Whangārei Communities Fund

Eligible organisations are those that:

• have a constitution or trust deed
• have a bank account in the group’s name
• have held an AGM recently in line with its rules
• exist for not-for-profit or charitable purposes
• do not have any existing grant obligations with us and
• are local to the Whangārei District.

These are typically incorporated societies or charitable trusts but can include trusts established under the Māori Land Court or similar, Reserve Boards, and educational organisations.

Eligible activities that we can support are:

• events, festivals, parades, exhibitions, tournaments, shows
• programmes, workshops, classes, seminars
• community facilities development and maintenance
• minor operational or running costs for community organisations
• the purchase of equipment for community purposes
• community projects such as community gardens, murals, community signs, pest control, and more as aligned with our Community Funding Priorities.

You can apply for up to $20,000 for general projects including events, programmes, operational costs, and equipment purchases, and up to $100,000 for the development of community facilities.

For all requests over $10,000 (general and facilities), co-funding of 30% of the project cost is required. This means that we will only fund 70% of the total cost.

Applications that demonstrate having the balance of funding from their own contributions or other grants will be prioritised.

For community facilities, you can apply for:

• up to $100,000 for new builds, renovations, and maintenance
• up to $20,000 for minor equipment purchases such as furnishings
• up to $2,000 for facility insurance or power costs, if the facility earned less than $5,000 in income in the last year.

To access the higher levels of funding offered, you will need to have a good business case with plans, costings, quotes, photos, evidence of community support, and anything else to support your proposal.

We will not support:

• travel outside of the District
• mileage reimbursements in general
• fully catered meals (modest refreshments for workshops and working bees are fine)
• uniforms or other clothing (PPE accepted)
• promotional merchandise
• conference fees
• debt servicing, fines, or legal fees
• trophies, awards, or prize money
• costs that are retrospective (already incurred or committed to before funding decisions are made)
• activities or projects:
  • where the primary purpose is to promote religious, political, or commercial activity
  • we consider to be the core business of another organisation or service provider
  • we consider to be the responsibility of central government or other agencies
  • that start before funding decisions are made and paid out
  • where there is sufficient fundraising to cover the cost of the project, such as through ticket sales or other grants received.
• where the activity is a fundraiser for the applicant or a third party.

You will need to provide the following with your application:

• latest financial performance report
• proof of bank account (showing name and number)
• quotes or other evidence of expenses.

You should also include anything useful for us to better understand what you are trying to achieve and why it is important to support.

The Funding Guide has some further advice on supporting information.

Funding Guide(PDF, 399KB)

Here are some examples of recently funded projects.  This is not a complete list - for example purposes only.

2023 - 2024 Whangarei District Council community grant examples