FRRR awards grants to more than 80 community groups and NFPs

More than 80 community groups across remote, rural and regional Australia are sharing $827,253 in grants thanks to FRRR’s flagship grants program, Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC).

The funding will be used by grassroots not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) for a wide range of initiatives that celebrate, strengthen and support their rural communities to be more vibrant, resilient, sustainable places to live.

Nearly $560,000 has been awarded through SRC’s Small & Vital (S&V) stream and will support 67 projects that create inclusive and accessible community spaces, provide mentoring and training and learning opportunities, improve employment prospects, or offer people the chance to connect and engage with others and their wider community.

The Prepare & Recover (P&R) stream of the program has awarded nearly $270,000 to 17 initiatives that build community resilience, preparedness and capacity to mitigate the impact of future extreme weather events, as well as support medium to long-term recovery in regions impacted by previous disasters, such as the 2022 floods and the Black Summer bushfires.

Jill Karena, Head of Granting at FRRR, said the SRC team is continually inspired by the strength and resilience of the NFPs dedicated to helping remote, rural and regional communities thrive.

“What makes rural communities amazing are the people that live there. These places are filled with locals working hard to keep community spirit alive and willing to step up to see their region navigate the highs and lows that come with living in the country. We see our role as walking beside them and empowering local groups to lead the projects they know will have a real impact.

“Small grants really do make a big difference and FRRR’s SRC program is so popular because it offers flexible small grants year-round to remote, rural and regional communities in all states and territories.

“Take for example the Forest Heritage Centre in Dwellingup, WA. With a Small & Vital grant of less than $1,500, the Centre will modernise the local gallery and gift shop’s point of sale system. This isn’t much funding but by updating their system, the Centre can look after the volunteers that help to keep the doors open, as well as encourage people to visit and spend money in the region.

“We’re also funding activities that bring people and resources back into country towns, helping these communities stay vibrant and sustainable. Places like Goulburn, NSW, where a $4,000 Small & Vital grant will help to upgrade infrastructure and host community workshops on environmental sustainability at the Goulburn Farmers Market.

“After supporting communities impacted by disasters for the past 25 years, we also know just how important flexible recovery and preparedness funding is, because communities’ needs change over time. By using a medium to long-term recovery lens, we’re able to support projects that strengthen the social fabric of a community through preparedness, capacity and resilience-building activities.

“Although it’s been five years since the 2019/2020 bushfires, the Eurobodalla community in NSW is still healing. Our Prepare & Recover grants allow us to continue supporting places like Eurobodalla, when other funders have moved on. This round, we’ve granted $10,000 to help the Shire Council run a 10-week cultural and personal development program to help connect socially isolated First Nations young people within the region.

“Our grants are often just one part of the bigger picture in terms of getting projects off the ground. But we know that this funding is often a crucial catalyst, encouraging further investment in local solutions. For example, the 84 projects we’ve supported in this round of SRC, are worth over $2.67 million.

“Demand for funding continues to grow, as the cost of living and operational expenses rise, government priorities shift, and the impacts of climate change and disasters evolve.

“To meet this demand, FRRR needs the support of the philanthropic and corporate sectors. A collaborative effort is needed to empower rural communities to lead a vibrant and sustainable future,” Ms Karena said.

The SRC program is collaboratively supported by donors, ranging from private individuals to larger foundations, who are acknowledged on the FRRR website.

If you would like to help, you can donate at www.frrr.org.au/donate.

FRRR always accepts applications to this program, which awards funds around four times a year. Local not-for-profit organisations and community groups are encouraged to review the program guidelines and apply. More information about the SRC program is available at www.frrr.org.au/src.

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

While it covers around 210 km, the locality of Porongurup in the Great Southern region of Western Australia has a population of only 370. A short drive east of Mount Barker, the community is nestled in the unique and ancient mountains of the Porongurup Range.

Thanks to a $9,961 Small & Vital Strengthening Rural Communities grant, locals aged 20 to 75 were supported to participate in the creation of an original, community led, intercultural, intra-regional dance performance. 

Called The Stars Descend, the final performance was part of a broader project called Distributed 15 – a work about climate action and hope that explored our shared responsibility to care for each other and the natural world through an immersive, ecological creative arts experience.

Auspiced by Denmark Community Resource Centre and facilitated by Annette Carmichael Projects; professional dancers, choreographers and artists ran 20 dance workshops with the participants during 2022 and 2023. Participants collaborated with facilitators throughout the creative process, and the importance of connection to the unique ecological sites in the region, climate action and hope were interwoven into the workshops and the culminating performance to a packed audience from surrounding communities.

