South Coast Futures

Children and adults gathered around a person crouched down who is performing a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony.
Blak Markets received an IRCF grant to help fund their Easter markets at Huskisson in 2025, which also created employment opportunities, enabled people to connect with First Nations culture and generated income within the community.

South Coast Futures (SCF) is a new three-year initiative supporting not-for-profit (NFP) organisations across the South Coast of NSW, from Nowra to Moruya.

SCF continues the journey of strengthening the resourcing, capacity, sustainability and impact of the local community sector to enable them to lead change and foster resilience, building on the significant impacts of FRRR’s Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program. The extended program recognises that the local NFP organisations and community groups in these regions have experienced ongoing challenges following the Black Summer bushfires and the COVID pandemic. Their strength and sustainability are essential to the wellbeing of the community.

Thanks to the generous support of the Snow Foundation, this program will be delivered from 2025 to 2028, with a total budget of $2.5 million, including $1.15 million in grants for local NFP and community organisations.

The program will include wrap around supports and capacity building workshops together with granting. The approach to granting will be focussed on three streams:

  1. Collaborative and Capacity Building Grants to meet community need;
  2. Quick Response Grants up to $5,000; and
  3. Partnership Grants with Backbone / Connector Organisations up to $40,000 per annum for the life of the three-year program.

Meet Your Facilitators!

(coming soon)

Proudly supported by

This is an invitation-only program.

Please contact the program facilitators for more information.

A regional approach

South Coast Futures takes a place-based, regional approach to capacity building. The program will further empower not-for-profits, local leaders and collaborative efforts, driving strong connections and region-wide impact by supporting a broad range of initiatives, including those focussed on youth, gender equity, cultural connection, climate and disaster preparedness. It also provides backbone support for thematic issues and collaborative efforts, while fostering leadership development, storytelling and purposeful networking.

Momentum is already building, with two Regional Facilitators already engaged and relationships with local organisations continuing to be nurtured. These early steps are laying the groundwork for the next phase, which will include formalising the program’s evaluation approach and co-designing with community leaders and emerging backbone/connector organisations.

 

 An indicative map showing the eligible regions for the South Coast Futures program.

I have a question, who can I talk to?

Carolyn Ardler, SCF Program Manager: [email protected]
Monique Carson, SCF Regional Facilitator: [email protected]
Stephanie Chiu, SCF Regional Facilitator: [email protected]

Confirm you are eligible to apply for this grant

To make sure this is the right grant for your organisation and 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.

Download the Program Guidelines

FRRR recognises the critical role of not-for-profit (NFP) organisations in building and supporting vibrant communities, both socially and economically. Further, existing NFP funding is often tied to a specific request or dependent on external fundraising.

Following the Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) NSW South Coast program, the FRRR South Coast Futures program expansion seeks to ensure that locally based NFP organisations have the resources they need to be resilient, sustainable and ready to respond to community needs.

This program benefits the regional areas of Shoalhaven and Eurobodalla, on the NSW South Coast, between Nowra and Moruya. The focus is not-for-profit organisations in the Shoalhaven, particularly the communities within and surrounding Nowra, Bay & Basin, Ulladulla and the communities of the Eurobodalla, specifically Batemans Bay to Moruya.

The South Coast Futures program supports NFPs to resource their organisation and activities through three grant streams:

  • Capacity and Collaborative Grants
  • Quick Response Grants
  • Backbone Partnership Grants

The South Coast Futures program supports the following types of charitable projects, and outcomes and must be aligned to the local co-designed priorities. These grants are designed to support community-driven solutions that build collaboration, capacity and long-term impact. We encourage you to reflect on your community’s priorities and strengths, and propose ideas that feel right for your context. There is no one-size-fits-all – this is your community’s opportunity to shape what’s needed. You can use this grant to start the conversation, build relationships and co-design ideas with others.

There are three streams of funding in the South Coast Futures program. Click on each heading to learn more.

Promote and support collaboration between NFPs to identify and address common goals and priorities through joint applications for collective purposes. An appropriate organisation can take a lead role to support an application for funding aligned to community identified priorities.

Explore a Community Challenge

  • Identify a complex issue your community faces – something that feels too big or tangled to solve easily.

Develop a Community-Led Project Concept

  • Shape an idea that could shift the dial in your community.

Dive into Community Priorities

  • Understand what matters most to your community and how those priorities could be addressed.

Access Skilled Support

  • Bring in the expertise you need to move forward with confidence.

Plan for the Future

  • Explore future possibilities and long-term visioning.

These grants support fast, practical steps that help your group move toward identified community priorities. Whether you’re responding to an emerging need or laying the groundwork for future collaboration, this funding is about recognising your strengths and supporting your momentum.

