Funding opportunities - Good fire strong towns

Good fire strong towns

Uniting forest-edge communities for safer,
more resilient Country

This project will unite 5 local communities within or abutting the Colquhoun Forest, all in high bushfire risk areas, to co-design town-scale bushfire plans and establish community-level defensible spaces.

With $170,000 sought in seed funding, the program will be led by First Nations practitioners and guided by cultural fire. We will integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge with contemporary fire management to safeguard homes, protect community assets, and strengthen social and ecological resilience. Our work on private land complements preparedness on public land delivered by the relevant agencies, building a coherent, place-based model for regional fire resilience.

Visit our corporate website to learn more about the Healthy Forests Foundation

The opportunity

Location: Colquhoun Forest and five neighbouring East Gippsland communities
Focus: Creating community-scale defensible spaces and cultural fire regimes to reduce bushfire risk, strengthen social resilience, and restore forest health
Scale: Cross-tenure work on private and community land, integrated with agency programs on adjacent public land
Approach: First Nations-led, science-informed, climate-adaptive
Timeline: Multi-year program with phased delivery in each community over 3 years
Investment pathway: Flexible co-funding models for infrastructure, cultural fire, biodiversity and resilience measures, with verifiable ESG and TNFD-aligned reporting
Seed funding: $170,000

Activities include:

Cultural fire and defensible spaces: First Nations–led assessment and establishment of defensible areas around towns and on private land, aligned with seasonal cultural burning
Community bushfire planning: Street-level engagement, evacuation and refuge mapping, asset protection, and neighbour-to-neighbour readiness
Landscape integration: Coordination with agency programs on public land to align burns, fuel management, and access
Biodiversity and Country care: Weed and pest control, habitat protection, and monitoring of forest health linked to cultural objectives
Monitoring and reporting: Baseline, mid-project, and final aligned to TNFD/ESG cycles; co-branded stories for partners

Why the Colquhoun Forest matters

Colquhoun’s mixed eucalypt forests sit at the interface of people and bush in East Gippsland, where climate-driven fire risk, historical fire exclusion and changing settlement patterns intersect.

The region has a long history of severe bushfires, including the 2019–20 fires. Parts of the forest show altered structure and a shift in dominant tree species from historic land clearing for box and ironbark timbers. In some recently burnt areas, dense regrowth and unmanaged vegetation add to future fire risk.

Restoring cultural fire and establishing defensible spaces can reduce bushfire intensity, protect lives and infrastructure, and improve forest health while embedding First Nations leadership in land management.

Strategic investment value

Area

Five communities within or abutting the Colquhoun Forest

Corporate partner value

Founding support for a flagship regional resilience model delivering safer towns, reconciliation in action, measurable nature outcomes, and credible disclosures

Seed funding

$170,000

ASF taxonomy mapping

A1.1.1, A1.1.2, A6.1, A7, A8.1, A9.1, A10.1, Support Services – high alignment with ASFT safeguards; no net habitat loss, improved carbon stock and biodiversity, culturally-led land stewardship, and defensible space establishment via First Nations knowledge

Reconciliation in action

First Nations leadership, employment, cultural fire, and governance pathways

ESG alignment

Nature-positive outcomes, community resilience and wellbeing, and transparent reporting aligned to TNFD/ISSB

SDG alignment

Support for SDGs 3, 4, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17

Climate and disaster risk mitigation

Proactive action on preparedness and resilience across communities

Nature and biodiversity impact

Measurable improvements to forest health

Community and wellbeing

Investment in mental health, cultural renewal, and local engagement

Credible reporting

TNFD-aligned data, co-branded stories, and verifiable ESG disclosures

National leadership positioning

TNFD-aligned data, co-branded stories, and verifiable ESG disclosures

What your investment enables

Town-edge defensible spaces and cultural burns that reduce risk and restore Country
Community bushfire plans, drills, and shared asset protection zones
Training and employment pathways for First Nations fire practitioners and rangers
Pest, weed, and habitat management to support biodiversity uplift
Transparent and partner-ready ESG/TNFD reporting

ESG and SDG alignment

This project directly advances global sustainability objectives and provides measurable outcomes aligned with key frameworks.

TNFD/ISSB-aligned reporting provides partners with credible, verifiable data for ESG disclosures.

Aligned SDGs

3 | Good health and wellbeing

Improves safety, reduces fire-related health risks, and supports mental health through community preparedness

4 | Quality education

Builds knowledge and skills in fire management, cultural burning, and ecological stewardship

10 | Reduced inequalities

Elevates First Nations leadership, employment, and decision-making in land management

11 | Sustainable cities and communities

Strengthens resilience of rural towns at the forest edge to climate-driven fire risk

13 | Climate action

Implements proactive, nature-based fire risk reduction strategies that complement emissions reduction goals

15 | Life on land

Restores forest health, biodiversity, and habitat through integrated cultural fire and pest/weed control

16 | Peace, justice and strong institutions

Encourages transparent, collaborative governance between communities, Traditional Owners, and agencies

17 | Partnerships for the goals

Fosters multi-sector partnerships to co-create long-term environmental and social value

Partner with us

We invite forward-thinking partners to explore tailored funding – full, partial, or co-investment – aligned to your strategy and ESG goals.

Together, we can co-create defensible, thriving towns, strengthen cultural leadership, and deliver measurable impacts and shared values.

Strengthening efforts through alignment

We work alongside community, Traditional Owners, and government agencies to complement existing programs and enhance collective impact across the region.