Three-year funding boost to support 39 community projects and services
Published on 09 April 2025
Just under 40 community groups across the city have received just under $2M in council funding for their important work helping to reach city goals.
General Manager of Customer and Community Danelle Whakatihi says the range of applications for Strategic Priority Grants howled the wide variety of valuable programmes and services being offered for our community, by our community.
“We were delighted with the diversity of applications we received in this round. Two of the three first-time recipient organisations, Papaioea Pasifika Community Trust and Niuvaka Trust, deliver important social services and activities for Pasifika communities. Another first-time recipient, Epic Music Academy, have developed an excellent music education programme to help primary school children develop creativity and confidence.”
She says the financial pressures that many organisations are under were clear throughout the assessments, with other funding sources having been ceased or restructured recently, while the rising cost of living has increased demand for services.
This made decisions particularly difficult this round, as organisations looked to Council for additional support to continue their vital community services.
“We received 72 applications requesting a total of $4.8 million a year. We only have $1.8 million per annum available which means the decisions on which organisations and projects to fund were extremely difficult. A robust process has been followed in making the allocation decisions, based on criteria from our Support and Funding Policy and grant guidelines. Despite the challenges, we’re confident that allocations made will support many organisations to deliver valuable, sustainable outcomes for our city.”
Our staff have offered to meet with applicants who have not been successful to discuss the reasons for decisions and identify any other funding opportunities that might be open to them, including other Council funds.
Find out more about our funding opportunities
The Strategic Priority Grants programme is Council’s largest funding stream available for this sector, with three-year funding agreements, it provides organisations with a higher level of certainty in their operations than annual or project-specific funding.
Mrs Whakatihi says having a capable for-purpose sector is an important part of having a connected, safe and vibrant community.
“Performance data from our most recent Strategic Priority Grant recipients shows that there were more than 7,000 activities, programmes and events delivered for the investment, across important areas like environmental sustainability, arts and culture, and social support. These kind of results show the huge amount of value generated by this funding and the significant level of community-led support and connection delivered by these groups. We see such a wide range of benefits across the city from partnering with Palmy’s community organisations who are doing a fantastic job supporting the needs of our people. We’re confident our Strategic Priority Grant funding will continue help us achieve Council’s strategic goals and outcomes by producing excellent value and worthwhile programmes and services for our people.”
For more information on our Strategic Priority Grants and to see the list of successful applicants go to our Strategic Priority Grants page. This list will not be final until all funding contracts have been signed.