Liz: I mean, there were a couple of things happening at the time in PRF. One was that Glyn had brought in Genevieve Timmons to do some work with PRF around partnerships with peers in philanthropy. And the other thing that was happening around that time was, I understand there was obviously a lot happening around the country in terms of drought. And then, of course, no one will forget 2019/20 in terms of bushfires, then COVID, then floods. So yeah. So my understanding of the beginning is that it was, it was around, I guess, both of those things, working with peers, and also ability of FRRR to be able to channel resources to those communities that are obviously often very much at the front line of these disasters.

Natalie: So, yeah, certainly the drought started to really bite in New South Wales and other parts of Australia. And had, you know, been pretty isolated to Queensland before that, and then, you know, we really got into those very dry times. And FRRR had a program that was sort of running and received a relatively major grant from the federal government and a lot of other philanthropy, started to think about what they could be doing to support those regions as well, and particularly foundations who had had a connection to rural Australia in some way. And our understanding is that Paul Ramsey, had had had a pretty strong connection in the Southern Highlands region, and there was a sort of care for the country from that perspective as well.

In thinking about collaborations that you’ve been involved in, or the PRF is or has been involved in, where would you where would you say that the complementary strengths are? And you know what’s make, what makes the collaboration with PRF and FRRR for all acronyms together to work so well.

Liz: Look, I think there’s obviously big complementary strengths around our purpose, which is always a good a good starting point, and we want to see people and places thrive around Australia, and we’re really mindful of those places that experience the greatest impacts of, you know, all forms of disadvantage, obviously, in terms of rural and regional Australia, that’s often where the the impact of these disasters is most intensely felt. I think we would come from a similar kind of mindset in how we see those places, not places to be saved by outsiders, but places to hopefully from our perspective, try, what can we bring, in terms of resources, in terms of influence, what are the things that we can bring that will enable those places to, or help enable those places to, you know, use the strengths that they they clearly have, and demonstrate, I think we saw FRRR, and would see FRRR as having that deep understanding, you know, that understanding of rural and regional and remote communities and strong connection to those places being located in a regional area. Yeah. So just that deep knowledge, like a lot of a lot of our funding, until more recent times, has been a lot on the Eastern Seaboard, for example. So you know, often we we need to partner with people who know other places better than, better than we do. I think, I think the other thing is that we would both, I would say, share a view that we want to be listening to people in communities about what it is that matters to them, what they want to do about it and how can we back them.

Natalie: I’d be interested in your reflections on, you know, how our respective goals and objectives have evolved with the partnership, and how you know what your observations of that have been, yeah. Got any thoughts?

Liz: So I suppose, in terms of PRF’s strategy and again, this is not that dissimilar, in some ways, a future where people and places have what they need to thrive. But I guess a big thing that has shifted when we talked about the beginning of the relationship is PRF was doing a lot more of that kind of disaster relief funding at the time when this relationship started. Now, we would hold a view that if we’re going to work with alongside people and places, to shift the kind of conditions that lead to disadvantage, we want to have a more long-term approach. We want to have we want to work with people and places in terms of, how can we help build their resilience for a long term, And I think the the power of a small grant to catalyse things that we we might not be able to even anticipate, is really interesting, yeah, really working with communities to re-imagine different future scenarios and fund things that are about developing new capabilities and new insights is, yeah, it’s full of potential learning and potential innovation.Liz:

And I think even just that recognition that so often, as you know, well, after a disaster, that’s when all the money flows is well, like people give in response to disasters,  but they don’t often give to think about a long-term, yeah, capability building or capacity building?

Natalie: Yeah, that’s right, and I think the data would still say that most disaster giving is still in that response phase. There’s increasing advocacy and evidence, you know, to shift that balance towards more preparedness and resilience.

PRF has a lot of impactful partnerships and probably a growing portfolio by the year as PRF embeds its strategy. What did you look for in the not-for-profits that you partner with and what does success look like?

