$1 Million Backs Community-Led Projects Across Rural Australia
Seventy-one locally driven projects will strengthen disaster readiness, digital skills, community facilities and social connections across rural and remote Australia.
More than $1 million has been awarded to 71 not-for-profit organisations and community groups through the latest round of FRRR’s Strengthening Rural Communities grant program.
The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal, known as FRRR, will distribute $1,025,724 to locally led projects with a combined value exceeding $2.4 million.
Funding has been directed primarily towards remote, very remote and underserved rural communities. Grants awarded to inner-regional locations will also support smaller towns and outlying districts with fewer services and less capacity to raise funds locally.
FRRR Head of Granting Jill Karena said supporting local ideas and strengthening smaller, more isolated communities remained central to the program.
“FRRR’s vision is for rural Australia to be vibrant, resilient, sustainable and empowered,” Ms Karena said.
She said the program supported projects across five themes within FRRR’s strategy. These include responding to climate change, strengthening disaster resilience, supporting generational transition, advancing First Nations self-determination and assisting outback and very remote communities.
Projects funded in this round cover emergency preparedness, improvements to shared facilities, digital inclusion, arts and culture, health initiatives and opportunities for greater social participation.
Several projects aim to build lasting skills and knowledge in communities affected by disasters or limited access to services. They include First Nations-led digital skills and artificial intelligence training, as well as training, licensing and technology projects designed to help communities record and pass cultural knowledge from Elders to younger generations.
Wellbeing and creative programs will also receive funding. FRRR said these initiatives could strengthen community resilience, build confidence and reduce social isolation during droughts and disasters.
Among the successful recipients is Weemelah Hall in New South Wales, which will receive $10,000 to install solar power and improve the financial sustainability of the widely used community facility.
In Queensland, the Giru Bowls and Recreation Club will receive $22,272 for backup power at a community hub serving about 300 people in an area frequently isolated by flooding.
Other grants include $50,000 for digital literacy workshops and mentoring for aspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs in the Northern Territory’s Barkly region.
A youth baking program addressing mental health and social isolation on Christmas Island will receive $10,000, while Penong Primary School in South Australia will receive $10,000 to create an accessible pathway to its playground.
The Strengthening Rural Communities program remains open throughout the year. Eligible not-for-profit groups are encouraged to review the program guidelines and contact FRRR before applying.
Three funding streams are available, offering grants of up to $10,000 through Small and Vital, up to $50,000 through Larger Leverage and up to $25,000 through Prepare and Recover.