The Porongurup dancers were joined by residents from Albany, Denmark and Mt Barker in their performance of The Stars Descend, creating connection through dance and art.

The project made a huge contribution to the vitality, social inclusion, wellbeing and community cohesion of Porongurup. One participant said there was an increased feeling of connection through the program and an intense pride in their achievement.

“This project gave me so much connection with people, place and myself. The joy that I felt contributing for the greater good was food for my soul. The way it incorporated the locals into a story that’s bigger than us all. We moved on the land, for the land.”

Watch the project in action here.

Funding awarded to more than 100 community groups and NFPs

FRRR has awarded $1,051,688 to 103 community groups to enhance the vitality and liveability of remote, rural and regional places across Australia, through the Foundation’s flagship grants program, Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC).

Thanks to the SRC program’s two streams of funding, these grants will empower local organisations to take the lead on ‘small and vital’ projects, like community hall maintenance or mental health first aid training, as well as support regions recovering from, or preparing for, disaster events such as bushfires or floods.

FRRR Place Portfolio Lead, Jill Karena, said the Foundation is committed to empowering local groups and organisations to develop and lead projects that will best meet the needs of their community.

“We know that for every state, region and town, priorities will be different, and we are here to work with local groups to help them address their needs and strive to celebrate their vibrancy and acknowledge their tenacity.

“The projects we fund truly matter and have a meaningful impact. Our Strengthening Rural Communities program proves that a grant, no matter how small, can make a big impact in a regional place.

“Although innovative and resilient, local not-for-profit organisations just don’t have the resources to withstand the acute impacts that wide-sweeping policy changes can have on remote, rural and regional Australia.

“For example, in South Australia, we have seen an increase in requests for kitchen and bathroom upgrades in community halls and buildings to meet increased hygiene standards required by the state’s revised Health Act. These community spaces are gathering places for the community, in times of celebration and when disasters strike, so it’s critical that we support local groups, like the Riverton Bowling Club, to make these upgrades to community spaces.

“In New South Wales, a directive for public sector employees to return to working in offices has meant an increase in supply of housing and a drop in house prices in some parts of regional NSW. This migration back to metro areas has a knock-on effect, impacting the economic and social wellbeing of these regional NSW communities with fewer people and less money to buoy the regions.

“Creating activities that bring people, and money, back into these towns, is one way that communities are working to remain sustainable in the face of this changing social and economic landscape. Warren’s ‘Turn Right for a Night’ Tourism Sign Project is a great example of this. The local Rotary Club will use a $10,000 grant to promote tourism and boost the local economy by installing signage at key locations to encourage drivers to visit the region.

“The upcoming 2025 Western Australia election build-up has seen some disaster-affected communities suddenly getting cash injections from the state for rebuilding projects. But we know that disasters affect more than just infrastructure, so we will continue to be here to support projects that strengthen the social fabric of these communities by funding preparedness, capacity and resilience-building activities.

“For example, the Warmun Art Aboriginal Corporation will use an SRC grant, funded through the Prepare & Recover stream, to prepare for future flooding events by developing flood-proof infrastructure to protect a nationally significant Aboriginal art collection.

“In both Queensland and the Northern Territory, we are hearing that Government promises of crackdowns on youth crime are causing anxiety in some regional communities. Projects that foster and encourage community members to connect, like the Kilkivan Great Horse Ride Street Market and Family Fun Day in Queensland or the Northern Territory Writers Festival, are vital for communities, and we are funding these kinds of activities as much as possible.

“In Tasmania, groups are acknowledging the strain that their volunteers are under and are seeking ways to support those people who are helping to keep their doors open. In Chudleigh, the Agricultural & Horticultural Society is increasing volunteer safety and satisfaction by using an SRC grant to upgrade the kiosk kitchen.

“More generally, we are seeing an increased numbers of applications from more rural and remote communities across the country looking to improve online access and reliability through Starlink connectivity. Like in Burren Junction, New South Wales, where the Burren Progress group will use a $10,000 grant to install a Starlink internet service and new digital equipment at the School of Arts Hall to improve the community’s internet connectivity.

“We are also supporting an increasing number of projects to ensure established local newspapers, newsletters and community radio continue, with locals concerned about the loss of community connection and identity and increased social isolation if these local institutions, like the Prom Coast News in Foster, Victoria, and the Midwest Aboriginal Media Association in Carnarvon, Western Australia, are lost,” Ms Karena explained.

Small grants are catalytic

Since its inception in 2019, FRRR’s SRC program has been a vital source of funding for more than 2,360 remote, rural and regional communities, distributing more than $27.4 million to NFPs across every state and territory in Australia.

