Supporting the regions - applications open for local community grants

The Albanese Government is supporting the continued recovery from COVID-19 in the regions, with up to $10,000 available to community groups across regional, remote and rural Australia.

The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal’s (FRRR) Strengthening Rural Communities program provides grants of up to $10,000 to support local organisations to uplift their communities following significant disruption from COVID-19.

Grants could be for initiatives such as workshops, education programs or improving facilities and community equipment.

The last round, delivered in November, saw 55 local-led projects across the country shared in over $470,000 in grants.

The Albanese Government has invested $5 million from 2022 to 2024 in the Rebuilding Regional Communities stream of the FRRR’s Strengthening Rural Communities program.

This is the final round of the Rebuilding Regional Communities stream and applications close 5pm AEDT 26 February 2024.

For further information and how to apply visit www.frrr.org.au/funding/place/src-rebuilding-regional-communities/.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King:

“When we back local ideas and invest in local priorities, we get better outcomes in our communities, which is why we funded the Rebuilding Regional Communities stream – which is already investing in projects right across the country under previous rounds.

“These grants support regional, rural and remote organisations to expand their services, and are a key part of the Albanese Government’s continued commitment to activating regional economies.”

Quotes attributable to FRRR Place Portfolio Lead, Jill Karena:

FRRR’s small grants have supported rural Australia for the past 23 years. Within our Strengthening Communities program alone, we have awarded nearly $18 million in small grants since 2019 and the program’s flexibility is one of the key reasons why it continues to be so popular.

“Flexible funding means that we can support projects that meet a wide range of needs, reflecting what the community sees as a priority. For some, this may be a new roof for the town hall, for others it may be an event to bring people together, and for others it could be mental health first aid training.

“Virtually every part of Australia is recovering from one or more disasters, from the pandemic to floods, bushfires or drought – and many have experienced successive or even overlapping events. The cumulative effect means that even within the same region, there are people working to respond and support recovery, while others are putting planning and training in place to build their resilience and prepare for the next, inevitable, event.”