CEO's Message

It’s nine years since FRRR was established and we are clearly fulfilling our mission to form partnerships to give back to rural and regional Australia. In those nine years, FRRR has granted more than $25M to more than 3500 projects established and carried out by communities across the nation. We’ve also been able to increase our partnerships with organisations ranging from banks and businesses, from foundations and communities themselves wanting to support projects in rural areas. We’ve also boosted the total amount of funds raised for these purposes while keeping our administrative costs relatively static.

We have developed new grant-giving programs and attracted new partners in response to constantly changing circumstances in rural and regional Australia. An excellent example of this is our Repair, Restore Renew program in response to floods in Queensland and fires in Victoria. FRRR has provided leadership and coordinated a philanthropic response, giving communities a one-stop shop or single entry point for applying for grants and reporting back on disaster recovery projects.

We have recently created a REACH program, which will fund projects to develop early childhood education. Another new program, CATCH, is specifically dedicated to boosting cultural, artistic, tourist and heritage projects in rural and regional Australia.

Over the past two years FRRR has also developed a terrific and vital relationship with ABC Rural Radio. This has given FRRR comprehensive exposure across our shared constituency. Together, through projects such as MeChange, Drought Not Out and Heywire, we’ve been able to spread the word about FRRR’s existence and purpose and we’ve encouraged communities to bigger and better things.

In 2008, it was also my great fortune to travel to the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States on a Churchill Fellowship to examine how philanthropy works in those countries. FRRR’s new Community Foundations Sustainability Grants Program is a direct outcome of this trip. Grants made through this program will help community foundations get on their feet by providing administrative funding over three years.

In closing, I’d like to acknowledge the highly valued contributions and constant support of FRRR’s partners. FRRR’s dynamic staff, Amanda Winchcomb, Esmae Barnes, Kerry Anderson and Leeanne Dell, really are a dream team and I thank, also, past grants managers Audrey Elston and Jo Mason for their hard work and dedication.

Without the consistent hard work and constant support of FRRR’s board and Chairman, philanthropy in rural and regional Australia would be hugely lacking

Sylvia Admans

CEO