Liz: The obvious one, that’s one that we started talking about in this relationship, is, is shared purpose. So focused on purpose. We also, though, definitely look for not-for-profits, and any partners, partners like FRRR that know how to and are good at collaborating, and ideally, people who can collaborate across sectors as well. So that’s increasingly a focus for PRF is, yeah, how do we work with government at all levels? How do we work with peers? How do we work with partners, with communities? One of our excellent board members says all the time, you know, so what difference will this make for a real person somewhere? So I think, I think especially when you’re in the space of trying to think about system shifting and conditions and everything, it’s still trying to always draw that link between you, trying to make this you know, you want to focus on and try to influence macro conditions, and you want to make sure that the stuff that you’re doing and talking about and involved in is actually making a difference for a real person somewhere. As someone who’s come from the community sector and has often applied, you know, sought funding for things the number of times in the days when I was doing that, where I felt like you’ve got to come up with something that’s innovative, sustainable, creative, you can do it in six months, you can’t pay any staff, you can’t pay any overheads, DELIVER! You know, it’s like, if we’re not using that money in a way that it might change the way say government funding flows into communities, then it’s still a drop in the ocean relative to the the level of funding that governments pour into communities, the way it flows, as we often know, is not necessarily the most effective way. Is not the way that the community has a has a has a solid enough say over how resources might flow differently within that community. I would rather that we’re starting a conversation with people who have an ability to change some policy levers or funding levers at the beginning of that, you know, ideally not six months long, but you know, ideally at the beginning of that sort of initiative or set of initiatives, so that there’s a chance that they might be prepared to go on the journey of like, what can we learn about this, and how could we potentially back this in somewhere else? So I think understanding what what role we can play as philanthropy, which is sometimes we can back in things that government can’t, as you know, easily back in but maybe they can five or 10 years down the track, if we’ve been able to, if we’ve been able to prove something up, but not, not on a fantasy of like one day, government will just adopt this.

Natalie: FRRR is 25 this year, so we’re thinking about what the future for rural, regional, remote Australia should look like, what the future aspirations might be in, say, 2050, you know, what would, what would good look like? What would better look like? What would a thriving regional Australia look like, and what’s it going to take to get us there? So I’d be really curious to hear about from PRF’s perspective. You know, what would a thriving rural, regional, remote Australia look like in 2050?

Liz: Places and communities are connected and leading and imagining their futures. You’ve gotta connect with people in order to be able to lead and imagine different futures. And you’ve gotta be able to connect across the differences that we were talking about, the different paradigms, the different perspectives, the different backgrounds, all of that stuff I think you do need. Yeah, so I would, I would love to see more communities thriving, because they’ve been able to, in a way, maybe rediscover some of that connection and some of that imagination about the future. And I think it’s we really need at the moment, because I think there’s a lot that is that people are understanding, understandably feeling pretty overwhelmed by terms of the direction of what’s happening in the climate, what’s happening in global politics, all of those things, but, but I think there are stories where there’s and hopefully through something like the Climate Solutions grants, you know, there will be amazing stories of things that people are doing, great ideas, great creativity, great collaboration, great possibility, getting shared, getting learnt from, and yeah, that we, that the broader Australian society can see this is what’s possible.

Natalie: For many communities, just being seen and heard is really important, because they can feel like they’re not seen and heard and they don’t matter a lot of the time. And in regional Australia, there’s a lot of lot of stuff contributing to the broader country and nation that can can be a bit invisible, unless it’s a crisis. And then, yeah, that’s so yeah, I completely agree with what you described and I think the word hope is really important, yeah, really important. Yeah. Well, I would just close by saying it’s really brilliant to work with PRF and the team, and it is a partnership that’s evolved over time, and it’s been, it will continue to evolve, which good partnerships should. But yeah, the comments you made about, you know, the sort of some of the shared perspective and starting place about what we think the world needs is really important. And, yeah,I think we can continue to contribute with our respective strengths, and, you know, bring collaboration to communities, and you know, hopefully to continue to demonstrate what good collaboration can look like.

Many local women in the Upper Yarra region experience socio-economic vulnerability and geographic isolation, making it harder to connect with resources and support. Cire Services sought to address this need at a community level, while also combatting a second major concern in the region: sustainability.

