Strengthening Rural Communities — Small & Vital

Group of people standing under a marquee behind a table full of handcrafted wares.

The Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Small & Vital stream gives small remote, rural and regional communities across Australia the opportunity to access funds for a broad range of initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities.

Grants up to $10,000 are available for a broad range of grassroots, community-led initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities that strengthen local people, places and climate solutions, with a preference for smaller communities (populations under 15,000).

FRRR’s Small & Vital program supports thriving, resilient, and sustainable remote, rural and regional communities across Australia. In particular, priority will be given to projects that:
– Support communities to implement generational transition;
– Invest in outback, remote, and less resourced communities;
– Build capacity and resourcing for a just and equitable energy transition;
– Support First Nations-led initiatives that strengthen culture, country, economic participation, and reconciliation.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and assessed quarterly.

NOTE: There are two streams of funding available within the Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Program: Small and Vital and Prepare and Recover. Organisations may submit their application in one of these streams per SRC grant round, and any other applications in this round will be considered ineligible.

Image: Inglewood Lions Club, SRC Rd 19 Grant Recipient

Future rounds

Round 25
Opens: 28 March 2025
Closes: 24 June 2025
Funding announced by late August 2025

Round 24 is now open

Applications close 5pm VIC time (AEDT) 27 March 2025

Funding announced by early June 2025

Explore other streams in the Strengthening Rural Communities program:

How to apply for SRC Small & Vital

Please read the information on each of the three tabs below to make sure this is the right grant for your project.

If you want to explore other grant options, please go to Find Funding Now.


I have a question, who can I talk to?

Our state-based Grants Officers are your go-to people for any program related queries for the SRC program.

  • QLD / NT / WA: Amanda Gunders
  • NSW / ACT: Julia Kendall
  • VIC / TAS / SA: Vivienne McCrory

Ph: 1800 170 020 or Email: info@frrr.org.au

Confirm you are eligible to apply for this grant

To make sure this is the right grant for your community, please read the grant information detailed in the Program Guidelines below carefully. Click on each headline to reveal the detail. If you need to share this information with others, you can download the guidelines below.

Gather information to support your grant application

Please read the information below to support the planning and preparation of your project. It also sets out what you MUST include for your project to be considered. There are plenty of helpful resources to support you along the way.

Please contact FRRR if you have any questions about the following information.

Your grant application MUST include:

Need some more help?

We have a large selection of resources on our Grantseeker Resources page to help you along the way.

Submit your grant application via the Grants Gateway

Applications close 5pm VIC time (AEDT), 27 March 2025.

Please contact FRRR if you have questions about any aspect of the Grants Gateway online application form.

Helpful resources:

It is time to submit your application. If it is helpful, you can download a sample copy of the application form.

Please read the instructions on how to use the Grants Gateway How-to Guide and have your questions answered with our Grants Gateway FAQs.

Before you submit your application via the online Grants Gateway, please ensure you have:

  • confirmed you are eligible to apply for this grant
  • provided clear information about your project
  • checked that you are an eligible legal entity
  • provided the financial information required
  • created a budget for the project
  • gathered supporting materials
  • spoken to an FRRR contact person where you were unsure of any requirement
  • gathered community support for the project
  • checked the information you are providing to make sure it is clear and relevant to the project

If you have significant issues accessing a stable internet connection, please contact our team to discuss an alternative way of applying:
Ph: 1800 170 020 or Email: info@frrr.org.au

“This inaugural grant success holds deep significance for our remote rural community. While the funding is specifically for materials for the construction of retaining walls and raised garden beds, these seemingly simple structures are vital foundation stones for our broader community garden vision.

In a remote area with a small population base, traditional fundraising presents significant challenges, which is why this first grant breakthrough means so much to everyone involved.”

Martin Phillips, Coordinator – Blinman Men’s Shed Inc, SRC R23

Inspiration – Past projects

Explore some of the projects we’ve previously funded to see how other organisations have helped their community thrive.

Childcare for families in Augusta

Augusta & Districts Community Childcare Centre launched a vacation care service for children, filling a gap in the community’s childcare needs. They used a $10,000 SRC grant to purchase educational resources that are of a higher quality and more durable than the donated and second-hand older toys and cheaper equipment that had previously been used.

Boosting connections at a community house

Derwent Community House in TAS received a $10,000 SRC grant supported by the Sidney Myer Fund and matched by local contributions, to add a new outdoor deck and accessible shower facility that have greatly improved their centre. These enhancements promote community connection and wellbeing, making the facility even more integral to New Norfolk’s residents.

Abergowrie’s Yarning Circle

A $10,000 SRC grant has helped the Abergowrie Primary P&C Association create a communal space to deepen cultural understanding and community engagement. In consultation with the Warrgamay people, who are the traditional custodians of the land on which the school resides west of Ingham in north QLD, they built and landscaped a beautiful Yarning Circle.

Proudly supported by

This program is collaboratively and generously supported by the following donors:

  • Attaway Foundation
  • Bertalli Family Foundation
  • Doc Ross Family Foundation
  • Dr George Jacobs & Dr Janice Hirshorn
  • Estate Late Harold Gordon Jones
  • Findex Community Fund
  • Friends of FRRR
  • FRRR
  • FRRR Central Victorian Regional Grants Fund
  • Hand Heart Pocket – The Charity of Freemasons Queensland
  • Institute of Public Works Engineering QLD
  • Ian Rollo Currie Estate Foundation
  • John T Reid Charitable Trusts
  • Kapikarnpi Community Fund
  • Kellogg Australia Charitable Foundation
  • Kenyon Foundation
  • Mitchell Community Resources and Advocacy Group (MCRAG) Community Foundation
  • Nuseed
  • Perpetual Foundation – The Julian Flett Endowment
  • PNI Foundation
  • Portland House Foundation
  • Sally White OAM
  • Shine On Foundation
  • Sidney Myer Fund
  • The Maple-Brown Family Foundation
  • The Sylvia & Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation
  • The Yulgilbar Foundation
  • Tim Fairfax Family Foundation
  • William Buckland Foundation
Donate Now button