Contestable Grants Fund

Contestable Grants funds are for the establishment or development of community services or projects.

Hastings District Council encourages local community groups and organisations to work with Council towards meeting the current and future needs of our community.  If your organisation is delivering projects or services that fit with one or more the priorities set out below, we invite you to apply to our annual Contestable Grants Fund for financial assistance.

Applicants must be able to make a significant contribution to the project or service funding through their own fundraising activities, including through applying to local and national funding bodies outside of Council.

Priorities for funding

Each year Council contributes funds to groups delivering community services or projects. To be granted money from this pool, the group applying has to be able to put significant money into the project itself, or be able to attract funding from agencies and charities outside of Council. It also needs to show how the project fits with one or more of Council’s priorities for building a safe, liveable, sustainable community, specifically:

• Helping youth into training and jobs
• Helping new and/or existing businesses to provide local jobs
• Providing help and advice for people in need due to ageing and/or adverse circumstances
• Making improvements to the district which will attract visitors, students and businesses
• Providing programmes that reduce littering, wasting resources, and crime
• Promoting participation in recreation, arts, and cultural activities

Those who have been granted Council funds will need to supply financial accounts showing how the money was spent and provide a report on the project and its success.

Adapted from the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan (p.7)

Applications open on 1 March and close 30 April each year for grants available from 1 July each year 

Applications

Please read the important information and eligibility criteria.  Applications for funding can be made each year between 1 February and 31 March for contracts commencing 1 July in the same year. Payments of the funding will normally be made on a quarterly basis unless otherwise agreed between the parties.

Planning

Evidence of planning, budgets and annual accounts are required as part of the application. Council determines the funding allocations annually and reviews existing grants against agreed key performance indicators, including financial.

Contact

For more information contact the Community Grants and Projects Advisor.

Recipients

For stories on former recipients and their projects see Contestable Grants Fund recipients.

In the 2108/19 grants round, 31 successful applications were awarded a total sum of $245,500. The full 2018/19 list is: