coast Local Health District	Sisters Retreat Reduce social isolation and improve mental health for cancer survivors in the Nambucca Valley who have also been impacted by bushfires, by supporting a wellness retreat.	Grassy Head	$10,000
Milton Ulladulla Men’s Shed Incorporated	Maintain and Mitigate: Essential Ground Maintenance to Reduce Bush Fire Risk Reduce fire risk at the Milton Ulladulla Men’s Shed through the purchase of landscape maintenance equipment.	Ulladulla	$850
Nymboida Canoeing Limited	Goolang Creek Regeneration – Nymboida. Tennis Court Rapids to K&L Wave Support nature and community bushfire recovery through revegetation and installation of picnic tables at Goolang Creek.	Nymboida	$10,000
Nymboida Community Groups Inc.	Firesticks Cultural Burn Program – Nymboida Community Workshop Support community recovery and preparedness in Nymboida through the delivery of a Cultural Burning workshop.	Nymboida	$8,077
Bobin School of Arts Incorporated	Community Outdoor Meeting Place (The Bobin COMA) Strengthen the resilience of the Bobin community and support community recovery by providing an outdoor shaded area at the Bobin School of Arts Hall.	Bobin	$24,983
StoryFest Incorporated	StoryFest – Fire Relief Funding Build economic activity during tourism off-season supporting bushfire recovery and cultural engagement through ‘Storyteller’ Festival.	Milton	$15,000
Victoria
Gippsland East Local Learning & Employment Network	Innovation and Sustainable Redevelopment of Bushfire Impacted Communities Increase community resilience and support recovery from bushfires through the development of online resources.	Bairnsdale	$9,997
Great Alpine Gallery Inc.	Video Stories for Art and Recovery Support community recovery from drought and recent bushfires and build resilience through the delivery of a story telling program.	Swifts Creek	$5,908
Bruthen and District Neighbourhood House Bruthen and District Citizens Association Inc.	Holistic Community Well-being and Resilience Support volunteer capacity and bushfire recovery by increasing community engagement through the employment of a community worker.	Bruthen	$25,000

Nearly $370,000 in grants for bushfire-affected communities

Bendigo, 18 June 2020: The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), in partnership with News Corp Australia, has awarded $368,386 to support 21 projects across the country that will help in the recovery of rural, regional and remote communities impacted by the summer bushfires.

Funded through the News Corp Bushfire Recovery Program, these grants, which are up to $25,000 each, will help address a diverse range of needs including improving social connectedness, enhancing community spirit and increasing community preparedness.

Natalie Egleton, CEO of FRRR, says for many of these communities, social and economic recovery is really only just starting to get underway, especially given the limitations imposed by COVID-19.

“From our experience supporting disaster-affected communities, we know that for those affected by this summer’s bushfires, their recovery will be a long and ongoing process. Communities need access to funding now, and into the medium to long-term. Our partnership with News Corp is a great opportunity to get funds on the ground,” said Ms Egleton.

“Their support means these grants will enable local community groups to lead local recovery efforts in a way that best meets the priorities of that community, because it’s different for each impacted community.

“For some communities, the priority is rebuilding facilities lost in the fire, such as the Eurobodalla Wood Makers Guild building in Batemans Bay. For others it’s reviving the community’s arts and culture, like celebrating the local music scene in Mallacoota, and for others it’s about supporting mental health and wellbeing, through gardening projects that will also restore the local bee population in the Bega Valley.”

Penny Fowler, Chairman of the Herald & Weekly Times and News Corp Australia’s Community Ambassador says there was a wide range of applications, but a particularly strong demand for infrastructure and equipment to rebuild impacted regions.

“Communities in regional and rural Australia have been hit by so much devastation this year. We are delighted to provide some hope and bring the spirit back into communities with these bushfire grants.

“We hope our grants for community-led projects will help people recover and rebuild.  We look forward to partnering with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal to support and help bushfire affected areas become stronger communities.”

Some of the 21 projects awarded include:

• Capricorn Film Festival Inc, QLD – Mentoring Our Region – $25,000 – Support lifelong learning and enable communities to tell their stories through a creative mentoring project that will create and screen locally made films.

• Eden Whalers Australian Football Club Inc, NSW – Evacuation Centre Emergency Upgrades – $10,000 – Build community resilience and preparedness with evacuation centre equipment for the new pavilion.

• Friends of the One and All Sailing Ship Incorporated, SA – Sail for Recovery – $22,500 – Support individual and community wellbeing to enable the learning of coping strategies and self-management in recovery.

• Orbost Snowy Rovers Football Club Incorporated, VIC – Purchase of Defibrillator – $2,850 – Support community wellbeing and preparedness with access to life saving equipment.

A second round of the News Corp Bushfire Recovery Program will open 1 July. In total, there is a further $630,000 available. Applications are invited from community groups ins Local Government Areas with a bushfire disaster declaration from September 2019 to January / February 2020.

The full list of grant recipients and their projects are below.

Organisation	Project & Summary	Location	Grant
Eurobodalla Woodcraft Guild Incorporated	Rebuilding the Eurobodalla Woodies Strengthen and support community volunteering by rebuilding the fire-destroyed workshop.	Batemans Bay, NSW	$25,000
Bermagui Surf Life Saving Club Inc	Lifesaving Equipment for Bermagui SLSC Build the capacity and strengthen a local volunteer community group to increase safety, and support of emergency services.	Bermagui, NSW	$19,900
Buxton Public School P&C Association	Through Play Comes Recovery Support community resilience and individual and community wellbeing through access to play equipment.	Buxton, NSW	$25,000
Bumbalong Valley Progress Association	Bumbalong Valley Community Facility Strengthen the local community in their recovery by rebuilding a facility for all to access.	Cooma, NSW	$21,040
Eden Service and Social Club Inc	Purchasing a Generator Build organisational capacity in the volunteer community group to raise funds and support events.	Eden, NSW	$2,349
Eden Whalers Australian Football Club Inc	Evacuation Centre Emergency Upgrades Build community resilience and preparedness with evacuation centre equipment for the new pavilion.	Eden, NSW	$10,000
Arts Mid North Coast	Arts for Recovery Develop and deliver a creative recovery arts projects in fire-impacted areas and report on how art and creative recovery can best be incorporated into emergency planning and responses.	Moorland, NSW	$15,500
Manning River Agricultural and Horticultural Society	Providing Additional Power and Water Outlets Support community resilience and preparedness by enhancing the facility for community and evacuation activities.	Taree, NSW	$19,960
Wellways Australia Limited	RECOVERY – Our Community, Our People, Our Bees Promote inclusion, engagement and recovery through sustainable eco-programs for whole-of-community development and benefit.	Bega, NSW	$25,000
Capricorn Film Festival Inc	Mentoring Our Region Support lifelong learning and enable communities to tell their stories through a creative mentoring project that will create and screen locally made films.	Gladstone, QLD	$25,000
Friends of the One and All Sailing Ship Incorporated	Sail for Recovery Support individual and community wellbeing through teaching coping strategies and self-management in recovery.	Kangaroo Island, SA	$22,500
Riviera Care	The Armoury Build the capacity of the community centre with a facility upgrade enabling programs for local skill development and an environment that promotes positive mental health, friendship and personal growth.	Bairnsdale, VIC	$18,923
Corryong Neighbourhood House Inc	Out & About Enabling a local community youth program’s activities through purchasing an equipment trailer that will also be available for locals to utilise.	Corryong, VIC	$13,450
Genoa Public Hall	Repairing Fire-Damaged Fences and Entry at Genoa Public Hall Building capacity in the community by making critical repairs to important local infrastructure used for meetings and emergency evacuation.	Genoa, VIC	$19,492
Lakes Entrance Action & Development Association Inc	Lakes Entrance – Entrance Walk Build community resilience by upgrading the footbridge at the Entrance Walk and undertaking environmental rehabilitation, which will support locals and tourism.	Lakes Entrance, VIC	$24,100
Lindenow Sports Ground Management Committee Incorporated	Cool Room Installation Build organisational capacity through upgrading the facility with a new cool room to improve operations and reduce costs.	Lindenow, VIC	$22,363
Mallacoota Community Health Infrastructure and Resilience Fund Incorporated	Out of the Ashes – Mallacoota’s Musical Revival Contribute to a culturally vibrant community by supporting a community-led healing project for recovery.	Mallacoota, VIC	$24,938
Mallacoota Hall and Recreation Committee	Marquees for Outdoor Events Enable social connection and support community participation in outdoor activity through increased equipment for events.	Mallacoota, VIC	$7,020
Kiewa Valley Community Radio Inc	Employment of a Marketing & Sponsorship Manager Build capacity of Alpine Radio (community radio) to support business development and local services continuity by enhancing the marketing capability of the station.	Mount Beauty, VIC	$6,000
Community Broadcasting Foundation	Specialist Journalist Training for Reporting Trauma Events Promote individual and community wellbeing through developing expertise and resilience for broadcasters.	Bairnsdale, VIC Mallacoota, VIC Moruya, NSW and Braidwood, NSW	$18,000
Orbost Snowy Rovers Football Club Incorporated	Purchase of Defibrillator Support community wellbeing and preparedness by improving access to life saving equipment.	Orbost, VIC	$2,850

