The Northern Rivers Changemaker Collective and it’s Seed Giving Circle is an initiative to build greater connection within a regional movement for a regenerative and resilient future. It’s aim is the establishment of a more cohesive and coordinated support system for the region’s changemakers that breaks down silos and brings together funders and traditional philanthropy, ...
Seed Northern Rivers
Changemaker Collective and Seed Giving Circle
GOAL
$45,000
Australia > NSW > Regional
Field of Interest
- Community and economic development
- Environment conservation and climate change
Target Population
- Flora / fauna
- General population
Seed Northern Rivers
Seed Northern Rivers (formerly Mullum S.E.E.D.) is a dynamic ecosystem of changemakers, organisations, and community groups dedicated to regenerating the environment and building resilience across the Northern Rivers. Since our beginnings 16 years ago, Seed Northern Rivers has emerged as a catalyst and backbone organisation—in 2025 supporting 35+ grassroots initiatives with mentoring, resources, strategic support, and access to vital, shared infrastructure.
Seed Northern Rivers’ theory of change is grounded in the belief that regenerative transformation emerges when local changemakers are resourced, connected, and empowered within a supportive ecosystem. We centre and support First Nations leadership, drive collective impact and collaborations and aim to holistically support a regional movement for systems transformation.
From our base at the Mullum Gardens, a 7-acre eco-hub on the edge of Mullumbimby township. We engage community leaders and their initiatives, convene cross-sector collaborations, and activate the skills, infrastructure, and relationships needed to drive systemic, place-based change. By nurturing these interconnections—between people, projects, and landscapes—we strengthen the region’s collective capacity to heal Country, build resilience, and foster a thriving, regenerative Northern Rivers that can inspire communities everywhere.
Our three pillars of work are 1. the Mullum Gardens Eco hub as a physical space for activation, connection and collaboration, the Northern Rivers Changemaker Collective- holistic approaches to building wellbeing, capacity and systems leadership in the region, and Collective Impact projects modelling collaboration and coordination across sectors and silos (currently active within the food system and river regeneration).
Project Summary
The Northern Rivers Changemaker Collective and it’s Seed Giving Circle is an initiative to build greater connection within a regional movement for a regenerative and resilient future.
It’s aim is the establishment of a more cohesive and coordinated support system for the region’s changemakers that breaks down silos and brings together funders and traditional philanthropy, changemakers, passionate community members looking for ways to be part of solutions.
Project Outcomes
The project will strengthen communities across the region by generating a strong movement based collective of changemakers, fostering collaboration among local leaders, funders, and organisations. This will reduce duplication, improve resource sharing, and increase the effectiveness of initiatives for greater impact. The project will establish a supportive community where changemakers can access peer support, reducing burnout and improving mental health.
This will be achieved by:
- Developing a better networked changemaker ecosystem in the Norther Rivers and thus increased sharing of resources and collective learning, and thus more effective use of limited resources available to create environmental and social change
- A Better understanding of the needs of changemakers by actors whose role it is to support them, and thus more effective support for changemakers to achieve their goals
- Increased collaborative impact- a more strategic and systemic approaches to achieving change, including increased collaborations and systems thinking in the 'backbone' support organisations that fund, service and support changemakers as well as amongst changemakers themselves.
Ultimately all these things contribute to a faster more effective transition to a regenerative and resilient future and the systemic realisation of solutions to critical issues facing the Northern Rivers.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $125,000
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| FRRR | $15,000 |
| Seed Giving Circle | $12,000 |
| Organisational reserves- start-up funding | $20,000 |
| Funding Gap | $45,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Online changemaker hub and digital resources | $10,000 |
| Event costs | $5,500 |
| Coordinator (part time) | $60,000 |
| Workshop facilitation and curiculum development | $5,400 |
| Operational, on costs and admin | $20,000 |
| Documentation and evaluation | $3,100 |
| Communications and marketing | $6,000 |
| Contingency- unforeseen | $15,000 |
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