ANZ and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) have announced the opening of the 2012 Seeds of Renewal program which provides $250,000 in grants for education and employment projects across regional Australia.
“Since we started the Seeds of Renewal program in 2003, ANZ has provided more than $2.75 million to almost 600 community projects in regional communities,” Tania Motton, ANZ General Manager Regional Business Banking, said.
“ANZ has a long history of supporting customers in regional Australia, and through programs like Seeds of Renewal, we remain committed to helping make a significant and sustainable difference to rural communities.
“We also recently partnered with the Australian Beef Industry Foundation to promote growth and development in regional Australia by delivering a scholarship program aimed at developing future generations of Australian rural agribusiness leaders,” Ms Motton said.
Alexandra Gartmann, FRRR Chief Executive Officer, said: “We’re looking for grants that have a focus on employment and education initiatives. We’ve been working across regional Australia for over ten years and we know that education and employment are the key areas which require focused support as it’s what underpins sustainable, resilient and adaptable rural communities.
“We’re proud to partner with ANZ to deliver this program which enables local communities to identify and implement local solutions. I encourage all regional communities to visit our website or speak with their local ANZ representative for more information,” Ms Gartmann said.
The grants will be awarded to projects which help advance education and employment opportunities in regional communities of fewer than 15,000 people.
Seeds of Renewal is funded by ANZ and independently administered by FRRR.
For more information or to apply for an ANZ Seeds of Renewal grant visit
www.frrr.org.au. Applications close 5pm on August 31, 2012 and successful applicants will be notified in November 2012.