With a $20,000 grant from FRRR’s Community Led Climate Solutions program, Cire ran weekly upcycling and eco-fashion workshops in 2024. They were designed to help participants adopt sustainable practices and reduce landfill waste, all while building stronger social connections. The workshops built sewing skills that reimagined and repurposed donated clothing that isn’t fit for sale, but more than that, they offered a safe, inclusive space where women could connect, build confidence and learn new skills.

The project was grounded in Circular Economy principles and a joint effort between Cire’s Yarra Junction Community Hub and First Impressions Clothing Exchange (FICE) program, a collaborative, community-led approach to local issues.

Australia discards between 200,000 and 500,000 tonnes of textiles annually, much of which ends up in landfills, releasing harmful greenhouse gases. FICE alone received 3.5 tonnes of clothing donations last year, with approximately one tonne deemed unfit for resale and redirected to upcycling workshops or other charitable outlets. The project aimed to tackle this issue head-on, repurposing textiles and fostering a culture of sustainability and raising awareness about the environmental impact of waste.

The program also had tangible benefits that had a lasting impact in community. Participants gained:

• New Skills – learning upcycling and sewing techniques that could foster pathways to employment or small business opportunities.
• Improved Wellbeing – many participants report increased confidence, self-esteem, and overall mental health, with the safe, supportive environment helping to alleviate the risks of depression.
• Social Connection – women form bonds, share experiences, and support each other, strengthening ties within the local community.
• Soft Referrals to Support Services – participants who have experienced trauma, such as family violence, can access additional resources through subtle, supportive efforts.

By combining sustainability with compassion and social impact, Cire’s initiative addressed immediate local needs and also contributed to collective resilience and environmental health.

Up to $625,000 available thanks to growing number of supporters, including Elders Insurance

Funding is now available for remote, rural and regional communities seeking to embrace practices and solutions that reduce emissions and address the impacts of climate change for positive and sustainable environmental, social and economic outcomes.

FRRR’s Community Led Climate Solutions program (CLCS) is offering grants to not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) via two streams, with a total funding pool of $625,000 available for initiatives that address climate change at a local level.

• Stream 1 – Engage and Deliver: Grants up to $20,000 for local projects promoting or actioning practices and solutions that can reduce emissions and benefit their community; and
• Stream 2 – Scaling: Grants from $20,001 to $75,000 for projects scaling locally-led initiatives, that alleviate socio-economic challenges and enable communities to thrive.

The Scaling stream is new this round and recognises that community organisations in remote, rural and regional Australia can find it challenging to access funds for local climate solutions initiatives, when their focus is often on alleviating disadvantage in their community. That’s why FRRR, with the support of its partners, is pleased to offer grants to strengthen and scale up existing projects.

Grants can be used by communities to educate locals and adopt clean energy practices; reduce emissions; implement low carbon power sources; embrace reuse and regenerative practices; support solutions that deliver sustainable agriculture and food systems; encourage biodiverse ecosystems; or activities designed to manage change and support the livelihoods of people reliant on industries in transition.

Sarah Matthee, Climate Solutions Portfolio Lead at FRRR, said the strong response from local groups to the first round of the program emphasised the active role that rural communities want to play in initiatives that capitalise on cleaner and more sustainable climate solutions that will benefit local people.

“Addressing the impacts of a changing climate requires a long-term outlook, backed by local solutions. We know that rural NFPs are eager to get on the front foot and ensure that no one is left behind. Local people can be best placed to lead just transitions and we are here to actively support rural communities in this process,” Ms Matthee explained.

“We are grateful to partner with a growing number of like-minded organisations including Boundless Earth, Hand Heart Pocket, Paul Ramsay Foundation and most recently Elders Insurance backed by the QBE Foundation. Like FRRR, these organisations are committed to funding community-led solutions that reduce emissions and address the impacts of climate change across remote, rural and regional Australia.

Dale Gleeson, General Manager at Elders Insurance, said that Elders Insurance, backed by QBE and the QBE Foundation, is proud to support the creation of strong, resilient, and inclusive communities.

