The Connected stream sees the TFFF collaborate with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) to provide one-off project grants strengthening community connectedness. The TFFF recognises the FRRR's expertise in this type of responsive grassroots grantmaking and further resources its capacity to deliver support to Queensland and the Northern Territory.
The TFFF's support is specific to the FRRR's Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program, which preferences applications from communities with populations under 15,000 people. Small & Vital grants up to $10,000 are available for a range of community-led projects that strengthen local people, places, and climate solutions. The FRRR receives SRC applications on an ongoing basis which are assessed and announced quarterly, and occasionally awards Larger Leverage for time-critical applications.
For the FY23-25 three-year period, the Strengthening Rural Communities program and administration received an annual TFFF contribution of $400,000 for expenditure in the following financial year. Separate to this partnership, a further $80,000 was approved for six organisations.
FRRR Small & Vital grants
FRRR Tailored grants
of SRC funding awarded to First Nations organisations and/or projects^
total Connected funding distributed by FRRR and TFFF
The figures in the infographics above refer only to funding approved and distributed in the 2025/26 financial year.
FRRR is committed to working alongside communities, especially the smaller places that are often overlooked or under-served. Its recently released 2026-2028 Strategic Plan outlines where FRRRโs partnership can make the most impact, setting a clear path to support outback, remote, and very remote communities, as they face big changes. Alongside this geographic priority is a commitment to First Nations self-determination, next generation transition, disaster resilience, and climate solutions.
In September 2025, FRRR Program Manager (North & East) Marjolein Righarts and Grants Officer Amanda Gunders, travelled to Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territoryโs Gove Peninsula to connect with local organisations, learn about pressing challenges, and share available and upcoming funding opportunities through the FRRR.
Food security is a serious and widespread concern for many remote communities, including Yolลu homelands. There is one Woolworths store in Nhulunbuy, which services more than 3,000 residents and those living on homelands in a 1,500km radius. News that this Woolworths is expected to close by mid-2027 has understandably distressed the community and spurred various responses; neighbouring Yirrkala has an independent community store, but the next closest supermarket chains are in Darwin or Katherine.
One of the organisations FRRR spent time with in Nhulunbuy was Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation (aka Laynha). Laynha is an Aboriginal owned and managed community organisation established in 1985. It supports some 30 remote Yolลu homelands across North-East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory through a wide range of services.
Through a special TFFF-funded Strengthening Rural Communities Larger Leverage grant, the FRRR approved support for Laynha to purchase a refrigerated shipping container for bulk food storage, providing vital, community-owned food infrastructure for the vulnerable communities in its membership.
Photos courtesy of FRRR.
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Strengthen community-led decision making, cultural knowledge preservation and sharing, and the collective wellbeing of Ghungalu people and Country by providing project facilitation, governance support and on Country camp co-ordination.
Enclose an existing verandah at a newly acquired venue to establish a creative community arts space that enables yearโround workshops and community gatherings.
Supporting community connection, service provision, and disaster preparedness by providing tables and chairs for events and emergency response in a very remote community.
Strengthening food security across multiple very remote Yolลu homelands by purchasing a refrigerated shipping container for bulk food storage.
Supporting wellbeing and resilience by providing a clean water supply for very remote First Nation homelands in Western Arnhem Land.
Improve food and volunteer safety, restore full cooking capacity, and ensure reliable meal provision for vulnerable community members by purchasing a new stove.
Promoting cultural vibrancy in a remote community by transforming an underused public space into a community art gallery.
Contribute to ambulance and security services at a key community connection event that also promotes visitation.
Purchasing a PA system to enhance capacity of a volunteer music club that supports wider community events.
Providing a series of culturally guided outdoor learning experiences for young people, combining traditional knowledge and modern science to build skills and understanding of Country.
Provide facilitation and logistics to drive implementation activities for a cross-sector working group supporting self-determined economic and social resilience.
Celebrating people and place by commissioning and exhibiting a series of portraits of local people by an acclaimed national artist.
Undertake community consultation workshops to support the development of a community plan.
Upgrade a remote heritage centreโs digital capacity with Wi Fi, POS systems, and training to preserve history, boost tourism, and increase community engagement.
Establishing a sustainable garden at a remote community kindergarten to teach children about healthy eating, sustainability and caring for the environment.
Promoting community connection and supporting the sustainability of a rural show by providing family entertainment.
Promoting a positive community identity by recording and publishing oral histories of diverse local community members.
Preserving a vital community camp ground used by multiple remote community groups by installing two amenity blocks.
Strengthen community fabric and preserve local heritage by providing post-production technical services, distribution and marketing for a community-led time capsule documentary.
Improving capacity of six very remote Indigenous Arts Centres through participation in a tailored training program.
Bolster intergenerational knowledge transfer in a very remote community by digitally recording cultural practices.
Encourage participation and support the sustainability of an agricultural show by replacing ageing poultry display cages.
Build resilience for a vital community hub by installing solar panels to reduce costs and ensure the sustainability of free community event hire.
Support early childhood development and social connection with mobile toy library visits for isolated, disaster affected communities.
Promoting economic development, community health and volunteer capacity by connection of 3 phase power at a food co-op.
Ensuring isolated children have access to life-saving water safety and cultural programs by providing trainers for a camp.
Fostering connection by providing activities, volunteer uniforms and security for a remote community event.
Support on Country education in very remote First Nation community by providing essential IT equipment for a new primary school.
Improve education and employment pathways for boarding students facing isolation and language barriers through a targeted after hours mentoring and tutoring program.
Deliver a series of capacity building workshops to strengthen remote volunteer groups in a region recovering from flood.
Providing a project worker to train staff and volunteers in operations to improve resilience of a very remote Womenโs Centre.
Throughout this report a ^ symbol identifies an Indigenous-led organisation or agreement where TFFF funding has specifically benefitted Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
