Investing in Rural Community Futures Victoria
Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) is a grassroots program that aims to build the capacity of not-for-profit (NFP) organisations.
After being piloted and delivered in eight NSW communities, beginning in 2018, the program is now coming to three Victorian communities, thanks to the support of four philanthropic organisations – Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, Jack Brockhoff Foundation, The Ross Trust, and William Buckland Foundation.
Run over five years, the program offers flexible and tailored support, including grants, workshops, and participatory planning processes, to strengthen the local NFP sector, so it can work collectively to more effectively advocate on shared issues, contribute to a thriving community and achieve long-term impact across agreed priority areas. You can learn more about the program below.
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How can we become a partner community?
After an extensive research and community engagement process, drawing on the learnings and successes from the NSW program, FRRR has identified five Victorian communities* as having the potential to achieve significant positive impact through the program:
Colac | Hamilton | Maryborough | Portland | Swan Hill
Each community is now invited to:
- Attend an online Community Information Session to learn more about IRCF and the opportunity to become a partner community.
- Submit an Expression of Interest responding to four questions, which is co-signed by multiple local NFP organisations and other interested stakeholders, such as the local council, business chamber, First Nations organisations, and so on. See further details below.
Media Releases and Resources:
Register & attend an online Community Information Session
Below are the dates for the Community Information Sessions for each of the five shortlisted communities*. Please only attend the session specific to your community.
This session will be a great way to learn more about the program and ask questions. Register your attendance for the session by clicking on the relevant link below. The sessions will be recorded and shared to those unable to attend or wanting to revisit the content.
- Hamilton: 12-1pm, Wednesday 27 November 2024: Register here
- Colac: 12-1pm, Thursday 28 November 2024: Register here
- Swan Hill: 12-1pm, Monday 2 December 2024: Register here
- Portland: 11am-12pm, Tuesday 3 December 2024: Register here
- Maryborough: 1.30-2.30pm, Tuesday 3 December 2024: Register here
*Representatives from smaller nearby townships connected to the five communities through services and other means are welcome to be involved and attend the information sessions.
Prepare & submit an Expression of Interest
Your community is invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to become a partner community, using this EOI template.
We recommend that interested groups begin liaising with other local not-for-profit organisations and community groups and start preparing your EOI now.
The EOI has four questions that will help FRRR better understand your community and the interest of the local NFPs in partnering with us. We’re excited to learn more about your NFP sector, your past efforts to achieve positive solutions to local issues, current priorities, and your interest in working with others to identify areas for shared impact.
Only one EOI submission is required per community, but if it makes sense for your community to prepare two EOI’s in parallel and submit both, that’s OK.
The EOI is due by Wednesday 11 December 2024. If you would like a copy of the EOI template, please contact Jo Kemp at j.kemp@frrr.org.au.
FRRR will review the EOI submissions and invite selected communities to join us for a half-day workshop in your community in February 2025 to further explore local priorities and opportunities for the NFP sector.
Frequently Asked Questions – IRCF Victoria
Who can be the Lead Organisation for the Expression of Interest (EOI)?
Any local NFP organisation with the capacity to coordinate the process can be the Lead Organisation for this purpose. The Lead Organisation’s role is to help facilitate the EOI submission on behalf of the community with those organisations interested in engaging with, and who are supportive of, the program in your community.
The Lead Organisation for this purpose is not obligated to take on any further commitments moving forward.
What is FRRR seeking to learn from our community?
FRRR is interested to gain insight into how your community has collaborated in the past to solve a local challenge/s, as well as an indication of shared priorities or opportunities for the future. We are also keen to understand which organisations are supportive of your community becoming a partner with FRRR over the next five years. We do not expect specific or detailed project briefs.
Who should be involved in the EOI?
We encourage as many organisations as practicable to be engaged in the EOI process and endorse the submission. Noting that, should your community progress to become a partner community with FRRR over the next 5 years, there will be a Community Roadmap co-designed with broad community input. The Roadmap will likely incorporate a variety of priorities and goals related to your community. To view examples of Community Roadmaps from our partners in NSW, visit the FRRR program home page.
Can surrounding towns participate?
FRRR has invited five rural towns (Colac, Hamilton, Maryborough, Portland and Swan Hill) to learn more about the IRCF program and submit an Expression of Interest. We acknowledge that ‘community’ is a loose term and welcome participation in the program from NFP and community groups who are connected to those five town centres through services and other means, and as such identify as part of the broader community.
We seek to understand where there may be shared priorities and interests across the community and nearby townships and how the IRCF program could be of value in building the capacity of the NFP sector. A key element of the program moving forward for selected communities would be to identify mutual goals through a Community Roadmap workshop process.
Can our community submit more than one Expression of Interest?
FRRR only expects one Expression of Interest to be submitted, but if it makes sense for your community (e.g. in the interest of time, for efficiency etc.) to prepare two EOIs in parallel and submit both, that’s OK.
Is there a word limit for each question?
There is no word limit, but please note that we do not expect long detailed responses to the four questions in the Expression of Interest template. Providing summary information, and using dot points is sufficient. You can add links to other sources if helpful to assist in sharing additional information.
I have a question, who can I talk to?
If you have a question about the program, EOI process or the Community Information Session, please don’t hesitate to reach out:
How IRCF works
IRCF offers a combination of a locally based Community Facilitator, community-led and informed grants (approximately $600,000 per community), participatory planning processes, skill building workshops to support individual and community capacity, local networking and collaboration on shared objectives.
The approach focuses on small to medium sized NFPs and is intentionally flexible, progressing at the pace of the community over five years. IRCF can support a range of priorities for NFPs, including but not limited to, governance capability and strategic planning, volunteerism, organisational systems & processes, and local partnerships.
Community-wide conversations are facilitated to identify and activate shared goals based on local priorities. This process creates a Community Roadmap that is revisited on annual basis and is readily accessible on the FRRR website alongside other relevant resources and program information. An evaluation partner helps track progress and guide next steps.
You are welcome to explore the Community Roadmaps for our NSW partner communities as well as other shared resources on the FRRR IRCF hub.
Program elements
These are the important program elements that together can strengthen NFP organisations in rural areas to achieve positive change in their community. The program provides an opportunity to explore each element with engagement from across the NFP sector, building towards a shared vision for the future and activation of ideas.
“Participating in the program helped us understand our mission, how we work as a business, how we need good governance to tell our story and be involved in the community.“
“The most significant change for our organisation is stronger partnership with other NFPs involved, and the ability for us to work from a place where we are all on the same page.“
NSW community partners
The Four Pillars
These four pillars guide the program and are the focus areas for investment to help strengthen organisational capacity, activate ideas, and achieve community-led change.
Some examples of the projects funded under each pillar in NSW communities are:
Many more funded projects can be found on FRRR’s website.
Insights from our NSW partner communities
Recording the stories and voices of local people and leaders involved in the program is a fantastic way to share their experiences about what it’s like to be a partner community and what’s possible through the program.
Click on the picture to watch a short four-minute video.
If you’d like to learn more, we have recently launched an Impact Report sharing insights from Leeton, Junee, and Nambucca called Lessons and impacts from Investing in Rural Communities Futures pilot.
“There are better partnerships and collaborations between organisations in the community. We share a lot of our resources now. We used to be in competition with each other, but now we all talk more to each other. We didn’t do that before.”
NSW community partner