“As one of Australia’s largest regional and rural insurance providers, we are delighted to be joining with FRRR on this critical role of supporting community-led climate solutions activities across remote, rural, and regional Australia,” Mr Gleeson stated.

The grants can fund community-driven projects that educate and engage local people on the transition to renewable energy, like the Gippsland Climate Change Network Inc’s ‘New Energy Power Pops’ project, which received a $20,000 grant in the first round of CLCS. The funding supported community education targeting young people at local markets and events in Traralgon, Victoria, including using virtual reality to inform people about the renewable energy transition industry in the Latrobe region and to promote employment and skills training opportunities.

The funding can also be used for projects that reduce emissions, like the Gympie and District Sustainability Alliance’s Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) in Queensland. Community Action Inc. on behalf of the Alliance, was awarded a $20,000 grant to support solar installation and energy efficient infrastructure upgrades for their tenants. The purpose of the upgrades was to reduce emissions and provide equitable access to renewable energy cost benefits, with a further goal of promoting solar and battery systems to other housing providers.

An online Grantseeker Workshop, including a Q&A session on the Community Led Climate Solutions grant program, will be held on Tuesday, 13 August 2024, from 12:30 – 1:30 pm AEST. Register at https://events.humanitix.com/community-led-climate-solutions-round-2-grantseeker-webinar

Applications for the Community Led Climate Solutions are now open.

For the Scaling Grants ($20,001 – $75,000), an expression of interest (EOI) needs to be lodged by 5pm AEST, 22 August, with shortlisted applicants notified by 4 September. Applications for both streams close 5pm AEST, 26 September. To learn more and apply, visit: https://frrr.org.au/community-led-climate-solutions/.

Community Action Inc (CAI) is a not-for-profit community organisation based in Gympie, QLD. It is a registered community housing provider with a mission to provide housing and support services in response to community needs. In partnership with Gympie and District Sustainability Alliance (GADSA), they received a $20,000 grant in Round 1 of the Community Led Climate Solutions (CLCS) program, funded by Hand Heart Pocket, for their Building Energy Efficiency Project (CAI BEEP). GADSA is a volunteer-led organisation committed to promoting sustainable communities through the use of technology to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

This project stood out due to its strong alignment to several grant criteria including reducing emissions, supporting a just transition, and educating and advocating for increasing energy efficiency practices in social housing. FRRR was also impressed by the letters of support accompanying the application, demonstrating close connections within the community.

The overall objective of CAI BEEP is to increase energy efficiency in two buildings: a duplex brick veneer structure used to accommodate survivors of domestic violence; and an older elevated timber dwelling, occupied by CAI’s Youth Services Office. The project identified a multifaceted solution that could be implemented in stages involving installing solar panels, batteries, ceiling insulation and modern reverse cycle air conditioning units.

The CLCS grant will fund their first priority – the solar panels, which are anticipated to significantly reduce use of electricity from the grid and save an estimated 30 tonnes of C0₂ emissions through the annual production of 37MWh of renewable energy. In addition to emissions reduction, the project will reduce electricity costs and enable additional spending on other social projects by CAI Inc – enabling the tenants of the buildings to also benefit from the transition to renewables. The energy cost savings are estimated to be $4,000 annually across both parties.

CAI Inc is first and foremost a social housing and support program provider, so their partnership with GADSA has been critical to developing and managing the project delivery, contributing their time and knowledge.

Among the first steps was assessing the duplex under the Building Energy Rating Scheme (BERS), which guided the work program. GADSA sourced quotes for all tasks and identified the trades necessary for each job.

GADSA believes every individual, household and business can make changes to reduce their climate impacts. To help them promote the use of renewables and building efficiency solutions, such as ceiling insulation, to other social housing providers to increase their emissions reduction and social justice impact, GADSA ultimately plans to document this project.

This project demonstrates the power of collaboration and the impact of highly-skilled and energised volunteers, leading to a locally-led and impactful, climate solution.

