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/.

Four local NFPs awarded grants

In partnership with the Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise Foundation, FRRR has awarded a further $50,293 to support four not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) in the Bay & Basin area. Bay & Basin NFPs have now received nearly $150,000 to date through the Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program, which is helping to address locally-identified priorities.

The IRCF program is a multi-year program designed to foster collaboration between local NFPs and strengthen their capacity, so they can continue to have a positive impact on the vibrancy and wellbeing of their communities. The program operates across the South Coast region, and in three other locations across NSW.

As part of the IRCF program, local leaders participated in community meetings and created a roadmap of the future opportunities they envision for their communities. This helped to identify the areas where the community groups and NFPs need support and ensures that the solutions being provided through the program are community-led.

The four funded projects cover various areas including strategy development, resilience training, equipment upgrades and human resources. One example is the Huskisson Op Shop who are engaging a paid Coordinator to support the Op Shop Volunteers, as well as a Business Advisor, who will help to modernise the Op Shop to support their food pantry in St Georges Basin.

Natalie Egleton, CEO of FRRR, said that multi-year programs, like IRCF, are vital for these remote, rural and regional communities.

“The NFPs in Bay & Basin play a big role when it comes to the quality of life for people living in these communities. Local leaders know what will work, so our role is to support them to create locally-led solutions that can be implemented over a series of years. This ensures that these communities thrive long into the future,” Ms Egleton said.

David Impey, CEO Community Enterprise Foundation, the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s charitable arm,  said that the grant recipients are committed to developing all aspects of their organisations.

“It’s inspiring to see these people who are willing to take such a multi-faceted approach when it comes to building resilient communities. Through this program they’re developing their skills, strengthening their relationships with their peers, improving their processes and engaging in some really productive conversations.

“These organisations are powerful advocates for their communities. We’re very thankful to be able to support their efforts in creating sustainable and long-term solutions that will see the lives of everyone in Bay & Basin made that much more vibrant,” Mr Impey said.

The four projects being funded are:

• Vincentia Ratepayers and Residents Association Inc, Vincentia – Prepare, Develop, Publish and Regularly Update the Vincentia Ratepayers and Resident Association 2030 Strategic Vision Document – $7,000
• Sussex Inlet District Chamber of Commerce Incorporated, Sussex Inlet – Sussex Inlet, a Vibrant Future- Building the capacity of our communitythrough resilience training and by developing a marketing campaign – $3,900
• Sanctuary Point Community Pride Incorporated, Sanctuary Point – Boosting Pride by fostering community engagement and enhancing organisational capacity through the development of a website, communications strategy, and accounting software – $10,309
• UCA – Bay & Basin, St Georges Basin – Growing the Husky Op-shop by building organisational capacity to enable a stable of aligned social enterprises – $29,084.

In addition to Bay & Basin, the IRCF South Coast program is also working in Nowra, Batemans Bay and Ulladulla, with the support of The Snow Foundation and in Junee, Leeton and Nambucca Valley in partnership with the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation.

For more information about the Investing in Rural Community Futures program visit – https://frrr.org.au/ircf-program/.

Grants of more than $800,000 support bushfire recovery and community resilience

Seventy-nine community-led projects that will boost remote, rural and regional communities across Australia are sharing in $809,234 in funding, thanks to FRRR’s Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program.

Funded by generous contributions from a number of donors, the SRC program offers two streams of funding. The Small & Vital Stream offers grants of up to $10,000 for locally-led initiatives that strengthen community resilience and capacity, while the Bushfire Recovery Stream offers grants of up to $25,000 to support recovery from the Black Summer bushfires in 2020/21.

In this round of funding, $446,638 will support 55 Small & Vital projects, while $312,596 will be shared across 22 bushfire recovery initiatives.

Grants awarded range from $1,800 to upgrade the Gujarati Cultural Association of Darwin website, through to $25,000 for Wangaratta Rural City Council, which will be used to purchase and install a generator in their Neighbourhood Safer Place – Bushfire Place of Last Resort.

The funding follows the recent release of FRRR’s Heartbeat of Rural Australia Report, which highlights the challenges that local community groups across the country are facing in funding the vital community-strengthening activities that they undertake.

Natalie Egleton, CEO of FRRR, says that the diversity of projects reflects the critical role that these groups play in the vitality of their communities.

“As we found in our Heartbeat study, rural community groups and NFPs really are the heartbeat of rural communities. However, many community groups have found it tough to access funding, especially over the last two years, so we are delighted to be able to step in and support them to deliver on local priorities.

“We are seeing initiatives address local needs ranging from enhancing organisational capacity, to providing training so that the groups can better support their communities, to upgrades in critical community infrastructure so that people a safe and accessible space where they can meet.

“This diversity of projects confirms that these community organisations are best placed to lead the way when it comes to supporting their communities, facilitating recovery, and building resilience,” Ms Egleton said.

One particularly notable aspect of this round of grants is the total value of the projects being supported in the Small & Vital Stream.

“We often hear from community groups that the funding they receive from FRRR helps them secure the balance of funds for their projects. While we are awarding $446,638 toward Small & Vital projects, the total value of the projects we’re supporting is nearly $3 million. This means that, on average, for every $1 awarded by FRRR there’s another $6.50 going into the community either in cash or in-kind. That’s wonderful to see and we’re delighted to be able to help local organisations make progress toward getting these critical initiatives up and running,” Ms Egleton said.

Some of the 79 projects awarded include:

• The Community Charity Shop Incorporated – Rylstone, NSW – Volunteer Celebration and Expo – $10,000 – Celebrate volunteerism and encourage local involvement through a two-day volunteer expo and celebration of local volunteer groups.
• Gong-Dal Aboriginal Corporation – Gapuwiyak, NT – Miyarrka Homelands Mobile Bush Studio and Pilot Project – $10,000 – Upskill youth in video production skills and build a library of video resources for cultural education as well as the purchase of video equipment to develop On-Country bush video studio.
• Fassifern District Historical Society Incorporated – Boonah, QLD – Ride on Mower – $6,200 – Increase volunteer safety and bushfire preparedness through purchase of a ride on mower.
• Port Neill Progress Association Inc – Port Neill, SA – Health and Connectedness for our Community – $2,860 – Support physical and mental health for residents of Port Neill, through weekly fitness sessions throughout 2022.
• Bruny Island District School Association Incorporated – Alonnah, TAS – Billabong Playground Upgrade – $10,000 – Improve educational, physical and social outcomes, by installing an age-appropriate outdoor play area for preschool children.
• Goulburn Region Pre-School Association Inc – Violet Town, VIC – Violet Town Bush Kinder – $4,264 – Enhance early learning andappreciation of nature through the development of a bush education program for kindergarten children.
• City of Albany – Goode Beach, WA – Albany Community Preparedness and Resilience Project – $8,350 – Building community resilience by supporting community planning and preparation for emergencies or disasters.

A full list of grant recipients is available on FRRR’s website.

The SRC program is collaboratively supported by a number of generous donors, which are listed on FRRR’s website.

The next round of SRC applications is currently being assessed and will be announced March 2022.

More information about the SRC program is available on FRRR’s website.

To support grants like this through FRRR, make a tax-deductible donation at frrr.org.au/giving/.