The Snow Foundation in partnership with Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), has awarded more than $490,000 in grants to support 18 projects (six in each community) led by not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) in the South Coast communities of Batemans Bay, Ulladulla and Nowra, through the Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program.

We formed a partnership with FRRR to expand the IRCF program and increase our ongoing support and commitment to the Bateman’s Bay, Nowra and Ulladulla communities. The start-up grants are the first stage of a five-year plan providing $2.5m in funding to help strengthen NFP organisations and ultimately enable them to thrive.  It is a grassroots approach aimed at building and supporting the capacity of individual not-for-profits in each community recognising this will have a collective impact on community well-being.

Terry Snow, Founder of The Snow Foundation, said partnering with FRRR is the best way to make the biggest positive impact for the South Coast as they work closely with communities to help them prosper by strengthening charities and not-for-profit organisations.

“The South Coast is my home and it’s important for me to invest in and support our community. We worked hard to help during and after the bushfires and our support is ongoing through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond—we’re here to help, we’re here to stay.”

Some of the projects funded through these IRCF Start-Up Grants include:

• The Family Place in the Batemans Bay area received $40,785 to develop a 5-year strategic plan that supports the urgent need to adapt to Telehealth to continue to provide services during COVID-19.
• The Shoalhaven Women’s Resource Group in Nowra received $18,810 to work with a consultant to develop a new fundraising strategy that focuses on the launch of a social enterprise to provide a first employment opportunity for the women they support who are exiting prison.
• Treading Lightly in Ulladulla received $25,000 to establish a Community Hub to host their regular program of small-scale community-building meetings, workshops and activities for the regions affiliated NFPs – these workshops and meetings often have an environmental sustainability and youth outreach
  focus.

You can see the full list of 18 projects here. Over the coming six months FRRR staff and facilitators on the ground will work closely with the following community organisations.

Nowra
The Shoalhaven Women’s Resource Group, Shoalhaven Community Preschool, Shoalhaven Health and Arts, Shoalhaven Neighbourhood Services, South Coast Beef Producers Association, Tomerong School of Arts.

Ulladulla
Milton Promotions Committee, Milton Ulladulla Business Chamber, Ulladulla and Districts Community Resources Centre, Independence Ulladulla, Treading Lightly, Red Head Villages Association.

Batemans Bay
Community Life Batemans Bay, Eurobodalla Education and Therapy Services, SEARMS Aboriginal Corporation, Clyde River and Batemans Bay Historical Society, The Family Place, Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance.

The team at Independence Ulladulla

Read the media release for all three South Coast communities

Read the media release for Nowra

Read the media release for Ulladulla

Read the media release for Batemans Bay