FRRR Small Grants Program Celebrates Silver Jubilee Round
4 February 2014 at 9:27 am
Grants of up to $5,000 are available to small Not for Profit community groups across Australia to mark the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal’s (FRRRs) Small Grants for Rural Communities program Silver Jubilee round.
FRRR says that over the 24 rounds of the program to date, thousands of small Australian towns from Katherine to Keith, Coonabarabran to Cobram, and all places in between, have benefited from the grants.
“Since its inception in 2003, the program, which is a unique collaboration between many philanthropic funders, has granted more than $8 million through bi-annual rounds,” FRRR’s CEO Alexandra Gartmann said.
“This funding has supported 2,661 projects led by community groups, who have implemented local solutions to local issues. FRRR’s unique tax status allows funds to reach community organisations that might otherwise not be eligible for philanthropic support.”
The funds can go towards projects that improve:
- Health, social welfare and wellbeing;
- Educational opportunities and outcomes;
- Arts, culture, tourism and heritage projects;
- Environmental and natural resource management outcomes; or
- A community’s economic sustainability, through community-led economic and social enterprise activities.
Gartmann said the Small Grants for Rural Communities program was only possible thanks to the generosity of several long-term philanthropic partners, who enabled the Foundation to support the great work of local volunteers.
“A Small Grant is often a catalyst and we’ve had many reports over the years of it being the difference between an initiative getting off the ground or stagnating. Small grants really can make a big difference and we encourage eligible groups to apply for funding,” she said.
“Community groups have used the funds to implement a broad range of programs, from alleviating local poverty by providing emergency meals, to providing access for disabled persons to buildings, equipping Men’s Sheds, installing shade cloths for kindergartens, hosting multicultural days and events, reducing environmental degradation or becoming tech savvy.
“The program has also helped increase social inclusion through initiatives like community festivals, as well as improving economic development through projects such as social enterprises or local farmers’ markets, new media training or job-ready programs.
“The program has a simple application form, which makes it easy to apply,” Gartmann said.
To be eligible, projects must address a recognised need in the community, and be charitable in their purpose (for example, not of benefit to individuals or on private land).
Applications close Friday, March 28. The application form and guidelines, together with examples of previous successful projects and their outcomes, can be found on the FRRR website or freecall 1800 170 020 for a mail out.
The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) was established in 2000 to support the renewal of rural and regional communities in Australia through partnerships with the private sector, philanthropy and governments.