Recognise Community Strengths

  • Support activities that acknowledge and build on the skills, knowledge and capacity already present in your community.

Share Learnings and Stories

  • Create space to reflect on what’s working, share stories and pass on learnings to others in your community.

Strengthen Collaboration Systems

  • Lay the foundation for future partnerships and shared approaches to meet community needs.

Scope Innovative Ideas

  • Explore new approaches that could boost long-term community viability.

These grants support connector and backbone organisations to work alongside the South Coast Futures program with a clear commitment to collaboration and capacity building at the grassroots level. Funding is provided in alignment with an approved project plan, and is designed to foster long-term, sector-wide impact.

Where it makes sense, it is highly recommended that NFPs work together to consider how to maximise available funding to best support their organisations and community.

These grants are available thanks to the generous support of Snow Foundation. There is approximately $350,000 available each year for the life of the program (2025-2028), distributed across the region and the three grant streams.

The Grants streams available are:

  • Capacity and Collaborative Grants;
  • Quick Response Grants up to $5,000; and
  • Backbone Partnership Grants up to $40,000 per year per applicant for multi- year projects.

Applicants can apply for any amount to allow funds to best meet the needs of organisations and community priorities as identified through ongoing community consultation and co-design to identify priorities.

There is no recommended upper limit for the capacity Capacity and Collaborative Grants; a discussion with the South Coast Futures team is recommended to identify an amount to meet community need within the funding allocation.

South Coast Futures supports grants that align to the NFP capacity building areas highlighted in the IRCF parent program IRCF South Coast. The final Roadmaps and background information can be found at IRCF NSW South Coast.

There are several areas that we can’t fund through this program. If in doubt, please contact us.

  • Projects that support core business and areas of responsibility of Federal, State and Local Governments;
  • The encouragement or advancement of sport, recreation and social activities are not considered charitable activities under Australian law.
    Applications from sporting organisations need to clearly demonstrate charitable outcomes and benefit to the wider community that are above and beyond the sporting activities of the club.
  • Overseas travel and overseas projects;
  • Prizes, gifts, trophies or awards;
  • Political lobbying;
  • Projects that primarily benefit private business, a sole trader, or private interests;
  • Projects solely focused on animal welfare.

To be invited to apply, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Applicant organisations must be a locally governed not-for-profit organisation in the South Coast region outlined from Nowra to Moruya, with either an Incorporation Certificate and/or an ABN. If you are unsure if your organisation is a registered not-for-profit (e.g. if you are a Co-operative, Other Unincorporated Entity, Public Company or Trust), please contact FRRR;
  • Project must be for charitable purposes and offer clear public benefit;
    • Not-for-profit organisations with or without DGR-1 endorsement are eligible;
  • Projects must benefit communities in remote, rural or regional Australia;
  • Organisations can hold more than one grant at a time during the program.

Please note, you will be considered ineligible if the:

  • Application is submitted by individuals, sole traders, private or commercial businesses (as per the submitted ABN);
  • Application is submitted by an organisation that is not a legal entity (i.e. a registered not-for-profit), without the written consent of the governing / partnering body who holds the ABN / Incorporation Certificate;
  • Application is submitted without required financial documentation (see below);
  • Overdue Final report/s from any FRRR grants awarded in the previous seven years have not been acquitted (delivery organisations should check with legal organisation to see if there are any outstanding final reports);
  • Application is for a project or activity that has already occurred / is occurring prior to the announcement of funding.
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:

Every application needs to include an organisation that holds either an ABN or Incorporation Certificate. If your organisation doesn’t have that, FRRR may still fund the project but you need another organisation’s support, which we refer to as the ‘legal organisation’ (with your organisation being the delivery organisation). This situation often occurs often when the organisation delivering the activity or project is a branch of an overarching organisation – such as a local CWA or YMCA branch. In this case, the CWA or YMCA would be the legal organisation.

Even though your organisation may complete the application (and will be doing the work), it’s the ‘legal organisation’s’ legal and financial information that needs to be provided. They also need to provide a letter from the legal entity, confirming they are willing to play this role, with a template available here.

FRRR conducts a broad range of due diligence queries when reviewing applications, such as: reviewing current and past incorporation, DGR and ACNC status. If your organisation has happened to have their incorporation status, DGR status or ACNC status changed or ACNC registration revoked or voluntarily withdrawn, please let us know the reasons for this.

Applications from ACNC and/or unincorporated associations are required to submit their organisation’s Constitution.

Why is this important?

This program is only able to distribute funds to not-for-profit organisations with an ABN or incorporation number, and FRRR needs to know that the organisation with that ABN / Incorporation number understands and agrees to carry out their responsibilities in relation to your project if successful.

