Community
19 July, 2024
Seeds of Renewal program open
APPLICATIONS are now open for the 2024 ANZ Seeds of Renewal program, with grants of up to $15,000 available for not-for-profit organisations and community groups in remote, rural, and regional Australia.
Since 2003, ANZ has partnered with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) to fund more than 850 community groups through the program, with a total investment of more than $6 million.
Now in its 22nd year, the ANZ Seeds of Renewal program is again offering a funding pool of $250,000 to community groups in remote, rural, and regional locations for projects aligned to four areas:
Environmental sustainability, which covers initiatives which restore and conserve the natural environment or contribute to lower carbon emissions, water stewardship and waste minimisation.
Financial wellbeing, which covers initiatives which improve economic participation, particularly for under-represented and disadvantaged people in the community - for example, building financial literacy and vocational skills and providing access to meaningful work.
Housing access, which covers initiatives and programs which support those experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, or that provide housing support for people living with disability.
Assisting local communities to thrive, which categorises projects which either enable vibrant communities, where everyone can participate and build a better life, or create sustainable communities which help deliver demonstrable medium to long-term economic sustainability.
ANZ head of agribusiness Mark Bennett said the bank was proud of the program, and he looks forward to the “diverse mix of applicants and projects” every year.
“The ANZ Seeds of Renewal program has been providing grants to communities in rural and regional Australia for more than two decades, many of which find it difficult to access the resources they need to prosper,” he said.
FRRR chief executive officer Natalie Egleton said she is also looking forward to seeing what projects will be put forward this year.
“Partnerships, like our long-running one with ANZ, are critical to enhancing the livability and vibrancy of remote, rural and regional communities,” she said.
“These grants allow local not-for-profits to get support for initiatives that address the local priorities that communities have identified.”
Applications for the 2024 Seeds of Renewal program close at 5pm on August 1, 2024.