FRRR and Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF) are pleased to announce a multi-year partnership to support Community Led Climate Solutions in remote, rural and regional communities experiencing disadvantage across Australia.

This support aims to address disadvantage, reduce the risks and impacts of climate change on community lives and livelihoods and enable community-led solutions. Funding will be distributed through FRRR’s Community Led Climate Solutions grant program.

Natalie Egleton, FRRR’s CEO, said that with rural communities disproportionately impacted by the impacts of climate change, it is vital that there is flexible funding to seed and strengthen the activities of not-for-profit organisations leading change in their communities.

“We know remote, rural and regional communities are already feeling the impacts of a changing climate and many are ready to respond – but what that looks like in their community will differ depending on their context. The support of Paul Ramsay Foundation is important to back the initiatives of locals who will act on climate solutions and make a difference in their community.

 “With Paul Ramsay Foundation’s support, combined with generous support of organisations such as Boundless Earth and Hand Heart Pocket Foundation, we are looking forward to continuing to provide this valuable support annually through a dedicated grants and support program.”

Liz Yeo, Chief Alliances Officer at Paul Ramsay Foundation, said, “At PRF, we recognise that communities themselves bring great strengths and ideas about how best to tackle the challenges they face. We’re pleased to be joining with FRRR to support remote, rural and regional communities to develop local solutions to the impact of climate change and socioeconomic disadvantage.”

Round 2 of Community Led Climate Solutions will open mid-July 2024. Subscribe to FRRR’s eNews to receive a monthly update about the grants and opportunities on offer.

When the bushfires hit in Victoria, trustees really wanted to help the communities and to make a difference. But we understood that an immediate grant may not be the best response, and that communities, while they were dealing with the immediate trauma of the fires might not be best placed to understand their future path. And so through FRRR and with the Sidney Myer Fund, we held hands, and we navigated to the Bushfire Recovery Fund, which is about enabling FRRR to work deeply with bushfire affected communities to understand their needs, and their readiness to receive funds to create a better future for those communities.

What does the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust and co-funder the Sidney Myer Fund see as the strengths of the partnership?

Some of the highlights of the Bushfire Recovery Fund and working so closely with FRRR and the Sidney Myer Fund on this project has been understanding community voices through FRRR and from the community directly.

FRRR plays an amazing role – really working deeply with communities to understand needs, and I credit them with the work that they do on the ground with communities to help them navigate – often complex – granting regimes that we impose as funders, and to understand how we can practically make a difference.

We’ve had the opportunity at Helen Macpherson Smith Trust to meet some of those fantastic community members along the way. We’ve traveled to Mallacoota and met the community health team there we traveled to Sarsfield out of Bairnsdale to see and meet with the community organisation there. And those people are changing their communities – they’re the coalface and they’re making lives better for their community members, and it’s so inspiring to see them. We couldn’t do that without the support of FRRR and without FRRR working on the ground. So we’re really grateful. That’s been absolutely a program highlight for me.

We’re a really tiny team at Helen Macpherson Smith Trust and we’re based in Melbourne. So one of the great things about FRRR is that there’s people on the ground in rural and regional communities – not just around Victoria but around Australia, and we really see the benefit of that. We feel we can get scale across Victoria through partners like FRRR because of the really deep work that’s happening on the ground. I think that’s one of the rich and wonderful things about FRRR.

Through our education focus area we’re funding some really fantastic place-based organisations. We’re funding the Mornington Peninsula Foundation for the education work they’re doing. We’re funding Tomorrow Today Foundation, which is a community foundation in Benalla, again, we’re seeing education outcomes through that project. And we’re also supporting Ganbina in Shepparton – a place-based education project working with Indigenous partners in Shepparton and the region.

Do you have any advice for any philanthropic organisations or other individuals, when choosing who to partner with?

I think the most important thing, when looking at partners to support is the relationships. And we’ve really got a strong relationship with FRRR. We have a long standing relationship with FRRR, and we’re really seeing the benefits of that, and holding hands on the journey, and learning as we go. I see FRRR absolutely as a partner in this – not as a grantor -grantee relationship. We are partners, and I think we’ve really achieved a lot through this project.

