Priority Funding Needs

Group of people wearing colourful clothes and with paint on their hands and clothes

Your support puts communities in control.

Our programs are designed to provide support for what each community tells us they need. After all, these community groups are on the ground, and they are best-placed to know what will really make a difference.

They deserve better support and have a huge range of projects that need funding. Sometimes it can be very basic things like a split system air conditioner for the public hall, so community activities like play groups or training can continue on even the hottest or coldest days. Other times, it can be to assist communities recovering from natural disasters, such as purchasing new equipment to support volunteer emergency responders or supporting children and families impacted by bushfires to process complex emotions resulting from trauma.

The sections below outline the areas of greatest need right now, including supporting community recovery from the recent Tropical Cyclone Alfred Severe Weather Events.

Get in touch with FRRR’s Partnerships team to discuss how you can make a meaningful difference to remote, rural and regional communities, or click on the headings below to explore our priority funding needs.

FRRR’s Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Small & Vital grants program gives thousands of small remote, rural and regional communities across Australia access to funding for a broad range of community needs.

Grants are available for grassroots, community-led initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities. Many of the small community organisations that apply find it difficult to secure grants for their projects or, in fact, are ineligible for some types of funding, so the Small & Vital grants stream plays an important role in sustaining and revitalising communities.

SRC grants can be used to support a range of community-led initiatives such as:

  • Increasing community connection by installing shade and lighting over the BBQ area at the town’s park.
  • Enhancing physical and mental health of farmers by promoting a community fitness group.
  • Supporting the delivery of playgroups, early learning and parenting support programs, or building pre-school nature playgrounds;
  • Initiatives that support lifelong learning, education and/or training for people in remote, rural and regional communities.

In essence, SRC grants allow communities to apply for funding for whatever they need – as long as it is has a broad charitable community benefit.

Importantly, the SRC grants program provides much more than funding. The knowledge, reach and flexibility of FRRR’s SRC team means we understand the unique needs of rural and remote communities. We support communities’ volunteer capacity and seek to assist them to attract additional funding. SRC grants provide a mechanism for future vibrancy and vitality. Significant donations to SRC can be tracked, with outcomes and impact reported back to donors.

In recent years, Australia has witnessed a high number of diverse and overlaid disasters and climate impacts that have adversely affected remote, rural and regional communities. This includes the NSW East Coast Severe Weather event; widespread flooding across western QLD, affecting western NSW and SA; widespread flooding in Far North QLD and Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

FRRR recognises that small and remote areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change and disasters, and experience capacity challenges in responding to and preparing for disasters where often, existing disadvantage is exacerbated. That is why our programs focus on building resilience and strengthening communities, and actively seek to support a more prepared and climate resilient remote, rural and regional Australia through investment in social & built capital and environmental health.

FRRR prepare and recover grants are designed to support communities in remote, rural and regional communities across Australia to implement initiatives that prevent and prepare for future climate-related impacts, or recover from existing disasters in the medium to long-term timeframe, generally one to ten years after a disaster.

Donations can be made at any time through our Disaster Recovery Appeal.

The FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Grants play a vital role in bringing the voice and ideas of young people to life. In collaboration with the ABC, FRRR provides grants to enable communities to take action on the ideas generated by young Australians who attend the annual Heywire Regional Youth Summit.

Through FRRR’s grants, our mentoring, experience and networks, these projects can make a huge difference in the lives of young people in remote, rural and regional Australia. FRRR ensures the voice and lived-experience of young people is present across the grantmaking process, involving Heywire alumni in the assessment of grant applications and proviing an internship experience with FRRR.

Takeover is a place-based storytelling and capacity building program – a partnership between ABC and FRRR – that empowers young people to share their voices and supports them to play an active role in shaping their community’s future. Young people come together in their local community and through a series of facilitated workshops, are connected with local not-for-profit groups, to bring their ideas for change to life.

In a Good Place is a national grants program that provides support for community-driven initiatives that reduce social isolation, and increase social participation. Local community groups design and undertake initiatives that focus on strengthening mental health and wellbeing of vulnerable community members who are at risk of, or are experiencing, mental health issues.

There are now two streams within the program:

  •  Community wellbeing for projects focussing on mental health and wellbeing within remote, rural and regional communities; and
  •  Farmers and farming communities for projects specifically supporting mental health and wellbeing of farmers and the communities they live in.
“FRRR is a welcome change from standard funding practices. It is clear that they truly care about what each local community needs and are guided by local place-based organisations to inform funding decisions. Thank you.”
SRC Grant Recipient