Trust Waikato Community Response Funding Program (Round 1)

Deadline: 9-Feb-24

The Trust Waikato has announced the Community Response Funding Program (Round 1) to achieve transformational change for people, families, communities and places where the need is greatest.

Strategic Priorities for Impact

Trust Waikato’s funding framework has been designed to allocate grants that will deliver on the Trust’s strategic priorities for impact:
- Facilitate improved outcomes for the highest need communities in their region with a focus on:
  - enhancing the wellbeing of children, young people and whanau/families
  - increasing resilience in rural/small communities
  - initiatives that achieve positive outcomes for Maaori.
- Strengthen the community sector by:
  - supporting key stakeholders to increase their capacity
  - facilitating partnerships and investing in collaboration
  - enabling change-maker organisations through investment in innovation.

What they fund?

The Trust Waikato Strategic Plan sets five and ten year goals towards achieving transformational change for people, families, communities and places where the need is greatest.
This includes funding initiatives that increase community vibrancy, quality of life, resilience, participation and inclusiveness in the areas of:
- Arts and culture
- Education
- History
- Social services
- Sports and recreation
- Youth
- The environment
By preference, grants will be made to organisations:
- that offer their facilities or services for the benefit or enjoyment of the public and contribute to community vibrancy and resilience,
- that have a proven track record in their area of operation, though the Trust may support new organisations that have significant potential,
- that can show community support for their operation,
- applying for projects that are consistent with the Trust’s current grants focus,
- that have strong volunteer involvement,
- that can show that their activity or project can make a real difference for the highest need communities in its region.

Eligibility Criteria

In general, Trust Waikato funds not-for-profit groups that:
- operate mainly in the Waikato region
- have a bank account, annual financial statements
- are an incorporated society or registered charitable trust.
There is some flexibility around these requirements. They can, for example, fund groups that are not societies or trusts.