We support both large and small community groups who work in various sectors, and our grants range from a few hundred dollars to thousands for a wide range of purposes aligned with our Strategic Vision. We provide funding throughout the south of New Zealand covering Southland, Queenstown, Glenorchy, Arrowtown, Tapanui and Heriot areas.
Our aspiration for a 'Thriving South - Murihiku manawa tōnui' is underpinned by an enduring purpose which is empowering communities to fulfil their aspirations. It sets out strategic pou (priorities), which are focus areas in the near and medium term, to ensure we remain focused on delivering real impact in our communities.
Each of our three pou have a set of funding priorities and it is these priorities that guide our funding decisions.
Our grants support a wide range of projects, programmes, facilities, services and events across our three pou:
Strong Foundations - Tūāpapa Torokaha
Enabling the conditions for our communities to thrive.
People & Places - Toitū Te Tangata, Toitū Te Whenua
Supporting people and places which enhance communities so that all people can lead fulfilling lives.
Sustainability & Climate - Toitūtanga me te Āhuarangi
Supporting communities to connect to their environment so that it can thrive for future generations.
Within these three pou we have specific priorities we want our funding to support, and your application will be stronger if you can meet some of these. Please see Our Strategic Aspiration for details on our priorities in each pou.
As a partial funder we see our role as complementing regional sector strategies and other funding opportunities, including adding value to, but not replacing, government’s (local and central) core provision of services by providing community funding for justifiable additional and/or enhanced services. But as our grants budget is limited and we receive many applications there will be times when we are unable to fund applications even though they might meet our priorities.