In this quarter’s update for FRRR’s partners and supporters, we’ve featured an East Gippsland project that provides a clever resource for community recovery, and you’ll find an interesting conversation with a new supporter in the climate solutions space, Hand Heart Pocket – which is the charitable arm of the Queensland Freemasons.

Also in this edition:

• Insights from FRRR’s team as we network, travel and deliver programs
• Our Progress – Q1 FY 2023/24
• Learn about Fundraising Accounts from OurSchool’s Caroline Milburn
• Details of all our latest reports and thought pieces.

Tell us a little bit about Hand Heart Pocket, its background and how you have designed your giving strategy.

Our purpose is stated as we partner for change for people in need in Queensland and Papua New Guinea. We put that purpose together with lots of thought around the fact that we partner, which means we don’t build things, and we don’t necessarily deliver ourselves, we find great organisations, and great leaders doing things that are very impactful, and we focus on people in need. Our strategic partnerships are focused on young people in need in Queensland, and then we do a range of other things where we support the community more generally, and we also support the members of the Freemasons of Queensland, in their community activity at a local level.

The Freemasons and Hand Heart Pocket have always been involved in responses to disasters when disaster strikes, and also been a very regionally spread organisation. There are lodges of the Freemasons of Queensland right across the state – there’s about 200. They’re very connected to their local communities. Queensland is the most regionalised of the states – there’s more people living outside of the capital cities in Queensland than any other states. And we really understand the importance of the vibrancy and the sustainability of those communities, for the people who love to live in a more rural setting with more space. It’s really important that we remember that sometimes it’s more difficult to live there. It’s more expensive, the services don’t necessarily reach all the places in Queensland where people love to live. So it’s a combination of where our members are and the heritage of the organisation and also understanding that to sustain healthy and vibrant communities in Queensland. We have to remember that a huge portion of Queenslanders don’t live in the capital city.

Tell us about Hand Heart Pocket’s interest in supporting communities recovering from a preparing for disasters, and also in driving climate solutions?

The board is very forward looking and future focused. And so we understand that an investment in our young people is the best investment that we can make, and that the future that they’re facing is changing quickly. There’s lots of strategic level risks that the community is facing and it could really derail a lot of things about the way that we live our lives and a lot of things that we enjoy. We’ve done some really good risk analysis in our strategy process to understand what climate change will mean, for our organisation and for our members and the local communities. Really, climate change is probably the number one risk. So it, it poses risks to our members and to their communities but it also poses a risk to our organisation from the point of view of what it might do to the assets that we invest in through our investment portfolio and what it might do to in terms of shocks to financial markets, what it might mean for us to have investments that might become stranded assets. So that’s a big part of how we think about it.

And then also, what the possible negative impacts of climate change are on local communities – what it will do to food security, to people’s health, future pandemics, also what it’s going to mean for industries in Queensland. It will have negative impacts on tourism, it will have negative impacts on the Great Barrier Reef. And so there’s lots of communities in Queensland that are facing into very uncertain future.

As a philanthropic foundation, we don’t think about it just in terms of what we give, although it’s embedded into our strategy throughout our relationship with FRRR, but it’s also embedded into our strategy in terms of the way that we invest as well. And we have a responsible investment policy that has an exclusion for new fossil fuels and expansion of fossil fuels. We also have a real focus on investing our money in a way that drives a positive transition, and a sustainable future.

In our giving, we’ve had a historical ability to respond in times of disaster to support communities in Queensland when disaster does strike. We still do that, but we also have a way of giving through FRRR that allows us to invest into what I would call climate adaptation, which is preparation for possible natural disasters and natural hazards like cyclones and floods and fires at a grassroots level. The relationship with FRRR has allowed us to provide a large lump sum of money that FRRR administers and distributes as smaller grants to local grassroots community organisations who are working on all sorts of projects around resilience building in their local community.

