A framework for building resilience, now informing community-led efforts across Australia
RCC developed the Resilient Communities Framework and accompanying tools, in partnership with the Minderoo Foundation, to identify priorities, facilitate alignment, and catalyze practice for building resilience at a community level; the Resilience Canopy now carries the work to communities across Australia.
The Problem
Communities across Australia hold deep local knowledge of their own histories with fire and flood, but often lack a shared way to assess their resilience risks or prioritize action. The Minderoo Foundation was preparing to fund community resilience at a national scale through a new AU$70M initiative, and needed a framework that practitioners, community leaders, policymakers, and funders could all work from.
Intended Outcomes
A framework to guide the Foundation's resilience-building initiatives and investments, as well as a set of actionable and practical tools to support community resilience building efforts across sectors and disciplines.
Our Work Streams
- The Resilient Communities Framework, a comprehensive and practical guide for understanding community resilience, assessing vulnerabilities, and prioritizing actions.
- Practical tools built on the Framework: a community capacity assessment and prioritization tool, project resilience enhancement tool, recommendation tearsheets on tree planting, fuel load reduction, resilience hubs, and resilience fests.
- Theory of change for the Foundation's Resilient Communities Mission, as well as training and workshop materials for practitioners, a community resilience survey, and a template for community resilience plans.
- Design of a grant-writing support program so communities could fund their own priorities.
- Facilitation of an ongoing, cross-sectoral advisory group of resilience experts to ensure that the Framework builds on prior knowledge and provides a holistic model to catalyze and influence disaster resilience strategy, policy, practice and evaluation across Australia and internationally.
Impact Metrics
50
communities targeted across Australia through 2030
1
framework published and in national use
4
actionable tools to assess community resilience, strengthen resilience projects, and prioritize solutions
The Journey
How this work moved, stage by stage
Define and align priorities
Stage One
RCC worked with the Foundation's team, an Advisory Group, and community partners to identify gaps in the current literature on community resilience and align on the intended purpose and audience of a new, holistic framework and set of tools. The collaboration began with a focus on the framework, and expanded into the development of the initiative's Theory of Change and guidance on their program model.
Design and launch implementable solutions
Stage Two
The Resilient Communities Framework set the approach, supported by a practical toolset: a community capacity assessment and prioritization tool, project resilience enhancement tool, project recommendation tearsheets (on tree planting, fuel load reduction, resilience hubs, and resilience fests), practitioner training materials, and a resilience plan template for communities.
Identify and activate resources
Stage Three
A theory of change, community resilience survey, and implementation tracking gave the Foundation's team a way to measure their program progress, impact and investment.
Forge new models of collaboration
Stage Four
The work transitioned to the Resilience Canopy, a local organization now training practitioners and supporting community-led resilience across Australia. The Framework remains published and freely available.
Partner Quote
“Now is a time for fundamental change in the ways that we plan and act. Our ability to survive, adapt and grow, individually and collectively, depends on the capacities that we build in recovery from today’s crises, and how effectively we use those lessons to shape and prepare for whatever challenges come next.”
From the Resilient Communities Framework
Outcomes Recap
A published framework in national use, a full practitioner toolset, and a local delivery organization carrying the work to over 500 communities throughout Australia.