Applications are now open for the 2025 ANZ Seeds of Renewal program, with grants of up to $15,000 available to support not-for-profit and community groups across remote, rural, and regional Australia.
Now in its 23rd year, the Seeds of Renewal program is a long-standing partnership between ANZ and the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), designed to ensure the ongoing prosperity of regional Australia and help build vibrant, sustainable rural communities.
Since its inception in 2002, the program has provided more than $6 million in funding to more than 900 community-led projects. Last year, $250,000 in grants were awarded to 22 community groups, supporting initiatives ranging from establishing a safe, free laundry facility for people experiencing homelessness in Orange, to delivering digital literacy programs for women in the Kimberley region.
In 2025, the ANZ Seeds of Renewal program is again offering a funding pool of $250,000 for projects aligned to four key areas:
Financial wellbeing: initiatives that improve economic participation, particularly for under-represented and disadvantaged people in the community. For example, building financial literacy and vocational skills and providing access to meaningful work.
Housing access: initiatives and programs that support those experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, or that provide housing support for people living with disability.
Environmental sustainability: initiatives that restore and conserve the natural environment or contribute to lower carbon emissions, water stewardship and waste minimisation.
Assisting local communities to thrive: projects that either enable vibrant communities, where everyone can participate and build a better life, or create sustainable communities that help deliver demonstrable medium to long-term economic sustainability.
In 2023, the Growing Abundance project in Castlemaine, Victoria was granted $15,000 for its local initiative to help farmers and backyard gardeners harvest and distribute excess produce to community and food relief organisations.
The funding allowed for year-long growing, harvesting, preserving, and sharing. The project has since evolved into an ongoing food security initiative under the Castlemaine Community House (CCH).
CCH Executive Officer, Mahira Sobral, said: "The Growing Abundance project is a testament to the importance and power of funding for regional and rural communities. The Seeds of Renewal program allowed for a grassroots initiative to transform into a cornerstone of our Community House - fostering a resilient local food system, strengthening community bonds, reducing waste, and promoting vital skill-sharing across our region."
ANZ Head of Agribusiness, Mark Bennett, said: "For more than 20 years, the Seeds of Renewal program has played a vital role in supporting the strength and sustainability of regional Australia. ANZ is proud to back initiatives that are practical, locally driven, and deeply impactful - projects that not only address immediate needs but also lay the groundwork for long-term economic and social resilience. This includes empowering the level of personal participation for those in the community that are otherwise at a disadvantage."
FRRR Head of Partnerships, Jillian Kirwan-Lee, said: "Not-for-profits and social enterprises are often the backbone of rural and regional Australia. They play a crucial role in addressing the environmental, financial, housing and economic challenges that local people face, and help their community to thrive. Our partnership with ANZ means that we are able to empower local groups and organisations who are carrying out this deeply meaningful work to enhance the liveability, sustainability and vibrancy of their communities."
Applications for the 2025 Seeds of Renewal program open on 1 July, and close at 5pm (AEST), 31 July 2025.
For community groups interested in applying in 2025, a Grantseeker Webinar is scheduled for 8 July, 12:30pm - 1:30pm (AEST). To register, please visit FRRR's website or via this link.
About Seeds of Renewal: Over the past 23 years the ANZ Seeds of Renewal program has provided more than $6 million to support around 870 community groups achieve their goals. Administered independently by the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), the ANZ Seeds of Renewal program offers grants of up to $15,000 to community groups for projects that support environmental sustainability; improve access to housing; or financial wellbeing in regional communities of fewer than 15,000 people.
About FRRR: FRRR (Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal) is the only national foundation specifically focussed on ensuring the social and economic strength of Australia's remote, rural and regional communities. Established in 2000, it has since delivered more than $200 million to more than 15,000 projects. FRRR's unique model of support is more than money - it connects common purposes and investment from government, business and philanthropy with the genuine needs of rural people and places. FRRR's DGR-1 listing and broad charitable remit are key to empowering grassroots organisations to create communities that are vibrant, resilient and sustainable.
