Jacki Dimond
April 18, 2018
Community groups in drought-affected areas in regional Queensland can now apply for grants to bring people together, strengthen community resilience and plan for the future, whenever they need it.
The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal’s (FRRR) “Tackling Tough Times Together” grant program is now open year-round, with recipients announced in April and September.
The program, now in its fourth year, is designed to support and increase community connectivity, enhance well-being and resilience, encourage skill development and build community capacity to cope now and in the future.
Grants are available through two streams: small grants of up to $15,000; and large or multi-year grants of up to $50,000 for projects that have deeper and broader impacts.
A project recently funded allowed the Gympie Men’s Shed to buy computers and equipment to provide internet access and training for their members.
FRRR’s Queensland Program Manager Jacki Dimond said that while recent rains were welcome, communities were still experiencing the long-term impacts of ongoing drought.
“Some areas are well into their sixth year of drought, and even in those communities where it has rained, the drought isn’t over,” she said.
“People still need support and thanks to the generosity of the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Qantas Foundation and a number of individual donors, the program has been secured for a number of rounds into the future.
“We visited some of these areas toward the end of last year and heard first-hand the importance of having ongoing funding available, so we are pleased to be able to offer more certainty to groups that have a project still in development.
“Past grants have supported projects as diverse as multi-generational old-time dance workshops to the development of a community owned agri-tourism event, so we are looking forward to seeing more innovative projects coming forward.
“For the larger grants in particular, it’s important that people call me to discuss their idea, before they put in an application, to ensure alignment with the program.
“We hope that accepting applications year-round enables groups to put together applications at the times that suit them best, instead of rushing an application at the last minute.”
The grant guidelines are deliberately broad to allow communities to seek support for whatever they need most.
Supporting local economic recovery is a new objective for the program, as communities look to new business, culture and tourism as more reliable sources of economic stimulus than agriculture.
- For more information and grant guidelines, visit the FRRR website
