On The Land
31 January, 2025
Backing the future for young innovators
GRANTS of up to $50,000 are being offered to develop innovative ideas that improve the lives of young people in remote, rural and regional Queensland.
Applications for funding under the Backing the Future program are open to young people, aged 18 and over, and close on 17 March 2025.
The program is a partnership between the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF) and the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) which combines the funding ability of VFFF with FRRR’s extensive knowledge of and connection to remote, rural and regional communities.
The funding is for individuals only, in a bid to eliminate one of the barriers that often exist in accessing philanthropy.
VFFF chief executive officer Jenny Wheatley said the foundation was excited about the program’s potential to discover and back young innovators who had transformative ideas.
“We have already supported 17 incredible community changemakers in Queensland through previous rounds of this program, and we look forward to backing 10 new ideas that will create lasting impacts for young people in their communities,” she said.
“We know that often the hardest part of getting a project off the ground is securing initial funding to test the idea. This is especially true in rural and remote areas, where high costs and smaller populations make piloting new projects even more challenging.”
Ms Wheatley said early-stage support had given past participants the confidence to develop their ideas and deliver events, social enterprises and charities that continue to benefit young people across the state.
An example was grant recipient Jameson Harvey, who used his $50,000 grant to deliver robotics workshops in remote schools.
“Access to robotics and 3D printers is hard to come by in regional and remote communities,” he said.
“To see students walk into the classroom a bit nervous and unsure about these fancy technologies, and then, by the end of the session, walk away confident in programming and design skills – even skills that were tricky for me to learn – is incredibly rewarding.”
FRRR’s chief executive officer Natalie Egleton said anyone interested in applying should contact FRRR’s Youth Futures team to have a chat about a potential project. It would also host a free webinar to explain more about the program and answer questions. FRRR also provided capacity-building support to successful applicants.
“We know that young people are the future of vibrant, resilient and sustainable rural communities,” Ms Egleton said.
“By providing opportunities that strengthen their connection and open doors to new possibilities, we can empower them to create transformative outcomes for themselves and their communities.”
The FRRR webinar will be held at 12 noon (AEST) on Wednesday, 5 February. Register at: https://events.humanitix.com/2025-qld-backing-the-future-grants.
To learn more, visit www.frrr.org.au/backing-the-future or call 1800 170 020 and speak to FRRR’s Youth Futures Manager, Lauren.
About FRRR
The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal is a national foundation focused on ensuring the social and economic strength of remote, rural and regional communities. FRRR connects common purposes and investment with locally-prioritised needs. Since it began in 2000, it has delivered more than $200 million to more than 15,000 projects.
About VFFF
Established by Sir Vincent Fairfax in 1962, VFFF is a charitable trust, with family members spanning three generations. It has distributed more than $220 million to Australian communities. VFFF’s current focus is on backing young people with innovative opportunities that advance their independence, social purpose and future security.
