NAB empowers communities to withstand natural disasters

NAB’s philanthropic arm will be giving out grants of up to $10,000 to 55 local and regional community groups across Australia to help them prepare for, or recover from, natural disasters.

Now on its second 2022 round, the NAB Foundation’s Community Grants program, part of the bank’s NAB Ready Together initiative, will grant funding to projects that help businesses and communities prepare for, and recover from natural disasters such as emergency response equipment, wildlife rescue support, and mental health, and wellbeing programs.

“Now more than ever, there is a growing need to support communities to rebuild and prepare for the challenges ahead,” said Rachel Slade, NAB group executive personal banking. “Not only are many communities in QLD and NSW still recovering from floods earlier this year, but more people are also weathering the storm of the current floods in VIC, TAS, and again in NSW. Unfortunately, the devastation caused by natural disasters will continue, and we know that recovery extends well beyond the clean-up. Many of these projects focus on the long-term needs of communities including supporting mental health, building environmental resilience, and preparing for future disasters.”

Four of the 55 grant recipients were selected via a poll of NAB employees to get an extra $25,000 each to scale their projects for long-term social or environmental impact. These are:

• The Penguin Foundation (VIC) will receive $34,900 to fund green firebreaks in Australia’s largest Little Penguin colony to protect vulnerable penguins against bushfires
• The Indigenous Futures Foundation (QLD) will be awarded $35,000 to fund a food hub to ensure access to supplies in the event of a disaster and cooking classes for remote Indigenous families impacted by flooding in SEQ and remote communities on Thursday Island
• The NSW Rural Doctors Network (NSW) will be awarded $35,000 to fund Australian Life Support workshops which provide life-saving protocols and skills for cardiac emergencies to rural GPs in bushfire and flood-affected regions
• Rural Business Support Service (SA) will receive $35,000 to fund two days of fire ground farm tours and a community mental health and wellbeing forum for local farmers impacted by bushfires

Click here to view the complete list of NAB Foundation Community Grant winners.