Bendigo, 14 May 2020: The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement of $650M from the Bushfire Recovery Fund to be directed to ten bushfire-affected regions.

CEO Natalie Egleton says FRRR endorses the overt focus on locally-led initiatives.

“From our 18 years’ experience in supporting disaster-affected communities, including those that have been impacted by bushfires, we know how important it is for local communities to lead their own recovery, on their terms, and focus on the things that will make the most difference for their context,” said Ms Egleton.

“Every community is different, so access to flexible funding that can help address locally-identified priorities along the recovery journey – now, and into the medium to long-term – is crucial. So we welcome the Government’s additional support.”

Ms Egleton adds that it is critical that support extends beyond immediate financial assistance.

“Strengthening social connectedness and wellbeing and stimulating economic recovery, especially in areas reliant on tourism and agriculture, will be fundamental to the recovery, and importantly the long-term strength of these communities.

“It’s vital that these communities are provided with the skills and resources that will help them to build capacity and resilience, and encourage sustainable opportunities in key areas like employment. This support should ensure that no one is left behind in the recovery and we look forward to working collaboratively with local communities, State and Territory Governments and the National Bushfire Recovery Agency to support and bolster local efforts,” said Ms Egleton.

FRRR supports rural, regional, and remote communities to be vibrant, sustainable, and adaptive. When disasters strike FRRR works patiently alongside communities in their recovery as needs emerge over time. FRRR typically focuses on providing medium to long-term recovery support, to ensure that funds are available long after the headlines have moved on.

Following the summer bushfires FRRR has granted more than $750,000 to bushfire-affected communities, thanks to the support of organisations such as The Pratt Foundation and R.M Williams. Grants will soon be announced to support children and young people through a special round of FRRR’s Back to School program, and further applications are currently being assessed through the News Corp Bushfire Fund Grants program.

Any community organisations in rural, regional or remote communities that were fire-affected are encouraged to subscribe to FRRR’s newsletter, so they know when further bushfire recovery funding becomes available.

Bendigo, 5 May 2020: The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), in partnership with the Pratt Foundation, has granted a further $79,600 to support four projects that will help Tumut region communities recover from the recent bushfires. This is in addition to the $649,150 in grants that have already been awarded through the Fund.

The Visy Tumut Region Recovery Fund grants help to address a diverse range of needs, including improving social connectedness, access to services and outreach support for mental health and wellbeing.

Visy Executive Chairman, Anthony Pratt says, “The Visy Tumut Region Recovery Fund is very pleased to be able to provide immediate assistance for a wide range of projects and it’s wonderful to see these grants already being put into action and making a real difference in the region’s bushfire recovery.”

FRRR’s CEO, Natalie Egleton, says that an important part of disaster recovery is strengthening social connectedness and ensuring outreach support continues for those affected by the bushfires, despite the current pandemic management plans.

“While COVID-19 is slowly getting under control, we know that it will be quite a while before things get back to normal. But it’s still important for people to have things to look forward to, and to find ways to connect – whether that’s virtually or in person. That’s why we have supported Khancoban’s You Khan Uke Festival. It is hoped that this will become an annual Ukelele festival, stimulating economic recovery now and into the future.