“Our funding is often the critical catalyst that community groups need to get their projects off the ground. A grant from FRRR can encourage other organisations to invest in local solutions or can be used to leverage the additional funding their project needs,” Ms Karena explained.

In just this round, FRRR was able to contribute more than $1 million in grants for 103 projects that are worth over $2.3 million.

However, demand for funding continues to outstrip what FRRR has available, with this round seeing more than 32 ‘funding-ready’ and worthy small and vital projects seeking $362,000 in support missing out.

“To meet the continued demand for funding, FRRR needs the support of the philanthropic and corporate sectors to empower rural communities to lead projects and local solutions that will ensure their future is vibrant and sustainable,” Ms Karena said.

The SRC program is collaboratively supported by donors, ranging from private individuals to larger foundations, who are acknowledged on the FRRR website.

If you would like to help, you can donate at www.frrr.org.au/donate.

FRRR always accepts applications to this program, which awards funds around four times a year. Local not-for-profit organisations and community groups are encouraged to review the program guidelines and apply. More information about the SRC program is available at www.frrr.org.au/src.

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

Funding to meet the local needs and connect communities

One hundred and twenty-nine community groups across remote, rural and regional Australia are sharing nearly $1.4 million in grants through FRRR’s flagship Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program.

Awarded via three streams of funding, SRC grants support small and vital projects, like upgrades to the community pool in Cummins, SA; COVID recovery projects, such as creating an arts and cultural precinct in the remote community of Tully, QLD; and disaster preparedness or recovery initiatives, like providing culturally informed, trauma-responsive community healing days for the flood-affected community of Lismore, NSW.

FRRR received a record 450 applications for this round of SRC funding, requesting more than $4.5 million in grants for projects valued at more than $19 million. The team has worked hard to shorten the time between applying and awarding SRC grants, with these grants being awarded just nine weeks after the round closed.

Jill Karena, FRRR’s Place Portfolio Lead, says that there is an increasing need for FRRR to fill gaps in areas that may have previously relied on funding from government incentives or programs or support from local businesses.

“The SRC program is flexible and open year-round, meaning it can lean in when Government and other agencies lean out. This access to continued funding opportunities is especially vital in communities that are moving beyond the immediate threats and response to natural disasters and other shocks.

“This round, we have seen increased applications from the organisers of community events, such as local agricultural shows, as some local governments are reducing their annual funding support. We also saw increased funding requests from smaller more remote communities that are a seeking to boost the local economy by developing activities and events to encourage overnight stays from visitors who would otherwise pass through. We also noticed an increase in applications from fringe metro areas and inner rural communities, which seems to indicate that they too are facing diminishing funding opportunities,” she said.

Unmet need continues in small communities

In addition to the 129 initiatives awarded grants, there were a further 85 funding-ready projects, requesting more than $900,000, that FRRR did not have the funds to support. This highlights the importance of small grants to remote, rural and regional community groups and is why FRRR is seeking new partners so that the Foundation can fund more projects in the future.

“Given the uncertainty of the current financial landscape, groups have told us that they value having access to timely secured funding to support medium to long term goals, as well as initiatives that respond to present needs and priorities.

“These are the projects that create a sense of place and identity, and the people and organisations that make these inspiring projects happen need our support. SRC grants provide leverage as they demonstrate to other funders that the projects have value and are supported. But to be able to fund more of them, we need to bring in additional collaborative funders. So we invite all those who want to see a thriving remote, rural and regional Australia to join us to support local initiatives. They really do make a difference,” Ms Karena said.

The SRC program is collaboratively supported by donors, ranging from private individuals to larger foundations, who are acknowledged on the SRC program page.

FRRR always accepts applications to this program, which awards funds around four times a year. Local not-for-profit organisations and community groups are encouraged to review the program guidelines and apply. More information about the SRC program is available at www.frrr.org.au/src.

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

FRRR has awarded $1,340,387 in grants to 131 local groups across remote, rural and regional Australia for projects that support small yet vital community needs, disaster resilience and recovery and COVID-19 recovery initiatives.

The grants are awarded through FRRR’s Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program, via one of three streams of funding: Small & Vital (S&V), Prepare & Recover (P&R), or the Rebuilding Regional Communities (RRC).

Collaboratively funded by donors ranging from private individuals to larger foundations, the SRC program supports a diverse range of initiatives across remote, rural and regional Australia. While each of the 131 awarded projects meets a unique local need, all funded initiatives have one thing in common – they each have a clear and direct benefit to the community and to those living locally.

