Grants available to boost rural and regional communities

Media Releases, 11 July 2023

Applications for Nutrien Ag Solutions Community Grants Program are now open, with eligible not-for-profit organisations invited to apply for a grant of up to $5,000 to support remote, rural or regional community projects. The Nutrien Ag Solutions Community Grants Program is run in partnership with FRRR.

Penneshaw Medical Clinic
Penneshaw CWA, with the support of the Penneshaw Progress Association, was awarded a $5,000 Nutrien Ag Solutions Community Grant for improvements to the Penneshaw Community Health Rooms.

“Since the launch of the Community Grants program in 2021, Nutrien has supported 110 projects by awarding over $500,000 in grants to rural and regional communities across Australia,” said Mady Muirhead, Corporate Affairs Coordinator at Nutrien Ag Solutions.

“The success of agriculture and the well-being of regional Australia are inextricably linked. We’re proud to play a leading role in helping to build a safe and sustainable future for our farmers and their communities. We are going further by investing in meaningful projects and supporting local grassroot organisations.

“We have thousands of employees living and working in rural and regional Australia, ingrained in their local communities. They have a deep understanding of what makes a community thrive – and it’s all about the people.

“Last year we saw many parts of our country face environmental disasters on a significant scale, with many still facing recovery. This placed significant unanticipated stress on grassroots organisations and groups that work tirelessly to support their local communities. Nutrien Ag Solutions is so proud to provide a much-needed boost to the rural and regional communities we are a part of,” said Ms Muirhead.

The Community Grants Program has supported more than 100 local projects over the past two years, including the installation of an Indigenous artwork and Bush Tucker Garden at Childers, Queensland; contributing to a purpose-built beach ramp and wheelchairs at Swansea, Tasmania; child protection workshops at Dowerin, Western Australia and the installation of solar power panels at the Cambrai Sports Club in South Australia.

“We work in partnership with our communities to support them at a local level, in ways that best suit the individual needs of that community,” said Ms Muirhead.

“Rural communities continue to deal with so many challenges and the role of local not-for-profit groups is becoming ever more critical in filling gaps and helping create vibrant, sustainable communities. Many of these organisations have wonderful volunteers who do so much but projects to improve community facilities or resource new projects or operations also need funding,” said FRRR CEO, Natalie Egleton.

“Over the last two years local fundraising has been made increasingly difficult due to COVID and increasing economic pressures, meaning locals have less capacity to give. As a result, we’re seeing more and more demand for funding support.

“We are grateful for Nutrien’s ongoing partnership, as it enables grassroots groups to access grants that can go toward these projects. But it’s more than just money, as Nutrien’s support continues locally for groups that get funding, staying connected to the local branches as projects are implemented. So, we look forward to seeing what projects come forward this year,” Ms Egleton said.

Applications for the 2023 Nutrien Ag Solutions Community Grants Program are open now and close 10th August 2023, with successful applicants announced in October this year.

An online webinar will be held to support grant seekers from 12.30 – 1.30 (AEST) on Monday 24 July. Sign up for the webinar via the FRRR website or via this LINK.

For more information and to apply, visit: https://frrr.org.au/funding/place/nutrien/

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Amy Crawford

Amy Crawford has an extensive career in complex public policy and its intersection across government and communities.

Amy is the Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), representing 537 councils across the nation. Amy holds over 20 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service. She has a deep understanding of federal government policies and structures, with over 10 years’ service in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and has worked for the federal Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. Amy has shaped a wide range of policies and programs including regional development, telecommunications, immigration, emergency management, social policy and pandemic preparation.

Amy is a Board Director of Austroads and represents ALGA on the Public Skills Australia Industry Advisory Group, and the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. She is also a Board Director for the Canberra Youth Theatre which provides voice for Canberra’s youth through intelligent and challenging theatre.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Laws (honours) and Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) from the University of Queensland, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an alumnus of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership. Amy was appointed to the FRRR Board in January 2025.

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Kylie Hansen

Kylie brings leadership and management experience from across academic, corporate, not-for-profit, social enterprise and impact investment sectors, having deep dived into a myriad of specialisations and systems. Her six tertiary qualifications are equally as diverse and complimentary, covering commerce, politics, international development, community development, project management and law. Her breadth and depth of experience enables her to draw on a number of disciplines and innovative ways of working and thinking, and she is well recognised as consistently delivering work and services of a high quality.

Kylie uses her strong background in sustainability, governance and impact measurement to support collaborative initiatives across sectors oriented at improving social outcomes, and to support socially conscientious businesses to articulate their social impact. As founder and director at Impact Seed she has been instrumental in developing the impact measurement, evaluation, learning and ESG practice which advises numerous corporates, and is passionate about supporting First Nations empowerment particularly in the context of regional economic development.

Kylie is also a Director of the WA Social Enterprise Council, a member of the B Council (B Lab Australia and New Zealand), and a Governor of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

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Hon. John Anderson AC

The Hon. John Anderson AC is a sixth-generation farmer and grazier from NSW, who served in the Australian Parliament from 1989 to 2008.

He was a senior Cabinet minister in the government led by John Howard (1996 to 2005), including six years as Leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister.

In the latter role, Mr Anderson played in important role in FRRR’s history, working closely with Baillieu Myer AC and others on a proposal to establish a philanthropic organisation to benefit rural Australia. The concept was discussed at the National Regional Summit in 1999 and FRRR was established shortly thereafter.

Mr Anderson currently hosts a regular podcast, where he is in conversation with thought-leaders from around the world, and is a regular media commentator.

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Regina Cruickshank

Partnerships Specialist (WA)

Regina supports FRRR as the WA Partnerships Specialist. With over two decades of experience in partnerships and marketing, she has a deep understanding of Western Australia’s social impact landscape. She brings a strong passion for leveraging purpose-built networks to create positive change.

Regina previously worked with Playgroup WA and founded a Health Promotion Charity dedicated to supporting Social Emotional wellbeing for underserved communities. She’s excited about the opportunity to connect with partners and explore ways to make a meaningful difference in WA.

She lives in Perth with her family and enjoys mindful moments of connection to Country, whether on horseback, on foot or underwater.

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Anna Palmer

People and Culture Manager

Based in Central Victoria, Anna is a senior Human Resources, Organisation Development and Industrial Relations professional, with significant private and public sector experience across every facet of people and culture leadership.

Her most recent roles have been with Don KR in Castlemaine and Mount Alexander Shire Council. She has also held senior HR roles with Victoria Legal Aid and the TAC among many others.

From Mildura originally, Anna has postgraduate qualifications in Change Management and a Masters in Organisation Dynamics.

Anna is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts to balance her creative pursuits and work as an HR professional.

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Philippa Twaddle

Management Accountant

Carolyn joined the FRRR team in March 2017, and is responsible for providing executive support to the CEO, effective coordination of the FRRR office and general administrative support to the management team. A key responsibility is supporting the administration of FRRR’s Donation Account Services.

She has over fifteen years’ experience working in local government in the Tourism and Arts Sector, Civic and Event Management and Community engagement.

Carolyn has a Bachelor of Arts in Librarianship, majoring in psychology, and grew up on farming communities in Cohuna and Echuca and currently lives in Bendigo.