The Northern Rivers Community Foundation (NRCF) is proud to be partnering with NRMA Insurance to deliver a major new investment in community-led resilience across our region.

Through NRMA Insurance’s Help Fund, $800,000 will be committed over the next two years to establish a participatory, community-led grants program in the Northern Rivers. The funding will be held locally by NRCF and allocated through a process that puts decision-making in the hands of people with lived experience of disasters in our region.

The program has been designed to support locally driven solutions that strengthen preparedness, connection, and long-term resilience in the face of increasing floods, fires, and extreme weather events.

Working alongside the Northern Rivers Community Resilience Alliance, NRCF will co-design and facilitate a community-led decision-making process to ensure grant funding reflects local priorities and builds on the strength, knowledge, and leadership that already exists across the Northern Rivers. The first round of grant recipients is expected to be announced in mid-2026.

NRMA Insurance CEO Julie Batch said the partnership recognises both the challenges the region has faced and the importance of backing community-led responses.

“Northern Rivers communities have endured repeated floods, fires and storms in recent years. This partnership invests in community-led solutions to help the region prepare and thrive.”

NRCF CEO Sam Henderson said the ability to hold and distribute funds locally represents a significant shift in how resilience funding is delivered.

“For too long, our region has carried the burden of repeated disasters. With NRMA Insurance’s Help Fund enabling us to hold funds locally and distribute them through a community-led process, this is a game changer. Locals will decide the process and the best allocation of grants for optimal impact. It builds connections between individuals and local organisations, strengthening the foundation of long-term resilience.”

The Resilience Alliance, a network of more than 60 grassroots groups across the region, will play a key role in grounding the program in lived experience and supporting transparent, inclusive decision-making.

The program builds on the successful Fire to Flourish model developed by Monash University, which was piloted across local government areas in NSW and Victoria between 2021 and 2025, and reflects a growing commitment to place-based, community-led approaches to disaster resilience.

Learn more about the NRMA Insurance Help Fund here.