Community support grants
Guidelines for application
These guidelines relate to both:
a) Council Grants scheme for grants serving the wider North Shore community or local projects requesting more than $5,000, incorporating:
- Contract grants
- City-wide discretionary grants
- Regional grants
and
b) Community Board Discretionary Grants Funding for local initiatives that benefit the immediate community. Grants are generally to a maximum value of $5,000 (separate application form, see below).
Definitions
| Legally constituted organisation: | Charitable Trust or Incorporated Society. |
| Unstructured group: | Group without legal status, ie not charitable trust or incorporated society. |
| Role of umbrella organisation: | To sponsor an application, oversee expenditure and ensure accountability. |
Eligible organisations
Applications are received from both legally constituted and unstructured voluntary groups. Legally constituted groups must provide proof of status – eg Certificate of Incorporation or Charitable Trust Deed.
Unstructured voluntary groups must submit an application under the umbrella of a legally constituted organisation. This organisation will receive grants allocated on behalf of the applicant group and must take responsibility for accountability regarding expenditure of the grant and outcomes achieved.
Applicant organisations must produce a bank statement showing the applicant as the name of the account holder.
Applicants must demonstrate that their organisation is sustainable by producing financial records from the past year and a business plan for the current financial year.
Support areas
Council supports community organisations and initiatives that align with Council’s strategic goals and policy commitments to enhance or strengthen community cohesion and participation. Recognition will be given to organisations that demonstrate high levels of voluntary contribution. Grants are made for applications requesting funding assistance for:
A |
Provision of arts / cultural opportunities. Promotion of participation in the arts or cultural expression that enhances or strengthens community cohesion. |
B |
Provision of services or opportunities for young people that encourage young people to participate in the community and develop to their full potential. |
C |
Provision of services or opportunities for disabled people that encourage people with disabilities to participate in the community and develop to their full potential. |
D |
Provision of services or opportunities for elderly people that encourage older people to participate in the community and develop to their full potential. |
E |
Provision of recreational activities that encourage community involvement and which foster community spirit and cohesion community information services that provide information directly or guide people to where they can obtain information that will enhance their lifestyle or improve social functioning. |
F |
Support and training initiatives undertaken by community organisations towards community development. |
Areas where funding is not available
Community Support Grants will not:
- Fund individuals
- Fund projects where assistance is the responsibility of central government departments or agencies, or where there is a shortfall in funding available from government sources
- Fund capital purchases of land, building projects requesting over $30k and vehicle purchase (building projects over $30,000 may be suitable for Community Facilities funding)
- Fund community projects where assistance is the responsibility of council departments and funding may be sought from internal operating budgets
- Fund health and social services.
Areas where funding is generally not available
Funding is generally not available for:
- Applications from religious organisations for building and development projects or religious activities
- Any specific projects where the direct or indirect purpose is to generate income (for example fundraising, business associations)
- School activities/programmes except where these are outside the school curriculum and for the benefit of the wider community
- School equipment, buildings or pools
- Retrospectively projects where the funding sought is for work already completed
- Environmental projects where other Council Departments should be providing support.
Making an application
Applications must be received before advertised closing dates on the appropriate official application form. Application forms are available from North Shore City Council's Community Liaison Department, Council Area Offices and some community facilities. The following information is to be included:
- Description of the project
- Applications must show clear outcomes that are of benefit to North Shore’s community that will be achieved by funding assistance from this scheme.
- Total cost of the project (including quotes where relevant)
- Contribution by the applicant
- Annual accounts (audited-copy is required for applications where the total requested in one funding round amounts to over $1,000)
- For a new organisation that is being umbrella’ed by a legally constituted group - a projected budget for the new year
- Identification of funding received from other sources eg. Lotteries, COGS, Creative NZ, Community Boards
- Research or assessments undertaken to demonstrate the need for the services/programmes proposed.
Assistance and advice
Assistance and advice are available from the council grants administrator (486 8487) or, for Community Board discretionary grants applications, the Community Advisor for your area (486 8400). If you wish to go through your application with a Council officer prior to the closing date, ensure you make an appointment that will allow sufficient time to consider any suggestions that may assist you in portraying your project to its best advantage.
Collaboration
Following receipt of your application it may be apparent that more than one application has been received to provide similar services. At this point, the grants administrator will contact both applicants to find out whether there is a duplication of services.
If so:
- one organisation may choose to withdraw their application
- both organisations may collaborate on a joint application to consolidate service provision
- both applications may be revised to rationalise services.
Arts and culture