Everyday Australians are on the front line when disaster hits their communities, bearing the brunt of the immediate and long-term effects of disaster. However, they receive little investment in the necessary skills and resources for effective response and lasting resilience.

Fire to Flourish is a five-year community impact program to support community-led disaster recovery and resilience. Led by Monash University, we are trialling innovations with four partner communities who were impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires.

The Clarence Valley Fire to Flourish team started out in September 2022. We believe the best way to ensure effective, long-lasting recovery is to invest in capability building, local leadership, network strengthening and governance within communities.

We trial, analyse and co-design new community-led processes, providing communities with decision-making power over flexible, easy-to-access grant funding, to implement their own projects that strengthen disaster resilience.

Funded projects address each communities’ priorities, including bushfire risk reduction initiatives, cultural events, infrastructure upgrades, support for health and wellbeing, social connection and initiatives that bolster community economic wellbeing.

And it’s working. The individuals and communities who have engaged with Fire to Flourish have told us that their resilience has been positively impacted by the process, something that’s celebrated in our 2023 Impact Report.  

This December, we’re launching our final funding round, which will support projects with a focus on Caring for Country and Youth across the Clarence Valley. Community representatives from Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl Country will lead a co-design process, with community forums and surveys highlighting community needs, values and priorities for funding.

We encourage anyone who wishes to participate to join Community Forums on:

• Bundjalung Country – Wed 4 Dec, 10am – 1pm – Copmanhurst Hall
• Yaegl Country – Thu 5 Dec, 10am – 1pm – Brooms Head Hall
• Gumbaynggirr Country – Fri 6 Dec, 10am – 1pm – Coutts Crossing Hall

Projects will need to align with the criteria and vision established by the community co-design group and forum participants in their area. If you have a project idea, we invite you to bring it along to these forums and get involved. $140,000 will be granted to community-led projects in each area, totalling $420,000 in March 2025. With support from Northern Rivers Community Foundation, Fire to Flourish will open grant applications on Friday 13 December and close on Monday 3 February.    

Please contact Cara MacLeod, Community Lead, Fire to FLourish Clarence Valley, to RSVP to the community forums by 29 November via email (cara.macleod@monash.edu), or phone 0460 932 198 

FInd out more about Fire to Flourish – https://firetoflourish.monash/communities/clarence-valley