Fire to Flourish

What Fire to Flourish does

Fire to Flourish is a five-year community-led disaster resilience program led by Monash University from its Clayton, Victoria campus and operating as a non-profit, philanthropic-funded initiative rather than a commercial entity. Established in 2020 in response to the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires, the program partners with four disaster-affected Local Government Areas in New South Wales and Victoria (Tenterfield, Clarence Valley, Eurobodalla, and East Gippsland), each allocated approximately $2.5 million in small and medium grants to be allocated by community members through participatory grantmaking processes administered via partner community foundations (Northern Rivers Community Foundation, Australian Communities Foundation, East Gippsland Community Foundation).

The core operational methodology combines participatory grantmaking, co-design with Indigenous Elders and local community teams, and evidence-based research integrated across research streams including participatory granting, placemaking, social capital, health and wellbeing, disaster economics, and Indigenous disaster resilience. In 2024 alone the program disbursed $4.9 million across eight grant rounds, funding 83 community projects, with cumulative investment of $11.6 million over the five-year life of the program. The program has spawned two sub-initiatives, the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience (NIDR) research program founded in 2022 and the DisasterWISE Communities Network launched in 2023, and maintains a Knowledge Centre of publications, practice guides, toolkits, and frameworks.

The business model is philanthropic grantmaking with no commercial pricing; cornerstone funding comes from Paul Ramsay Foundation and Metal Manufactures Pty Ltd with additional support from Lowy Foundation and, as of March 2026, NRMA Insurance ($800k over two years). The program is scheduled to conclude in March 2026, with legacy assets and learnings being transitioned to partner communities and successor organisations. The team is dominated by Monash University researchers, Action Lab personnel, and dedicated community facilitators in each partner region; the program operates community-led go-to-market with no paid acquisition channels.

Name

Fire to Flourish

Legal name

Fire to Flourish (Monash University)

Website

https://firetoflourish.monash

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fire to Flourish is a Monash University-led, philanthropic-funded community disaster resilience program that partners with four bushfire-affected LGAs in NSW and Victoria, disbursing participatory grants and co-designing resilience projects with local and Indigenous communities over a five-year horizon ending March 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Disaster Resilience Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Community disaster resilience
• Participatory grantmaking programs
• Bushfire recovery services
• Community-led philanthropy
• Disaster preparedness research

Headquarters

HQ city

Clayton

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: Fire to Flourish is funded through philanthropic partnerships. The program receives cornerstone support from Paul Ramsay Foundation and Metal Manufactures Pty Ltd, with additional support from Lowy Foundation. Funding is distributed to communities through participatory grantmaking processes managed by community foundation partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fire to Flourish is a five-year community impact program led by Monash University that provides participatory grantmaking to disaster-affected communities in NSW and Victoria. It directly funds community-led resilience projects ($2.5M per community), co-designs resilience plans with community members and Indigenous Elders, and produces research-backed knowledge products. The program operates through local Community Teams in four partner Local Government Areas affected by the 2019/20 bushfires.

Product overview

Fire to Flourish is a single unified community-led disaster resilience program, not a technology platform with multiple products. The core offering is a five-year community impact program led by Monash University that provides participatory grantmaking services to four partner communities. Key program components include: (1) the Participatory Grantmaking approach that shifts funding decision-making to community members, (2) DisasterWISE Communities Network—a national learning network for community-led resilience, (3) National Indigenous Disaster Resilience (NIDR)—an Indigenous-led research initiative, and (4) a Knowledge Centre containing publications, toolkits, and practice guides. The program does not offer a technology product, API, or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DisasterWISE Communities Network: A movement of people building disaster resilience through self-determination and community-led action, seeded by Fire to Flourish and launched in 2023.
• National Indigenous Disaster Resilience (NIDR)

