Deadline: 19-Sep-2025
The Porirua City Council is inviting youth-driven projects to apply for its Young People’s Fund, offering valuable opportunities for rangatahi and tamariki to bring creative and impactful ideas to life.
The fund is not just about financial support—it emphasizes empowering young people as they build skills and take on new challenges within their community.
The fund provides five or six one-off grants of $6,000 each year, ideal for smaller, community-focused initiatives. Applicants can be groups of young people, but their proposals must be supported by a legal entity like a school or nonprofit, which guides and oversees the project.
Priority will be given to projects that align with the fund’s focus areas. In the area of diversity and inclusion, this includes programmes supporting LGBTQI+ youth, initiatives that strengthen cultural identity and belonging, projects designed for migrants and former refugees, programmes for neurodivergent and differently abled young people, as well as Māori-led and Pacific-led youth initiatives. Environmental priorities include work related to Te Awarua-o-Porirua harbour and catchment, waste reduction and minimisation, climate change mitigation, and food sustainability and education. For health and wellbeing, the fund supports mental health initiatives, projects that strengthen social connections, and efforts to encourage healthy and active lifestyles.
Organisations eligible to apply must be legal entities based in Porirua City, or deliver services in the city with strong local connections. Youth groups can also apply if supported by a legal entity that acts as the fund holder, such as a school or registered organisation. Preference will be given to projects that work directly with children and young people aged 0 to 24, and those that clearly align with the focus areas while showing collaboration, joint funding, in-kind support, and strong youth engagement. Applicants must also have the authority to apply on behalf of their organisation.
Applications for funding open each year between mid-August and mid-September. During the 2024–2025 cycle, successful projects included a free youth boxing programme, media skills workshops focused on identity and inclusion, a healing garden, and radio programmes led by young voices—all efforts that reflect the city’s commitment to nurturing creativity, belonging, and growth among its youth.
For more information, visit Porirua City Council.
