What are our Community Grants and Funding?
Council
provides funding for agencies and community groups for projects and activities
in the community that
help support our long term goals for the district. These
can be one-off events or ongoing projects that help
make Ashburton District a
better place to live, work and play. Anybody can apply for a grant as
long as they meet
our criteria.
What is the process for our
Community Grants
and Funding?
Applications
are open around January to March to apply for funding for the following
financial year, which runs from
1 July to 30 June. There are different
categories of grants any community group or organisation can apply for (listed
below). All applications received are acknowledged, and then presented to the
Community Grants and Funding Subcommittee for assessment against Council’s
criteria and priority areas for the district. The Subcommittee then makes a
recommendation to Council as part of the Annual Plan on how much funding should
be allocated to the grants for the year. When Council adopts the Annual Plan at
the end of June, it also approves the Subcommittee’s recommendations for
funding applications. All applicants are informed of the outcome of their
funding application
in early July.
When do community grants open?
Creative Communities Scheme Funding for 2018/19 and Biodiversity and Heritage Grants are now open.
Categories and application forms
There are now five funding categories for all community grants.
Arts & culture
Applications for Round One of Creative Communities Scheme Funding 2018/19 are now open. Applications close 30 September, 2018.
Read the Creative Communities Application Guide
Make an application for Creative Communities Scheme Funding
Applications for Community Library Grants are now closed. Funding decisions were advised in July, 2018.
Community development
Applications for Community Development Grants are now closed. Funding decisions were advised in July, 2018.
Economic development & events
Applications for Economic Development and Events grants are now closed. Funding decisions were advised in July, 2018.
Natural & built environment
Applications for Round Two of Biodiversity and Heritage funding are now open. Applications close 30 September, 2018.
Apply for a Natural and Built Environment Heritage Grant
Apply for a Natural and Built Environment Biodiversity Grant
Sport & recreation
Applications for Sport Development Funding and School Holiday Programme Grant funding are now closed. Funding decisions were advised in July, 2018.
Applications for Sport NZ - Rural Travel Fund 2017/18 is now closed. Applications closed 31 March 2018.
My project doesn't fit Council's community grants
If your project does not fit our categories or criteria for community grant 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.
Community Grants and Funding for 2018/19 Announced
More than 70 community groups and organisations around the district are set to benefit from $1.1 million of funding from Council's annual Community Grants and Funding scheme.
View the recipients of the 2018/19 Community Grants and Funding
Changes to the structure and processes for Council's grants and funding has meant there are now five funding categories. These are Arts and Culture, Community Development, Economic Development and Events, Sport and Recreation, and Natural and Built Environment. Under each of these categories, funding is distributed via Community Agency Funding, Community Projects Funding, Economic Development and Events, Biodiversity Funding, Community Infrastructure Funding, Heritage Funding, Sport Development Funding, and School Holiday Programme Funding.