FRRR and ARLF (Australian Rural Leadership Foundation) are pleased to release the mid-term evaluation report for the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative (HRCPDI) – a $29.65 million initiative funded by the Australian Government through the Future Drought Fund (FDF).

Prepared by Nous Group, the report confirms good progress is being made towards strengthening community capacity and the social resilience of agriculture-dependent communities to prepare for the impacts of drought.

According to Nous Group’s interim evaluation, the combination of the five streams of the Initiative, which include grants, leadership development activities, including mentoring, an online network and access to expert advice, are beginning to build community capacity and resilience to the impacts of climate change and drought in more than 250 locations across Australia.

The FDF HRCPDI is being delivered jointly by FRRR and ARLF. Activities in the 16 months to April 2024 included:

Among the findings is that the HRCPDI’s design, flexible implementation and a strong commitment to continuous learning and quality program delivery have supported success so far. The report has found that the design of the Initiative acknowledges that there is no one size fits all approach and provides communities the flexibility to implement or access diverse activities. These activities include events to strengthen social connection and counter isolation, delivering training that upskills the community so they can thrive before, during and after drought, building community infrastructure that enables communities to meet and interact, investing in local leadership, delivering mentoring programs or expanding the base of volunteers in a community or region.

The evaluators consistently heard from stakeholders how critical it is to invest in social resilience before drought arrives. As one stakeholder explained, “By preparing our community prior to a drought event happening, we are able to practice strength and resilience…which will act as a preventative measure.”

Nina O’Brien, FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead, welcomed the findings that the Initiative is on track to contribute to stronger, more resilient and empowered communities.

“We are only part-way through delivering the Initiative, but it’s encouraging to have the evaluation confirm that we are heading in the right direction.

“The report confirms that focusing on building local community capacity and resilience to drought is important. As Nous’ evaluation notes, the more capacity and resilience there is in a community, the more likely it is that a community will successfully respond to the many impacts that drought can have on regional landscapes, communities and economies.

“The report also notes that the Initiative is helping to strengthen the protective factors that insulate a community from the worst impacts of drought. There was some nice feedback too, from community groups, alongside suggestions for what it will take to keep the Initiative on track and how we can refine our approach for any similar programs in future.

“We look forward to sharing the final report at the end of next year,” Ms O’Brien explained.

ARLF’s Partnerships Director Philippa Woodhill, also welcomed the report, noting that there is still a long way to go in the Initiative.

“Our focus is increasing leadership skills within communities and creating networks, so communities have people ready to step up when they need to support one another through the next inevitable drought.

“The positive effects of the mentoring program are already being seen, with people expanding and diversifying their networks. There are still plenty of leadership activities happening across the 35 regions and we are excited about their future impact. The Drought Ready National Learning Network is really taking off too, with people sharing knowledge and nurturing connections. As Nous wrote, it’s starting to act as the connective tissue between the other elements of the program.

“We look forward to taking the lessons from this interim evaluation and working together to boost the social resilience of agriculture dependent communities.”

You can read the full report online and watch a summary of the report in this short video.

FRRR Disaster Resilient: Future Ready Burnett Inland (Queensland)

The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) has recently commenced the implementation of its Disaster Resilient: Future Ready (DR:FR) initiative in communities and across the Burnett Inland in Queensland. FRRR is delivering this program through local partner Red Earth Community Foundation. The program is made possible through the financial support of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Preparing Australian Communities – Local Stream, and Minderoo Foundation.

FRRR is seeking proposals from experienced social impact evaluation providers to work with us to:

1. Design a Monitoring Evaluation Learning (MEL) approach for the program; and
2. Undertake a comprehensive evaluation to understand the outcomes from this investment and the contribution the program has made to disaster resilience in individual communities and across the region.

Supporting Documents

For full details of the evaluation scope and submission requirements please see below:

Request for Proposal – Disaster Resilient Future Ready Burnett Inland Evaluation (PDF)

All submissions must include a completed Budget Template (.docx).

Selection Criteria

1. Demonstrated experience in social impact evaluation (as distinct from social research).
2. Demonstrated understanding of the requirements, objectives, and motivation of the evaluation.
3. Demonstrated knowledge of the program context, policy, purpose, and key stakeholders.
4. Proposed evaluation methodology that meets the requirement and suitability of the program and community context.
5. Evaluation outputs. Proposals that include a range of outputs including a combination of written reports, case studies, short videos, most significant change interviews, and infographics will be highly regarded.
6. Demonstrated knowledge and experience working collaboratively with rural, regional, and remote communities.
7. Alignment with FRRR values and aspirations.
8. Evidence that relevant insurances, licences, policies, and procedures are in place and compliant with State or Commonwealth laws. Demonstrated health and safety measures including Working with Vulnerable Persons, Working with Children, Occupational Health, and Safety Policies as well as relevant insurances such as Public Liability and Professional Indemnity.
9. Willingness to build capability within both FRRR and Red Earth team in the delivery of the project regarding evaluation methodology.
10. Overall value for money.

Suitably qualified and experienced individuals or organisations must submit a proposal that includes:

Proposals should be no greater than 30 pages (including attachments).

Key Details

Closing date: Friday, 8 September 2023 at 5:00pm AEST.

Proposals must be lodged via c.larcher@frrr.org.au.

For enquiries or further information, please contact Caroline Larcher, Disaster Resilient: Future Ready Program Manager on 0492 370 586 or c.larcher@frrr.org.au.