The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) and Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF) invite grant applications from individuals to develop innovative ideas that enhance the lives of young people aged 12-30.
The grants are available through the Backing the Future program. In NSW, the program has already supported 28 individuals by investing $1.4 million in their rural youth-focussed projects.
“Our experience shows that the hardest part of getting a project off the ground is securing initial funding to test the idea,” VFFF CEO Jenny Wheatley said. “This is especially true in rural and remote areas, where high costs and smaller populations make piloting new projects even more challenging.”
According to Wheatley, Backing the Future bridges this gap by trusting that leaders in local communities can create transformative opportunities for young people when provided with the right resources. She said that VFFF is excited about the program’s potential to discover transformative ideas.
“Applicants not only get the grant funding but they are also connected with the staff from FRRR, who provide additional capacity building, connections and networking to ensure that grantees have an opportunity to pilot innovative ideas,” Wheatley explained.
Previous grant recipient Bianca Bellicanta said that the grant had a more personal impact than she had anticipated.
“Backing the Future gave me the chance to lead a project that truly made a difference,” Bellicanta shared. “With my $50,000 grant and support from the Backing the Future team, I was able to work alongside young emerging artists from across the Bega Valley to bring a stunning mural to life. I created paid opportunities for these young local artists and ran creative programs that connected and inspired young people to talk about the environment and community impact. It’s been a huge learning curve and a really rewarding way to grow my leadership and community-building skills.”
Unlike many other programs, VFFF’s granting structure enables Backing the Future to fund individuals without requiring the backing of an established organisation, eliminating traditional barriers to entry.
FRRR CEO Natalie Egleton said that the innovative partnership between FRRR and VFFF means the foundation can respond to the needs of young people in each community in an agile way, which has resulted in projects with amazing and ongoing impacts.
“The growing Backing the Future network is quickly becoming a high-impact alumni of next-gen rural leaders,” Egleton said. “We are keen to keep this momentum growing and make sure more rural NSW communities know about the Backing the Future program… We encourage any interested applicants in these regions to reach out to organise a face-to-face chat with our team members about your project ideas.”
Egleton added that they have been so impressed by the previous Backing the Future cohort and are looking forward to working with the next group of changemakers.
Applications are open to anyone aged 18+ with an idea to benefit young people in their remote, rural or regional NSW community. EOIs are due on 28 July, and successful EOIs will be invited to submit a full application from 13 August. Meanwhile, full applications close at 5 pm AEST on 8 September. To learn more, head to the Backing the Future page.
Read also: Developer invests $10K in local youth mental health
Geraldine is currently the Content Producer for Third Sector, an Akolade channel. Throughout her career, she has written for various industries and international audiences. Her love for writing extends beyond the corporate world, as she also works as a volunteer writer at her local church. Aside from writing, she is also fond of joining fun runs and watching musicals.
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