First Nations funding backs 15 regional organisations
$6 million in First Nations funding will go to 15 organisations working in the Northern Territory, the Torres Strait, Tasmania, regional and remote South Australia, and regional and remote Queensland.
The grants, worth up to $500,000 each, are aimed at First Nations-led projects covering service delivery, community wellbeing, land and Country management, governance, leadership, workforce development, youth mentoring, cultural programmes, food security and local economic participation.
Paul Ramsay Foundation said the package is designed to support First Nations-led organisations and self-determination. Since 2016, the foundation has provided almost $250 million to organisations working to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with three quarters awarded to First Nations-led organisations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Organisations.
Michelle Steele, Chief First Nations Officer at Paul Ramsay Foundation, said: “The solutions to many of Australia’s most complex challenges already exist within First Nations communities. They are found in the knowledge systems, leadership traditions and deep connections to people and Country that have sustained communities for millennia.”
Projects across five regions
Among the recipients, Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good received funding for Good Vibrations – Peer Supports, a project to mentor young First Nations leaders in Cairns to serve community-led organisations.
Other funded projects include governance and leadership work on Mornington Island, support for service providers in Doomadgee, a leadership programme for community growth in Coober Pedy and Umoona, and a project to strengthen local economies and land management in Tasmania and North Queensland.
Funding will also support projects in Gapuwiyak, the Arafura Swamp region of Arnhem land, Thamarrurr Homelands, Papunya, and work by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth governance.
Merrissa Nona, Chief Executive Officer of Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good, said: “Sustained investment in this work means we can continue walking alongside our young people. It means providing the safe spaces, connection, and opportunities they’ve been asking for.”
