Upcoming Funding Rounds
** Please note: Always check-in with individual funders BEFORE YOU APPLY. While every effort has been made to ensure information given is correct at the time of publication, funding availability and other details may change frequently. **
Waikato Sunrise Rotary Club – CNI
Applications close on 31 March and 31 October.
Grants are generally less than $5,000 with priority to children, education, and local community.
Trust Horizon – Bay of Plenty
They meet monthly and will fund energy related projects and events for those in the Whakatane, Kawerau and Opotiki District Council areas and Kaingaroa village. You must be an electricity consumer connected to the Horizon Energy Distribution network, your Centre must also be the owner of the building (or the building owned by one of the 3 DC) and not have applied for the last 2 years. Items they would consider funding – heat pumps (if your building is insulated), LED lights, insulation, double glazing. Once you have registered, the Trust will come and visit and discuss eligible funding options for you before you get quotes.
Whanganui Community Foundation – LNI
This includes Rangitikei, Waimarino and Whanganui. They offer Quick Response grants ($10k and under) and meet monthly. They provide funding for parenting programs but will not currently consider funding maintenance or other capital projects.
South Taranaki District Council Local Discretionary Fund – LNI
Various dates through the year. Next round closes 24 October. To assist small projects in the four wards in South Taranaki. Should be treated as a last resort.
AD Hally Trust – Temuka, Geraldine, Timaru area – South Canterbury
Closes 21 October. Advancement of education. Smaller projects as only $30,000 to distribute across 2 rounds each year.
Otago Community Trust – Otago
Always open. They have a variety of funding options including Community Response Grants (Under $10k and over $10k), Capability Funding and Capital Project Grants.
Community Trust South ECE Playground Funding– Southland
Always open. Can apply once every five years.
Stonelake Foundation – Otago/Southland
Any New Zealand charity/organisation can apply to be the official game day charity at a Highlanders home game. You will have the opportunity to raise funds through donation buckets and selling match day sheets (you must provide the volunteers for this); receive $1 for every ticket sold; raise awareness of your charity via social media and game day big screens and receive $1,000 contribution from the Stonelake Foundation.
Fonterra Hapori – nationwide
Fonterra Grassroots stopped about 3 years ago. Fonterra now try to have a broader approach to funding by building strong relationships with their communities. If you would like to request support for your community, download an application form from their website.
PGG Wrightson Cash for Communities – rural communities
Register your Playcentre on the website, then promote the program to your local community and farmers. When PGG Wrightson account holders purchase Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser, they can nominate your centre against their account. $1 per tonne purchased will be donated.
Digital Wings – National
The Digital Wings programme enables the distribution of electronic equipment (laptops, desktop computers and printers) from corporate donors to community organisations to enhance educational and employment opportunities. Charities, whānau / hapū and community organisations are invited to apply for refurbished computers to support their goals and outcomes, free of charge. Preference is given to organisations working in rangatahi, youth development and education to employment initiatives. Please note that supply is dependent upon donation stock available and allocation to community is at the discretion of the Digital Wings Trustees. Please also note Digital Wings does not supply computers to individuals or private homes and they do not have ipads or tablets as the donations are from businesses.
Sector News
Kia Tipu, He Tipua – evolving the lottery grants system
Te Puna Tahuna, Lottery Grants Board is evolving the lottery grants and advisory system to make it easier and fairer for communities, hāpu and iwi to access funding. The Board has tasked Te Tari Taiwhenua, Department of Internal Affairs with this programme of work known as Kia Tipu, He Tipua – Evolving the lottery grants system.
Engaging widely with communities, hāpu, iwi, funders and other organisations will be crucial to designing an improved future system with people and communities at its heart. The Department will provide recommendations to the Board in late 2022 and any changes to Lottery funding will be phased in from 2023.
The programme will undertake a review of the whole system to create a new community funding and advisory support system that is more responsive, flexible, inclusive, strategic and honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This is the first time an end-to-end review has been done since Lotto launched in New Zealand over 35 years ago.
Timeline of the programme
2020: Opportunity to evolve the system was identified.
2021: Lottery Grants Board tasks Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs with this programme of work.
2022: Working with communities hapū, iwi, funders, statutory bodies and other organisations to design the future state.
2023: An evolved lottery grants funding system.
Further information
Click across to the Community Matters website for further information.
If you have any questions or comments about this programme of work, you can email: [email protected]
Free Healthy Homes Workshops – Henderson-Massey, Whau and Waitākere Ranges local board areas
Ecomatters are offering free Healthy Homes workshops in the Henderson-Massey, Whau and Waitākere Ranges local board areas. They would love to work with local Playcentres to host this workshop so parents can learn more about how to keep their whānau warm and healthy over winter.
Host a free Healthy Homes workshop for your Playcentre whānau!
In this workshop they give many tips and low-cost ideas for attendees to easily put in place in their own homes, including DIY window insulation, how to read and reduce power and water bills, ideas to keep houses dry, warm and free of mould, and much more.
Workshops run for an hour, including time for questions, and can be booked for any day and time during weekdays. For a workshop to take place, a minimum of ten attendees is needed. The workshops are delivered by EcoMatters Environment Trust, and funded by the Henderson-Massey, Whau and Waitākere Ranges Local Board.
If you would like to host a workshop at your Playcentre, email Penelope at [email protected] with the days and times that suit you best and she will contact you to book you in. They would love to come along and present at a time you already have a group meeting, so people don’t have to go out of their way to attend.
Shout Out
If you have a ‘Shout Out’ you would like featured as a thank you to a funder or company who has supported your Centre, please email Tonya on [email protected]
Discounts for Playcentres
There is a Centre Discounts page on the website with offers from several companies including the Playcentre Shop, Park Supplies and Playgrounds, Red Cross, Harvey Norman, Resene and Ecostore.
Please note that these are not exclusive/approved suppliers or specific Playcentre recommendations and you are more than welcome to use a local option, especially if they are cheaper.
End of financial year
With the end of the financial year here, please remember that many funders require a separate note in your accounts for each funder. This is often part of the terms and conditions for accepting the grant.
It is also important for centres that are registered charities to ensure their purpose, structure, officers, and rules on the Charities Register are up to date. Several centres still mention NZPF and Associations. It is also important that any centre that is a registered charity and an incorporated society has the same rules on both websites. Funders will look at your details online, and it is important that they are correct. Proposed amendments to the Charities Act will mean that registered charities will need to review their rules every year to ensure governance arrangements are up to date and appropriate.
Grants support
You can find lots of information to assist you with your funding applications on the Grants section of the Playcentre website (you need to first be logged in as a member).
Tonya Bristow
Accounts Administrator – Grants