“It’s critical to have access to flexible funding to support different priorities for different parts of the community – now, and into the medium to long-term. So, it’s been fantastic to see projects being adapted to meet community needs, like Tumbarumba Community Church’s bushfire recovery outreach project. By receiving this funding, the Church can continue to support the mental health and wellbeing of communities in the Snowy Valleys Council region by practicing social distancing when checking-in with local farmers.”

Funding that is being provided to Khancoban Primary School and Puggles Early Learning Service will contribute to both of these organisations purchasing vehicles that will increase their ability to provide access to educational activities for young children in fire-affected communities.

The list of Visy Tumut Region Recovery Fund recipients from this round is below:

• Khancoban United Volunteer Association Incorporated – $9,500 – Strengthening social connectedness and supporting economic recovery through Khancoban’s first Ukulele festival, You Khan Uke Festival.
• Tumbarumba Community Church – $5,100 – Ensuring continuity of outreach services to support community mental health and wellbeing services in the wake of fires and during COVID-19.
• NSW Government Schools – Khancoban Primary School – $15,000 – Supporting student participation and social connectedness by buying a second-hand bus for student activities and excursions, and in case of fire evacuation.
• Snowy Valleys Council – Puggles Early Learning Service – $50,000 – Expanding coverage of the Tumut region and increasing access to support for early years education by buying an additional van from which services are delivered.

Applications for the next round of funding are now open. Applications will close on 30 June and are expected to be announced late July.

Bendigo, 3 April, 2020: The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), in partnership with the Pratt Foundation, has granted $649,150 to support 19 projects that will help Tumut region communities to recover from the recent bushfires.

The funding is through the Visy Tumut Region Recovery Fund. The grants will help address a diverse range of needs, including improving social connectedness, enhancing community spirit and providing mental health support through workshops, activities and infrastructure.

FRRR’s CEO Natalie Egleton says that from FRRR’s 18 years’ experience in supporting disaster-affected communities, they know that every community is different, so access to flexible funding that can help address different priorities is crucial – now, and into the medium to long-term.

“While COVID-19 has made things much more complex, we know that bushfire affected communities still need support on their recovery journey. It’s wonderful to be able to partner with the Pratt Foundation to get this funding on the ground to assist local community groups to lead local recovery efforts in a way that meets the needs of that community.

“An important part of disaster recovery is strengthening social connectedness and stimulating economic recovery, especially in areas reliant on tourism and agriculture. The current restrictions on gatherings will make this more difficult, however, grants have still been provided for events like the Snowy Valleys Council’s Rock the Turf music festival and the Tumut Art Society Inc’s RegenerART project. We understand that there may be changes to projects in response to Covid-19, but keeping funding flowing into the community to support recovery is critical. These projects offer the community opportunities that will have many and long-lasting benefits.”

Visy Executive Chairman, Anthony Pratt said, “The Tumut region was heavily impacted by the tragic bushfires earlier this year and because Visy is part of the local community, we were keen to be actively involved in the recovery effort. I’m so thankful the applications to Round 1 of the Visy Tumut Region Recovery Fund have resulted in immediate assistance for a wide range of projects all of which will benefit the community.”

Other strong themes in the grants awarded were addressing mental health, supporting the rebuild of community infrastructure and replacing equipment and facilities that were lost, and helping fund resources to coordinate recovery activities. Some examples of these grants include:

• Regional Development Australia – Riverina’s Landholder Welfare & Resilience Workshops – directly helping landholders affected by bushfire through a series of accessible and practical workshops that will build resilience and wellbeing across multiple communities; and
• Montreal Community Theatre Inc – improving the reliability of local radio communications, particularly during times of emergency through purchase of battery, transmission and broadcasting equipment.

More grants are expected to be announced at the end of April.

