To be eligible, all projects and events must be located in the Ashburton District, be available to the wider community, and be organised or run by a non-profit organisation. Individuals can only apply for the Biodiversity and Heritage grants. Creative Communities Scheme also accepts individuals.
We only fund a maximum of 50% of the total project cost; however, voluntary contributions count towards the total – so make sure you explain these well.
The next round of grants opens in February 2020, with all grants open for applications, except Creative Communities Scheme and Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund which open in March 2020.
Please see below for a brief description of each grant and eligibility criteria.
Application forms will be available on this page once the grants have opened.
Arts & Culture
Community Library Grant
The community library grant is for independently operated community libraries, specifically, Methven, Mt Somers, and Rakaia libraries. These three libraries can apply for funding to go towards the purchase or preservation of reading material.
Creative Communities Scheme
Individuals and groups can apply for funding towards their art projects. This includes projects that relate to craft / object art, literature, visual arts, dance, music, film, theatre, Ngā toi Māori, and Pacific arts. The project can be in the form of an exhibition, performance, workshop or simply about creation.
Community Development
Community Agencies Grant
Any community organisation can apply for funding towards operational costs, including rent or salaries. Please contact
grants@adc.govt.nz for further information.
Community Project Grant
The project grant is for funding towards a specific one-off project.
Economic Development
Community Events Grant
The events grant is to support new events and / or to build the capacity of existing events in the district. For an event to be eligible, the event must be smoke-free, promote sun-smart initiatives, and be working towards zero-waste.
Council funding can only be used for promoting the event, traffic management plans, and waste management measures.
Natural & Built Environment
Biodiversity Grant
The biodiversity grant is for projects that aim to protect, maintain or restore biodiversity.
The grant is open twice a year; in February along with the other Community grants, and then again in August.
Community Infrastructure Grant
The community infrastructure grant is for the development or maintenance of infrastructure available for community use. Eligible infrastructure includes memorial halls, community halls, reserve boards and community pools.
Heritage Grant
The heritage grant is for buildings or items scheduled in Group A or Group B of the Ashburton District Plan. The funding must be used for specialised maintenance such as replacing cladding or fittings that preserve or restore the heritage state of the building or item.
The grant is open twice a year; in February along with the other Community grants, and then again in August.
Sport & Recreation
School Holiday Programme Grant
To be eligible, the school holiday programme must cater for children aged between 5 and 14 years.
Sport Development Grant
The sport development grant is for any community organisation who aims to increase participation in sport activities across the Ashburton District. Funds can go towards operational costs, including rent or salaries.
Projects, such as improvements to sport clubrooms, should apply under the Community Project grant.
Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund
We administer this grant on behalf of Sport New Zealand. Applications are open across the month of March.
The purpose of the fund is to help subsidise travel for junior teams participating in local sport competitions. Sports clubs and school teams with young people aged between 5 and 19 years can apply.
Other funding options
If your project doesn’t fit our categories or criteria, or you are in need of more funding, givUS provides access to more than 1200 different grants for community organisations covering a wide range of project types from over 700 different funders across New Zealand.
Council provides free access to Generosity New Zealand's givUs database, a computer database of information about funding sources for community groups in New Zealand. You can access it at home through the library page of our website (requires membership login) or at the following locations:
- Ashburton Public Library
- Community House Mid Canterbury
- Methven i-SITE
Other financial assistance
Extraordinary grant funding
Council may consider providing grant funding outside the schemes detailed above to assist with community projects considered to be of significant value to the Ashburton District community. These are dealt with on a case by case basis.
Loans and guarantees
Council may consider requests for bridging finance or the guaranteeing of loans from community organisations undertaking projects of significant community benefit.
When applying you will need to include:
- The project's contribution to the achievement of Council's community outcomes
- The project's cost effectiveness
- The reasons why other sources of funding are unavailable
- Prudent fiscal history of the person or organisation making the application
- The ability of the person / organisation applying to repay the loan(s)
Any applications will be analysed by a Council senior financial advisor and / or suitable advisor. The analysis may include the following:
- The financial viability of the project
- The financial position of the person / organisation making the application
- Risks to Council in supporting the project and how these could be managed
- Recommended compulsory conditions
Any bridging finance will be charged interest and any loans or guarantees Council provides may require a personal guarantee.
For further information on Council grants and funding, contact Council by email or phone (03) 307 7700.