Across the country, locally led organisations work tirelessly to ensure their communities can withstand and recover from natural disasters.
NAB Foundation has recognised the essential work of 26 of these groups by today announcing $600,000 in funding through its Community Grants program.
The program is designed to help local communities strengthen their resilience and enhance their recovery efforts, which can take several years after a disaster has occurred.
NAB Group Executive Sharon Cook said NAB Foundation was committed to helping communities future proof their regions.
“It takes a lot of time, money and effort to build disaster resilient communities,” Ms Cook said.
“There are so many community-led and often volunteer-powered organisations, preparing their regions for natural disasters, and helping them to recover.”
“NAB Foundation is delighted to boost the work these groups already do and give them some certainty when it comes to funding going into 2025.”
More groups than ever before applied for the year’s second round of NAB Foundation Community Grants, under the categories of ‘training and planning’, ‘environment and wildlife’, ‘community recovery’ and ‘equipment and infrastructure’.
MoneyMob Talkabout was successful in securing $50,000 in NAB Foundation funding.
They’re on a mission to help First Nations communities financially prepare for emergencies, through culturally tailored workshops.
MoneyMob Talkabout’s Financial Training Leader Lisa Rogers says financial literacy is crucial to disaster preparedness.
“Flooding, fires, and cyclones disrupt the livelihoods of remote communities. Families are often displaced, and communities are sometimes forced to relocate, which amplifies financial instability,” Ms Rogers said.
“Often low levels of financial literacy, language barriers and limited access to disaster relief resources further complicates accessing financial aid when disasters strike.
“By equipping communities with financial skills, we aim to foster resilience, enabling people to rebuild more effectively and recover faster.”
The charity will use the funding to run 10 financial literacy workshops, many in remote communities, focused on natural disaster preparedness.
“The NAB Foundation Community Grants represent a lifeline for both our organisation and the communities we support. This will allow us to get the essential resources needed to make these communities more resilient,” Ms Rogers said.
Rural Aid looks out for their mates in the bush, by working across the country.
They were informed of the grants program through their local NAB Banking Manager Sarah Bennetts and were awarded $50,000.
Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said the funding would help the organisation deliver life changing support during a farmer’s hour of need.
“Australia’s farmers are the lifeblood of rural communities. They’re also among the most vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters,” Mr Warlters said.
“We applied for the NAB Foundation Community Grants as we believe NAB shares our passion and commitment to supporting farmers and rural communities.
“With the help of the grant, we can deliver farm recovery events across Australia, with our team of volunteers lending a hand to rebuild both the land and the livelihoods that are impacted by natural disaster.”
The next round of Community Grants will be open for applications in February 2025.
Interested groups can visit the NAB Foundation site to find out more.