Jill Karena, Place Portfolio Lead at FRRR, said it is truly inspiring to see the determination and resilience of community groups and local leaders, who continue to front up and strive for a stronger, and sustainable, rural Australia.

“In this round of SRC grants, we’ve seen a shift in project focus, with a significant increase in initiatives that address the wellbeing and sustainability of community organisations. The majority of these grants are for practical, infrastructure-related projects that will enable local groups in rural places to continue to provide vital services, and ensure community spaces are safe, secure and welcoming.

“Our RRC team continues to coordinate the new webinar series to support applicants called, ‘The Know and The How’. Clearly there’s a strong community appetite for topics that address fundamental issues for the not-for-profit sector, as the third session, focusing on strategic planning for community organisations, has already been booked out twice!” Ms Karena said.

“This is why we continue to see new, and returning, not-for-profits and community groups from remote, rural and regional communities across Australia applying for these grants. In fact, for nearly one third of recipients, in just this round of funding alone, this is the first time that they’ve applied for an FRRR grant.

“For those organisations that are previous grant recipients, the SRC program’s straight-forward application process, and the flexibility of the grants to fund local needs, are just some of the reasons they continue to apply for SRC grants.

“These grants may be relatively small, but they can make a mighty difference to a rural community! That’s why the focus of our end of year fundraising campaign is on small grants. All donations are gratefully received, no matter how small, as this program is needed more than ever,” Ms Karena explained.

Small & Vital

The S&V stream offers grants up to $10,000 for projects that strengthen community connections and meet local priorities.

In total, this round sees $380,177 in grants awarded to 48 local groups and NFPs through the S&V stream.

Three of the 48 projects funded through the S&V stream include:

• St John Ambulance Australia NT Inc – Wurrumiyanga, NT – Increase access to life-saving equipment by providing defibrillators in three remote communities across the Tiwi Islands. $9,518
• Nuriootpa War Memorial Swimming Pool Working Group (auspiced by Nuriootpa Futures Association) – Nuriootpa, SA – Expand opportunities for social connection and access for all-abilities through the installation of accessibility steps at a community pool. $10,000
• Kilcunda Community Development Association Incorporated – Kilcunda, VIC – Improve access at a community gathering space and provide a safe, inclusive venue for older citizens by upgrading the entrance and deck at the Kilcunda Hall. $10,000

Prepare & Recover

In this round, 40 community organisations are sharing $627,307 in grants through the P&R stream. These funds will support rural communities impacted by climate-related disasters including the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires and the 2021-22 East Coast Australia flooding, plus other storm events.

The P&R stream awards grants up to $25,000 for local preparedness, recovery and resilience-building initiatives.

Three of the 40 projects funded through the P&R stream include:

• St Helens Neighbourhood House Association Inc – St Helens, TAS – Improve the mental, physical and social health of a community recovering from bushfire and flood disasters through community garden activities and workshops. $25,000
• Positive Change for Marine Life Limited – Brunswick Heads, NSW – Prepare for future climate-related impacts by delivering a community-led riparian restoration program in the flood-impacted Brunswick River to stabilise riverbanks and restore wetland vegetation. $24,941
• Kalbarri Development Association Incorporated – Kalbarri, WA – Strengthen peoples’ connections and support SES volunteers to recover from the impacts of Cyclone Seroja by holding an event celebrating the community’s resilience. $22,500

Rebuilding Regional Communities – supporting COVID-19 recovery

Funded by the Australian Government, the RRC stream supports remote, rural and regional communities as they continue their COVID-19 recovery journey. This round, grants up to $10,000 were on offer, with $332,903 awarded to 43 local organisations, including:

• MultiSkill Centre Ltd – Cloncurry, QLD – Provide mental health training to staff to enable them to better support disengaged young people accessing services after COVID-19. $9,316
• Bellingen Youth Orchestra Incorporated – Bellingen, NSW – Rebuild connections, reduce social isolation and foster a stronger, more resilient community after COVID-19 by purchasing musical instruments and making them available to disadvantaged young people. $10,000
• Warrnambool & District Community Hospice Inc – Warrnambool, VIC – Sustain the work of volunteers after COVID-19 through the development of a volunteer education and engagement program. $5,000

The SRC program is collaboratively supported by many generous donors, who are acknowledged on the FRRR website.

FRRR always accepts applications to this program, which awards funds roughly four times a year. Local NFPs and community groups are encouraged to review the program guidelines and apply. More information about the SRC program is available at www.frrr.org.au/src. To support grants like this through FRRR, make a tax-deductible donation at frrr.org.au/giving/.

A full list of grant recipients is detailed below.