After supporting more than 50 local projects in 2021, the Nutrien Ag Solutions Community Grants Program is back, offering grants of up to $5,000 for projects across rural and regional Australia.

Nutrien Ag Solutions Director of Corporate Affairs Carissa Buckland says the program supports projects that strengthen, connect and enhance rural and regional communities.

“We have thousands of employees living and working in rural and regional towns right across Australia. So, we have a deep understanding of what makes a community thrive – and it’s all about the people” says Buckland.

“Covid placed significant unanticipated stress on grassroots organisations and groups that work tirelessly to support their local communities. With face-to-face events restricted over the past two years it’s been challenging for these groups to rely on their regular fundraising efforts.  Nutrien Ag Solutions is so proud to provide a much-needed boost to the rural and regional communities we are a part of,” says Buckland.

Buckland says grants are available for a wide range of meaningful community-led projects.

“Last year we supported 57 projects across the country including the installation of monkey bars at Coonamble Pre-School for their occupational therapy program and weatherproof speakers for the Mansfield Armchair Cinema. We also supported the upgrade of a space for regional artists to exhibit their work in Moora, an excursion to visit local farmers for students at Belltrees Public School, and a fence to improve the safety of the public playground at Deniliquin,” says Ms Buckland.

“We were also proud to support the return of medical services at the Penneshaw Community Health Rooms on Kangaroo Island, with funding used to provide air-conditioning for the consulting room and disability access to the bathroom, including a mobility toilet and grab rails.”

The Nutrien Ag Solutions Community Grants Program is run in partnership with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR).

FRRR CEO, Natalie Egleton, says that access to flexible funding through programs like Nutrien Ag Solutions Community Grants Program is really important for local not-for-profits and community groups to sustain their communities.

“The cumulative impacts of fires, floods, drought and COVID has put significant pressure on many remote, rural and regional community groups – yet as our Heartbeat of Rural Australia study showed last year, their work is more important than ever.  Flexible grant programs like this one, which can support a wide range of community needs, are more important than ever. We are delighted to once again be partnering with Nutrien Ag Solutions to enable this funding to get to the community groups that need it most, so they can help build stronger rural communities.”

Applications for the 2022 Nutrien Ag Solutions Community Grants Program are open now and close 5pm AEST 12 August 2022, with successful applicants announced in October this year.