We’ve also provided a second round of funding to FRRR to do an additional grant round of small grants that are focused not just on adapting to a potential different future threat from climate change, but also positive action by local communities, to reduce their carbon emissions, and actually mitigate the effects of climate change by changing up their activities in ways that are going to better protect the environment or reduce the carbon emissions. So our response to climate is I suppose weaved through lots of different in different ways through our strategy and the way that we work. And it’s about being future focused, it’s about being really understanding those big system level risks that our community faces. We try really hard to be kind of holistic and really authentic in the way that we address climate.

Part of the reason that we’ve partnered with FRRR is because as a philanthropic foundation, we have a small team, and we’re not really geared up to deal with like lots of local communities and do multiple small grants to a large number of organisations across the community.

And so it’s a great partnership for us from that point of view, in that FRRR’s got the expertise, and the relationships across Queensland or across regional and rural communities. And they also have the infrastructure as an organisation to run those grant rounds, which we don’t have. We knew that if we were going to put philanthropic money towards resilience building, that sometimes those small investments, but across a number of different communities can be really, really impactful. We wanted to make sure that the money got down to the grassroots and out to the rural communities, and we didn’t have the capacity to do that. So we were looking for a partner who had the relationships and the internal mechanisms to be able to do it efficiently.

FRRR provides that for us and being able to have a focus on resilience building, and climate adaptation, was what we were looking for. FRRR had the ability and the understanding from a thematic and technical point of view about what those projects would look like in local communities. And then this year, when we came to FRRR saying, we’d like to shift from just disaster response to action on climate, FRRR was really open to that idea, and worked with us to develop the climate solutions grand rounds, so that that extra money could be focused on that as a very specific issue and a specific set of responses from local communities. Again, we didn’t have the infrastructure internally and the people to run those grant rounds and to be able to connect to local communities that we really love the fact that if FRRR already has all that. Our purpose is partnering for change, so we like to work with other organisations, and to be more efficient in the way that we give by joining together with other organisations who are already doing really good work.

There’s an interesting partnership that’s kind of complementary to the work that we do with FRRR. We also have a partnership with GIVIT. Being a Queensland organisation, we know that there’s going to be disasters during and things happening to communities during the summer, which is really unfortunate, but it happens almost every year.

So, in anticipation of that we have a placeholder in our budget for what we might be able to give to disaster. If disaster strikes, we already have a relationship set up with GIVIT where we can respond quite quickly, and we can give them funding and then they distribute that to people in need in local communities. And that’s actually through grassroots organisations. They’re a fantastic partner because they complement what we do with FRRR – so if we want to give immediate disaster relief to GIVIT, which is immediate and small amounts for things like emergency accommodation and replacement of furniture, and then, at the end of the year, if we have some budget put aside for FRRR for disaster response, which is the longer-term recovery, and the planning, and the climate adaptation work.

So those two are complementary – we see them as great partnerships for us to respond to local communities. Both organisations are really set up to support larger donors like us and distribute funds. FRRR’s expertise is in understanding local communities, and how to best inject that support that will really bolster the community’s own capability and GIVIT has a different set of skills, which is really around standing up things quickly in a disaster. So that’s an example of another partnership, but it’s kind of the way that we work – to find organisations that are doing really good work, that have great leaders that have really excellent strategies and are really good at executing. And then we partner with them and back them in their work.

Another thing that we do in our partnerships is we also really believe in that maxim about pay what it takes. With both FRRR and with GIVIT, when we work out a partnership there’s an amount that goes to the partner for their capacity. Every organisation needs governance, and you need to invest into your IT systems, and you need to invest into your people’s learning and development and all those things. And we actually believe that it’s really important when we work with partners that we have, that a good generous amount that actually goes to the organisation on expenses and work. We talk to our partners about that, and we like to understand how much is needed for those organisational costs. So that’s a key part of the way that we work as a partner.

Do have any advice for other philanthropic organisations or individuals, when choosing a not for profit to partner with?

Well, the first thing I’d say is that there’s lots of collaboration happening both with the community in the community sector between organisations that deliver services there, and amongst the funders and the organisations that give, and sometimes there’s organisations that straddle as well.

