The Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR) commits $685K in grants to target rural communities.
Rural communities across Australia are set to benefit from a $685,000 funding injection aimed at tackling climate change at a local level. FRRR has awarded grants to 27 initiatives through its Community Led Climate Solutions program (CLCS).
“Local NFPs and community organisations want to play a bigger role in creating sustainable and enduring climate solutions for their communities,” said Sarah Matthee, Climate Solutions Portfolio Lead at FRRR. “This program responds to that need, which is why it continues to attract more and more applications.”
The grants, funded by FRRR’s donor partners, will support a diverse range of projects designed to reduce emissions and help communities adapt to the changing climate. The CLCS program operates two funding streams: Engage and Deliver, and Scaling.
The Engage and Deliver stream, which received $417,742, will support 23 initiatives across every state and the Northern Territory. These projects focus on promoting and implementing practices and solutions that can lower emissions and enhance community resilience.
“The 27 projects funded showcase a diverse range of future-focussed, community-led climate solutions, including addressing energy supply, reuse and recycling, distributing knowledge and climate risk adaptation,” Ms Matthee explained. “This diversity reinforces the fact that each community’s experience of the social, economic and environmental impacts of a changing climate is unique. So too are the ways that communities want to respond to those circumstances.” She noted that over half the funded projects focus on developing awareness, knowledge, and skills, reflecting the different stages communities are at in their climate action journey.
The Scaling stream, with $267,500 in funding, will enable four community groups to expand the reach of their existing, successful local initiatives. FRRR recognises that rural NFPs often struggle to access funds for scaling up impactful projects.
“The four projects funded via the Scaling stream advance an existing, locally-led project to a more mature state, enhancing the capacity of the local community to take an active role in the mitigation or adaptation of climate change,” Ms Matthee added. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact these initiatives have within their communities as they progress.”
FRRR hopes these initiatives will inspire other communities to take action, encouraging both businesses and philanthropists to support local responses to climate change. The foundation works in partnership with organisations like Boundless Earth, Hand Heart Pocket, Paul Ramsay Foundation, and Elders Insurance, which is backed by the QBE Foundation. They are committed to funding community-led solutions that address climate change and its impacts.
A full list of grant recipients is available on FRRR’s website. FRRR welcomes further contributions to this collaborative fund to increase its impact across remote, rural, and regional Australia.
Also read: $1M grant for rural Australia: FRRR strengthens communities
Milton writes as both an occupation and a hazard. He also works on the newsletters you see on Tuesday and Thursday with articles you should find interesting.
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