Is your community ready?
The future of regional Australia starts locally
We spark the shift, you lead the change. Are you ready?
A place to prosper
Shift beyond problems
It’s easy to talk about what’s wrong in your community. What if you could flip the conversation on its head?
Ready Communities works upstream with regions to build on existing strengths, providing practical tools, guidance and real-world examples grounded in research and lived experience. By focusing on shared clarity, strong connections, local capability, purposeful collaboration and confident advocacy, we help communities create the enabling conditions that allow good ideas, action and investment to take hold and endure.
We combine community and economic development methodologies to deliver a program with proven results in regional communities.
Kerry and Chad, in leading Kempsey through the Ready Communities program, have absolutely transformed the conversation around positive place-based change here in the Macleay Valley.
Father Jesse poole
Minister, Anglican Parish of Kempsey
About Ready Communities
Who are we?
Ready Communities was founded by Kerry Grace and Dr. Chad Renando in 2023.
The combined work and life experience of the founders enables a new approach to regional development which supports both community and economic development and leaves ongoing capacity and capability in the community.
What do we do?
Ready Communities works alongside regional communities to build readiness. We do this via:
- Our Flagship program: This is a two-year place-based program which works intensively in regional communities to build readiness. Our national conference, Social Impact in the Regions is the central point of this program.
- Mapping system: Our online mapping system provides a comprehensive overview of your community highlighting gaps and alignment across stakeholders, policy, funding and resources.
- National conference (SIITR): Each year our national Social Impact in the Regions conference brings together changemakers and impact investors from across Australia to our host community.
- Local Impact Facilitator Program: Our next intake is in February 2026. Successful applicants create change in their regional community as they learn alongside Ready Communities.
- Workshops: We offer a range of workshops for regional communities.
- Local Impact Facilitator Training: We offer online and in person training for what we call Local Impact Facilitators i.e. the people in regional communities who do.
- Advocacy: We use our networks to advocate for change in regional communities. One of our advocacy tools is our annual White Paper and Impact Report.
Who do we work with?
Is your regional community ready?
If you are ready for change in your regional community get in touch. We work with community members and organisations (like Chambers of Commerce), business owners, government and not for profits to build on readiness indicators we believe make communities thrive. These are:
- Clarity and understanding
- Connection and connectivity
- Capability and capacity
- Collaboration for purpose
- Advocacy and promotion
What this (Ready Macleay) did was both do basic community development, community connection, economic development as well as marketing the town to a broader audience. It brought a whole range of things together through a 12 month process.
Craig Milburn
(former) General Manager, Kempsey Shire Council (to 2024)