Products and services

• Fire to Flourish Community-Led Disaster Resilience Program A long-term community impact program providing direct support to communities as the first and last responders to disasters, partnering with four communities recently affected by disasters to co-create innovative approaches in community-led disaster recovery and long-term resilience.
• Participatory Grantmaking Service A grantmaking approach that vests decision-making power about community funding in community members with local knowledge and deep understanding of their disaster recovery needs and resilience priorities. Approximately $2.5 million per community disbursed across small and medium grants.
• DisasterWISE Communities Network A national movement and learning network for people building disaster resilience through self-determination and community-led action, providing an inclusive space for collaboration, learning, and information sharing across Australian communities.
• National Indigenous Disaster Resilience (NIDR) An independent research program championing Indigenous leadership in disaster resilience through co-designed research with Indigenous communities across Australia.
• Knowledge Centre Publications and Resources Co-created research and knowledge products at the intersection of bushfire recovery, disaster resilience, and community development. Includes reports, fact sheets, toolkits, and practice guides such as the Community-Led Planning and Collaboration for Resilience Practice Guide and the Key Capabilities for Community Disaster Resilience framework.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Monash UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Monash University, providing research capability, academic oversight, and institutional infrastructure for the program.
• Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey research and implementation partner within Monash University focused on sustainable development and disaster resilience.
• The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing expertise in social innovation and community-based approaches.
• Northern Rivers Community FoundationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity foundation partner administering grant funding for Tenterfield and Clarence Valley communities.
• Australian Communities FoundationsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity foundation partner supporting Fire to Flourish's grantmaking operations.
• East Gippsland Community FoundationsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity foundation partner for East Gippsland region.
• Eurobodalla Shire CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in NSW supporting community resilience initiatives.
• Clarence Valley CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in NSW supporting community resilience initiatives.
• Tenterfield Shire CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in NSW supporting community resilience initiatives.
• East Gippsland Shire CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in Victoria supporting community resilience initiatives.
• Australian Business VolunteerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting volunteer and business development in communities.
• ThirriwirrisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting Indigenous community initiatives.
• World Wildlife Foundation (WWF)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization partner supporting conservation and environmental resilience.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Minderoo Foundation: Large Australian philanthropic foundation with a portfolio spanning disaster resilience, Indigenous opportunity, and community development. Comparable as a major Australian philanthropic actor addressing similar social issues, though at substantially greater scale and with broader thematic scope.
• Australian Red Cross: Australia's largest humanitarian aid and disaster response organization, delivering emergency relief, recovery, and resilience programs across all states. Comparable to Fire to Flourish in mission scope (community disaster recovery) but operates nationally and at much larger scale with a broader portfolio of services.
• Resilience NSW: NSW Government agency responsible for disaster preparedness and recovery across the state. Comparable as a resilience-building entity in the same three of Fire to Flourish's partner LGAs, but government-led and top-down rather than community-led.
• Centre for Disaster Philanthropy: US-based intermediary that mobilizes philanthropic funding for disaster preparedness, recovery, and resilience. Comparable as a disaster-focused grantmaking and capacity-building entity, though operating globally and at a different scale.

Direct peers

• Australian Communities Foundation: Australian community foundation and an actual operational partner of Fire to Flourish (channels grant funds). Highly comparable as a community-led grantmaking intermediary, though it operates as a permanent institution rather than a time-bound program.
• Bushfire Recovery Victoria: Victorian Government agency coordinating long-term recovery for communities affected by the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires — the same disaster event that catalyzed Fire to Flourish. Most directly comparable as a bushfire recovery and community resilience vehicle in the same region.
• Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR): Australian philanthropic foundation that channels grant funding to rural, regional, and remote communities, including disaster recovery grants. Highly comparable as a community grantmaking intermediary supporting recovery and resilience in disaster-affected areas.
• Northern Rivers Community Foundation: Community foundation partner that administers Fire to Flourish grant funding for Tenterfield and Clarence Valley. Highly comparable as a regional community foundation with disaster recovery as a focus area, though smaller and more localized.

Others

• Paul Ramsay Foundation: One of Australia's largest philanthropic foundations and Fire to Flourish's cornerstone funder. Comparable as a large-scale Australian philanthropic grantmaker with a portfolio approach, but operating as a funder rather than a direct program operator.

Regional players

• Insurance Australia Group (IAG / NRMA Insurance): Parent group of NRMA Insurance, which has explicitly funded a community-resilience program inspired by Fire to Flourish. Comparable as a commercial entity funding community-led disaster resilience work, and a potential scaling/partner channel for the methodology.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fire-to-flourish

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fire to Flourish