Six million dollar funding boost for Auckland and Northland community groups

Auckland and Northland community organisations received six million dollars in Foundation North’s recent allocation of grant funding. The largest grants were $653,439 to support Opononi’s Te Hua o te Kawariki Trust to support the development of a cultural centre in the Far North, and a $500,000 grant to support the upgrade of the James Liston Hostel emergency housing. Other major grants included $293,955 to Moerewa’s He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust, $274,361 to South Auckland’s Rise UP Trust, $250,000 to Auckland Festival, $165,454 to Te Ara Rangatahi in Franklin and $160,000 for Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust’s work in Northland and South Auckland.

This brings to over $24 million the total granted to the region’s community organisations by the Foundation so far in this financial year.

“As the community trust for Auckland and Northland regions, we have now exceeded a billion dollars in grants returned to our communities since we were founded in 1988,” Foundation North’s Chief Executive Jennifer Gill says. “The strong performance of our portfolio has allowed us to gradually increase the amount granted over the last ten years. We expect our grants for the March 2019 year to total around $35 million.”

Ms Gill said the Foundation is progressively aligning its grants with its new strategy. This will see the Foundation focus on supporting community initiatives that address inequalities, strengthen regional social cohesion, achieve positive outcomes for children and young people, enable community-led economic development, and enhance the region’s natural environment.

“Our grants will return around half a billion dollars to Auckland and Northland over the next fifteen years. We want to be responsive to the rapid and complex demographic and social change we’re seeing.” commented Ms Gill.

ENDS

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