So, in the kind of area that FRRR focuses on, if you were starting out as a funder, in regional communities or in resilience building or in climate solutions or anything like that, I’d suggest there’s probably two places you could go. First one would be Philanthropy Australia. Philanthropy Australia has great networks of both organisations who deliver services and want to attract philanthropy and organisations who give and want to be part of philanthropic giving, and they have networks that they establish around different topic areas that people are interested in. So if you’re really interested in giving to Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander organisations or issues then you can you can join a network – like a learning circle around how to partner well. They have also lots of professional development opportunities and Philanthropy Australia also run a really interesting network that they call Second Gen, which is about younger people who are starting out in their giving journey, or the second generation of families who have a family history and a real tradition of giving and how to engage in in an interesting way for younger people.

Another really interesting collaborative network is called the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network. And I know that there’s lots of people within AEGN who are long term staunch supporters of FRRR. And that’s a place where you can go to meet people who are specifically interested in environment and climate. They have a climate community of practice around giving in and responding to climate as a philanthropist or a funder, which is really quite new but really a great place to meet other people who are trying to respond to climate in both their giving and their investing.

Through FRRR you can get connected to other donors, and I think one of the things that FRRR does really well is they act as an intermediary and a channel combining funds from different organisations, so I’m sure FRRR could also be a place where you find collaborations to join.

Grants up to $20,000 available for community-led initiatives

Remote, rural and regional not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) seeking to implement practices and solutions that reduce the impact of the changing climate can now apply for grants up to $20,000 through FRRR’s new Community Led Climate Solutions program (CLCS).

The grants can fund community-driven projects that educate and engage local people to reduce emissions, adopt clean energy practices, low carbon power sources, and embrace reuse and regenerative practices. Funding can also support solutions that deliver sustainable agriculture and food systems, biodiverse ecosystems, or activities designed to maintain the livelihoods of people reliant on industries in transition.

Sarah Matthee, General Manager, Partnerships & Services at FRRR, said many rural communities are eager to capitalise on cleaner and more sustainable climate solutions but often have limited access to funding or simply don’t have the capacity to investigate options.

“By offering flexible funding that is focused on community-led climate solutions, we want to enable NFPs to develop local solutions that respond to and mitigate the impacts of a changing climate in a way that is meaningful and responsive to the needs their community.

“Thanks to generous seed funding from Boundless Earth and Hand Heart Pocket, there is more than $300,000 available across the coming rounds of the Community Led Climate Solutions program. Our donor partners are committed to funding community-led solutions that reduce emissions and address the impacts of climate change and we are pleased to be working with them to fund local initiatives that will help drive positive and sustainable environmental, social and economic outcomes for rural Australia. We welcome further contributions to this collaborative pool to grow the impact that can be generated across rural Australia.

“In terms of examples of what the program can fund, there are several initiatives that FRRR has previously supported, which we think could inspire other communities. For example, Augusta Margaret River Clean Community Energy Incorporated received funding to undertake a dairy waste energy study, ahead of planning for an aggregated biogas and renewable power grid-connected facility. We’ve also funded free informative workshops on energy efficiency and renewable energy in small Victorian towns.

“You may have had a climate solutions project in mind for a long time but haven’t known where to go for support. We encourage people to think outside the box, reflecting on what your community needs most, to address and mitigate the impacts of climate change,” Ms Matthee said.

Applications for the Community Led Climate Solutions program close Thursday, 30 November 2023 at 5 pm AEDT. More information can be found at frrr.org.au/community-led-climate-solutions/.

In this quarter’s update for FRRR’s partners and supporters, we’re looking at how fundraising accounts, community foundations and small grants can enable grassroots groups to tackle local priorities, like Mparntwe Alice Springs Community Foundation – a new group whose first project was to bring back a printed weekly newspaper for the community! Also in this edition:

• read about the high value and high demand for our Small Grants programs
• learn about Engawala Art Centre’s journey to developing a physical space for painters
• Insights from FRRR’s team as network, travel and deliver programs
• Our Progress – Q4 FY 2022/23
• Partnering opportunities to activate great projects