Organisation	Project	Location	Grant
Adelong Junior Sports Foundation Incorporated	Installation of outdoor community fitness equipment  Increase the mental health and wellbeing of residents in Adelong through the installation of exercise equipment in public spaces.	Adelong	$45,000
Adelong Pre School Inc	Wellness Program for Preschool Children  Improve mental health of pre-school children and their families in Adelong through yoga and music therapy sessions for the children.	Adelong	$5,000
Adelong Progress Association	Back to Adelong  Improve vibrancy, visitation and build community connectedness through a weekend festival in Adelong incorporating markets, tours, exhibitions and dinner dance.	Adelong	$70,000
Adelong Showground Management Committee	Upgrading Dining/Kitchen Area at the Adelong Showground Improve community infrastruture and meeting spaces at the Adelong Showground by upgrading the kitchen/dining facilities.	Adelong	$45,000
Festival of the Falling Leaf	Snow Valleys Festival Pack Increase community capacity to deliver locally led festivals and events through the purchase of equipment including chairs, tables, marquees and generator.	Tumut, Tumbarumba, Batlow, Adelong	$45,000
Gilmore Progress Association Incorporated	Gilmore Hall Renovation and Upgrade  Improve community meeting facility at the Gilmore Hall through upgrades to the kitchen area.	Gilmore	$49,900
Ideas Information on Disability Education Awareness Services Incorporated	Hang out, without hanging on! – EZYDUN in the Snowy Valleys  Improve accessible public amenities at local festivals and events through provision of a portable all-abilities bathroom facility.	Tumut, Batlow, Tumbarumba, Talbingo	$60,000
Local Leading Ladies Incorporated	Capacity Building for Snowy Valleys  Build capacity of individuals and businesses to operate remotely through in person workshops and online training opportunities which will support local economic recovery and reduce financial hardship caused by the fires.	Tumut, Batlow, Tumbarumba, Talbingo, Adelong	$50,000
Montreal Community Theatre Inc	Emergency Broadcast, Backup Power and Local Community Radio Communications Sustainability Project  Improve reliability of local radio communications, particularly during times of emergency, in the Snowy Valley region through purchase of battery, transmission and broadcasting equipment.	Tumut, Batlow, Tumbarumba, Talbingo, Adelong, Rosewood, Tooma	$100,000
Regional Development Australia – Riverina	Landholder Welfare & Resilience Workshops  Build resilience and wellbeing of landholders affected by bushfire through a series of accessible and practical workshops across multiple communties in Snowy Valleys Council region.	Batlow, Tumbarumba, Talbingo, Adelong, Oberne, Yaven Creek, Westbrook, Gilmore Valley	$20,000
Snowy Valleys Council Rock the Turf	Rock The Turf  Increase community spirit, social connectedness and wellbeing in the Snowy Valleys region through the delivery of Rock the Turf public music event.	Tumut	$25,000
Talbingo MTB Club Inc	Talbingo Township Mountain Bike Trailhead, Skills Park and Foreshore Trail  Increase tourism and available community activities through the development of a mountain bike trailhead at Talbingo.	Talbingo	$40,800
Tumbarumba Artists on Parade Co-Operative Limited	Connecting the Community through hands on workshops  Increase resilience, wellbeing and social connectedness of the Tumbarumba community through a variety of interactive hands on workshops.	Tumbarumba	$7,000
Tumbarumba Rotary Club Write Your Life Group	The 2020 Tumbarumba and Region Fires  Contribute to community resilience, connectedness and preservation of local history through creation of a book documenting the bushfire experience of the Tumbarumba community.	Tumbarumba and surrounds	$7,500
Tumut Art Society Inc	RegenerART: Re-creating a positive future  Foster community resilience and connectedness across four fire affected communities through series of free art workshops	Batlow, Tumbarumba, Talbingo, Adelong	$23,950
Tumut Pony Club Inc	Mini Camp for Zone 20 Pony Club Enhance community wellbeing and connectedness through support of local pony club weekend event.	Tumut	$5,000
Tumut Region Producers and Makers Co-operative Limited	Local at Learmont’s Support economic recovery of local food producers following bushfire event in Snowy Valleys through rental assistance at growers market.	Tumut	$20,000
Tumut Swimming Club Inc	BBQ and Shelter at the Tumut War Memorial Swimming Pool Improve social wellbeing and opportunity for engagement in Tumut region through BBQ facilities and infrastructure at local pool.	Tumut	$25,000
Zone 20 PCA of NSW Incorporation	Zone 20 Camp 2021  Build community resilience and engagement through support for annual pony club camp weekend.	Tumbarumba	$5,000

News Corp Australia has partnered with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal to launch a $1M fund to provide grants to support the recovery of the people and communities impacted by the Summer bushfires. The News Corp Bushfire Fund will offer grants of up to $25,000 aid the immediate, medium and long-term recovery of these affected communities.

