FRRR Community Data Tool

The FRRR Community Data Tool is an easy-to-use online platform that gives local rural, regional and remote community groups free access to important data about their communities. It was commissioned by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), built by Seer Data and Analytics, and funded by the Australian Government to support better evidence-based planning and grant-writing.

Many grassroots groups struggle to find trustworthy data when they want to show the need in their community or plan projects. This tool solves that problem by bringing a range of trusted public data sources together in one place. Groups simply enter a town, suburb or region and can access key information such as population size, gender splits, remoteness scores and socio-economic indexes with minimal effort.

The data provided can strengthen funding applications by helping community organisations clearly demonstrate local conditions and needs. It also links to additional resources on health, wellbeing, workforce participation, income levels and other indicators to help groups dive deeper into their context if they need more detail.

Community leaders who have tested the tool say that having reliable, place-specific data in one accessible location makes it much easier to tell the story of their community, advocate for support and plan effective responses to local challenges. This makes the tool useful for planning projects, preparing grant applications and supporting community resilience.

Overall, the FRRR Community Data Tool is designed to lower barriers to data access for small community organisations, improve the quality of evidence available for funding and planning, and help communities better communicate their needs to funders and partners.