Deadline: 10-Jul-2026
The Frozen Funds Charitable Trust supports community-led initiatives for people who use or have previously used mental health or intellectual disability services in New Zealand. The fund is administered by Public Trust and focuses on empowering service users to design and lead their own projects. It prioritises initiatives that enhance independence, skills, and decision-making capacity.
Purpose and Objectives
The main objective is to strengthen capability, choice, and supported decision-making for people with lived experience of mental health or intellectual disability services. The programme aims to build confidence, autonomy, and leadership among service users. It also supports projects that increase participation in decisions affecting personal wellbeing and life outcomes.
2026 Funding Theme
The 2026 theme is “Building Capability, Choice, and Supported Decision-Making.”
It focuses on strengthening practical skills, independence, and self-direction. Projects should enable participants to lead and shape their own supports and futures.
Key Focus Areas
The fund prioritises service-user leadership, supported decision-making, capability building, peer-led initiatives, and empowerment-based projects. It strongly emphasises lived experience as the foundation of all funded activities.
Funding Information
Grants of up to $10,000 per project are available. Projects must be completed within a defined timeframe. Successful applicants must also complete accountability and reporting requirements.
Eligible Applicants
Applications must be submitted by charitable organisations or through a charitable organisation acting as a fiscal sponsor. Individuals or informal groups can apply only through an eligible charitable entity. All projects must be directed by people with lived experience of mental health or intellectual disability services.
Eligibility Requirements (Key Rules)
Projects must be run by and for service users. Initiatives must demonstrate strong lived-experience leadership in planning and implementation. Preference is given to projects unlikely to receive government funding.
Excluded Groups and Activities
The fund does not support groups primarily focused on conditions such as brain injuries, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, stuttering, Huntington’s disease, grief or loss, or physical disabilities. It also excludes clinician-led services without lived-experience leadership.
The fund does not support:
- Counselling or professional clinical services without strong service-user leadership
- Books, school facilities, laptops, or computers
- Animal care initiatives
- Refurbishment or renovation of physical spaces
- Short-term interventions without long-term empowerment outcomes
- Development of apps or podcasts
Eligible Project Types
Eligible projects must focus on empowerment and decision-making. Examples include peer-led capability building, leadership development for service users, and initiatives that strengthen independence and self-advocacy.
Project Design Requirements
Projects must clearly demonstrate how they are led by people with lived experience. They should focus on building practical skills, confidence, and autonomy. Applications must show how participants are empowered to make decisions about their own lives.
Implementation Expectations
Projects must be time-bound and realistically achievable within the funding period. Clear planning and defined outcomes are required. Late applications are not accepted.
Reporting and Accountability
Funded projects must submit accountability reports within the agreed timeframe. Reporting should demonstrate outcomes related to capability building, choice, and supported decision-making.
Why This Programme Matters
The programme strengthens self-determination for people with lived experience of mental health or intellectual disability services. It shifts decision-making power to service users and promotes inclusive leadership. By focusing on empowerment, it supports long-term personal and community transformation.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applications may be weaker if they are clinician-led without service-user direction. Proposals focused on infrastructure, equipment, or non-empowerment activities are ineligible. Weak evidence of lived-experience leadership can also lead to rejection.
Tips for a Strong Application
Strong applications clearly demonstrate lived-experience leadership at every stage. They focus on empowerment, capability building, and decision-making outcomes. Projects should be realistic, time-bound, and clearly aligned with the 2026 theme.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Frozen Funds Charitable Trust?
It is a grant programme supporting service-user led mental health and intellectual disability initiatives in New Zealand. - How much funding is available?
Up to $10,000 per project. - Who can apply?
Charitable organisations or fiscal sponsors acting on behalf of service-user led groups. - Who must lead the project?
People with lived experience of mental health or intellectual disability services. - What is the 2026 funding theme?
Building Capability, Choice, and Supported Decision-Making. - What types of projects are excluded?
Clinical services, infrastructure, equipment purchases, and non-empowerment activities. - Are individuals eligible to apply directly?
Only through a charitable organisation acting as a sponsor.
Conclusion
The Frozen Funds Charitable Trust empowers people with lived experience of mental health or intellectual disability services to lead their own initiatives. It focuses on capability building, independence, and supported decision-making. The programme ensures that service users remain at the centre of design, leadership, and impact.
For more information, visit Public Trust.