Read News Corp’s full announcement here.

Bendigo, 6 March 2020: The breadth and impact of the bushfires experienced across Australia over spring and summer mean that many children living in rural, regional and remote communities will not have what they need to start second term.

Since 2005, the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal’s (FRRR) Back to School program has helped more than 165,000 disadvantaged students by giving them a $50 gift voucher that can be redeemed for school necessities, such as uniforms, shoes, school bags and stationery.

Thanks to the generosity of our donor partners, in the wake of the bushfire crisis, many more students will get the helping hand they need.

FRRR will run a special round of its Back to School program to provide $50 vouchers to children and families in need in rural communities within local government areas with a bushfire disaster declaration, from September 2019 to January / February 2020. The vouchers can be redeemed at Target stores or select local stationery and uniform retailers in local communities.

FRRR CEO, Natalie Egleton says that the organisation ensures the vouchers get to those who need it.

“FRRR partners with Community Foundations and local community organisations, who can discretely ensure support reaches people, without them having to apply for it.

“We expect to distribute up to 15,500 vouchers to fire-affected families. To work swiftly, FRRR will seek to work with Foundations and organisations with whom we’ve partnered previously, as well as seek applications from other backbone organisations in communities where we’ve previously not distributed vouchers,” explains Ms Egleton.

Community Foundations and local community organisations can apply for vouchers via the FRRR website. Vouchers will be distributed in May 2020.

“Fifty dollars may not seem like much, but we know that this does make a difference, helping to offset the cost of school books, stationery, shoes, winter clothes and even equipment that enables students to participate fully in extracurricular activities, such as steel-capped boots for work experience or sleeping bags, so they join in school camps,” says Ms Egleton.

FRRR waives its administration fee on the Back to School program.

The Back to School Bushfire Response program is just one of the ways that FRRR is assisting fire-affected communities to get back on their feet. Working to support needs in the medium to long-term, that is 12-18 months following the bushfires, grants from FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Fund will be available to support community leaders to implement what they need in their community. That could be support for fatigued volunteer leaders, repairing vital community infrastructure or ensuring psychological support is available when it is most needed, for example. Grants could also be used to prepare for future disasters. Additionally, FRRR will be offering a special grant stream through its flexible Strengthening Rural Communities program for communities that identify more immediate needs and for donors wishing for their funds to be used in full in the medium-term recovery period.

A thank you message from our CEO, Natalie Egleton, for the generosity shown to fire-affected communities.

Bendigo, 7 February, 2020: The Pratt Foundation has partnered with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) to offer grants to support the Tumut region to recover from the effects of last month’s fires.

There is $1 million available through the Visy Tumut Region Recovery Fund for local not-for-profit organisations and community groups that are delivering locally-led projects and activities to support the recovery of all of the communities in the Snowy Valleys Council region.

FRRR’s CEO Natalie Egleton says that from the Foundation’s past experience of supporting disaster-affected communities, the organisation knows that access to flexible funding that can help address different priorities is crucial – now, and into the medium to long-term.

“The recent fires caused significant damage across the Snowy Valleys Council region, but the impact is different in each community. That means that what is needed differs place to place.

“So, we’ve deliberately designed the Visy Tumut Region Recovery Fund to ensure that it can support a wide variety of community needs.

“In some areas, the priority might be providing mental health support; for others it could be supporting environmental recovery and rehabilitating habitat, or simply providing opportunities for people to come together and share their experiences. That could be done, for example, through arts programs, theatre performances, gardening, community dinners, or informal mentoring and peer support groups.

“Some communities may need support to rebuild community infrastructure and replace equipment and facilities that were lost, while others might need support to help coordinate recovery activities.

“This program has the flexibility to support any of these activities – and more – so we encourage local leaders to put in an application for whatever is needed in their community to help start the recovery process.”

Applications for the first round of funding close 28 February, and FRRR anticipates the first grants will be announced at the end of March.

Applications will remain open with the second round closing date to be confirmed.