Applications received without the requested financial information are ineligible. Providing incorrect financial information is currently the most common reason why applications are not able to be considered. You must attach the following:

  • For organisations that have audited financial reports: Attach the most recent annual audited statements;
  • For organisations that do not have an annual financial audit: Attach the most recent 12 months Income and Expenditure Statement. If you have a Balance Sheet, please also submit this;
  • For organisations less than one year old: Provide Bank Statements for the period you have been operating.

Please note:

  • If financial documents are more than 18 months old, please provide an explanation as to why the organisation does not have more recent documents;
  • Bank Statements are only acceptable as financial documentation if your organisation has been operating for less than one year;
  • Please explain any deficits and steps to sustain the organisation financially;
  • Provide a brief explanation of any large financial surplus or current assets and reasons why FRRR funds are still required;
  • Income and Expenditure statements must cover a full 12-month period.

Please contact us if you cannot provide required financials or are unsure about what to provide.

Why is this important?

FRRR uses this information to understand your organisation’s financial viability and ability to manage grant funds.

You must include a project budget that clearly shows the items that FRRR grant funding would be used for and that also shows all income and expenses related to your project.

Budgets should be realistic and must add up – i.e. total expenditure must match total income.

Applicant contributions in cash or in-kind are highly regarded. Quotes or detailed rationale for items over $1,000 are required, where possible. Note: FRRR suggests costing unskilled volunteer labour at $45 per hour.

For more info on costing volunteer labour, visit: https://explore.fundingcentre.com.au/help-sheets/valuing-volunteer-labour.

Why is this important?

A clear budget helps FRRR to understand the size of your project, exactly how FRRR funds will be spent and helps demonstrate community support for your project through in-kind contributions either from your organisation or partners / community members.

FRRR strongly recommends that you provide supporting materials such as letters of support, community plans, survey results, photographs, media clips and research reports that can show broad community support and partnerships involved in the project. For more information on supporting documentation, watch this recording.

South Coast Futures is a community co-designed program allowing reference to community Roadmaps and meeting harvests to demonstrate community-identified need.

Large documents should be referenced and explained in the application.

Why is this important?

FRRR seeks to fund projects that are well-supported by the broader local community, are locally-led and delivered, show good partnerships and benefit multiple parts of the community. As FRRR is not always familiar with your community, our staff consider support material as evidence toward understanding level of community need, benefit and support.

A clear description of exactly what the grant funds will be used for, when and where the project will happen, who will benefit and who will be involved in delivering the project, why the project and grant funds are needed, how funds will be spent and how the activities and success of the project will be recorded, evaluated and shared.

Where possible, we encourage you to make it really clear that your organisation is ready and able to deliver the project and, if required, provide ongoing support for the initiative.

Why is this important?

FRRR needs to clearly understand your project to assess its merits. Applicants should focus on addressing the what, when, where, who, why and how of the project, as this is the best way to clearly communicate the details of the project.

A ready community is best placed to achieve the aims of your project, so during assessment, our staff look for information that tells us that good leadership, skills and awareness exist in your community to support the project now and in the future.

Important notes for successful grantees:

To receive the grant funds, successful grantees (the legal entity) must have a bank account registered under the organisation’s name. Without a bank account, the grant funds cannot be disbursed, and the grantee will not receive the funds.

When the project is complete, the grantees will be required to provide a Project Report on the project’s activities, impacts and outcomes, and include a financial acquittal of your grant. Project reporting is an opportunity for the organisation to reflect on and celebrate what has been achieved and to share learnings.

Grantees have up to 12 months for the Quick Response stream (grants up to $5,000) and 18 months for the Capacity & Collaborative stream (grants up to $50,000) to deliver the project. The online Project Report is due 8 weeks after project completion. The Backbone Partnership stream is for multi-year projects, and has different reporting requirements.

Organisations with an overdue Project Report are not eligible to apply for further FRRR funding until the report is received. If the Project Report is not received, the applicant organisation may be suspended from applying for any FRRR grant programs until it is supplied.

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

The first step is to contact your local Community Facilitator to discuss your project idea.

 

If your project is eligible, a link will be provided to begin your application. Information on the Prepare Your Application tab sets out critical, additional information that we require and explains why it is important.

You will be required to submit your application to FRRR online via the Blackbaud Grants Portal.

Helpful resources:

Grantseeker Resources

Inspiration - Past Projects

Cultural immersion strengthens community connection

Walking Together in the Milton Ulladulla District used grant funds from FRRR for the ‘Together We Thrive’ project to organise attendance at the Giiyong Festival, the largest Aboriginal cultural festival on the southeast coast, near Pambula, NSW.
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