On The Land
13 July, 2025
Farming communities targeted
PROJECTS that support the mental health and wellbeing of farmers, farming communities and people living in remote, rural and regional places can be funded by the “In a Good Place” (IAGP) program.
The program, being offered by the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), offers grants of up to $20,000 for projects from community groups and not-for-profits.
The IAGP program has $240,000 in funding available in this round. The grants can support community-led initiatives that improve mental health education to increase knowledge and reduce stigma, build community connections to lessen isolation and increase wellbeing, and assist local non-clinical services.
FRRR’s Jill Karena said that country people were resilient, but that did not mean they didn’t need support.
“Resilience is about using what you have in your toolbox to tackle a challenge. It doesn’t mean you have to battle things on your own,” she said.
“These grants are for local organisations to help their community build up the knowledge, skills and networks to support their mental health and wellbeing and to make sure locals know they don’t need to go it alone.
“Community groups and NFPs are on the ground, speaking with local people, so they are best placed to understand the kind of pressures that the community is dealing with and what kind of support is needed.
“This might be through a mental health first aid course, hosting a community event to help locals feel connected and less isolated, inviting a guest speaker to share their mental health journey or providing locals with a safe space to speak up about their own mental health.”
There are two streams of funding:
• Community wellbeing: for projects that focus on strengthening the general mental health and wellbeing of people in remote, rural and regional communities, and
• Farmers and farming communities: for projects specifically supporting the mental health and wellbeing of farmers and the communities they live in.
“The National Farmers Federation’s 2023 National Farmer Wellbeing Report reinforced why it’s so important to offer funding to local NFPs in farming regions and, since offering the second stream of funding, we’ve been inspired by the passion and dedication for the wellbeing of farmers and their towns,” Ms Karena said.
“It’s these organisations and their projects that are filling the gaps in mental health services in these communities.
“Together with our funding partners, we look forward to being inspired by the proactive, community-focussed project ideas that support the mental health and wellbeing of people in remote, rural and small regional settings.”
FRRR will host a free, online grantseeker workshop on Wednesday, 9 July at 2pm for NFPs and community groups wanting to learn more about the program. To register, visit FRRR’s website.
Applications are currently open and close on Thursday, 14 August. Funding will be announced late November.
To learn more and apply, visit: https://frrr.org.au/funding/place/in-a-good-place/
