New grants program to support community-led resilience in Northern Rivers

AN $800,000 commitment will fund a new community-led grants program aimed at strengthening resilience to extreme weather across the Northern Rivers.

The funding will be provided by NRMA Insurance through its Help Fund and delivered over two years via a participatory grants model that allows local communities to help decide how money is allocated.

The program will be delivered in partnership with the Northern Rivers Community Foundation, with support from the Northern Rivers Community Resilience Alliance.

The foundation will work with the alliance to co-design and facilitate local decision-making on grant allocations to ensure projects reflect lived experience and local priorities.

The first round of grant recipients is expected to be announced in mid-2026.

NRMA Insurance chief executive Julie Batch said communities in the region had faced repeated natural disasters in recent years.

“Northern Rivers communities have endured repeated floods, fires and storms in recent years. This partnership invests in community-led solutions to help the region prepare and thrive,” Ms Batch said.

Northern Rivers Community Foundation chief executive Sam Henderson said keeping decision-making local was critical.

“For too long, our region has carried the burden of repeated disasters. With NRMA Insurance’s Help Fund enabling us to hold funds locally and distribute them through a community-led process, this is a game changer,” Mr Henderson said.

“Locals will decide the process and the best allocation of grants for optimal impact. It builds connections between individuals and local organisations, strengthening the foundation of long-term resilience,” he said.

Resilience Alliance coordinator Kathie Heyman said the funding would support existing grassroots networks across the region.

“This funding supports the local groups already doing work in their communities. Across the Northern Rivers, grassroots networks step up before and long after disasters, often with limited resources,” Ms Heyman said.

“The NRMA Insurance Help Fund will strengthen coordination and provide practical support so these groups can keep showing up for their communities when it matters most,” she said.

The program builds on Monash University’s Fire to Flourish model, which was piloted across parts of NSW and Victoria between 2021 and 2025.