Question 1

What type of projects will Trust Waikato fund?

Accepted Answer

The Trust Waikato Strategic Plan sets five and ten year goals towards achieving transformational change for people, families, communities and places where the need is greatest. ​This includes funding projects that increase community vibrancy, quality of life, resilience, participation, and inclusiveness in the areas of: Arts and culture Education Social services Sports and recreation Youth The environment  By preference, grants will be made to organisations: that offer their facilities or services for the benefit or enjoyment of the public and contribute to community vibrancy and resilience,  that have a proven track record in their area of operation, though the Trust may support new organisations that have significant potential that can show community support for their operation, applying for projects that are consistent with the Trust’s current grants focus, that have strong volunteer involvement, that can show that their activity or project can make a real difference for the highest need communities in its region.  A list of past grants can be found here.

Question 2

What type of projects will Trust Waikato not fund?

Accepted Answer

The Trust typically funds organisations and not individuals. Generally, the Trust will not make grants towards: Businesses and business associations conference attendance or accommodation endowments fundraising individuals loan repayments or other debt instrument repayments prizes (including cash) and trophies retrospective expenses, completed projects or events religious ministry travel outside the Waikato region or overseas uniforms vehicles venture capital  Potential applicants are encouraged to contact a member of the Grants Team if you are unsure about whether your project fits.

Question 3

Will Trust Waikato fund my whole project?

Accepted Answer

No.  In practice, the Trust tends to fund up to 10% of the project costs. This level of contribution means that there is still a significant requirement for the organisation to raise the rest of the funding themselves. The 10% policy for projects can be varied up to 20% if: there is significant alignment to the Trust’s strategic pou and strategic priorities  Note: as our minimum grant is $1,000, smaller projects may receive more than 20% of the project cost.

Question 4

What makes a good application?

Accepted Answer

Clear language and concise information that is easy to understand Being clear about your project outcomes and alignment with our Strategic Pou  Uploading all required documentation  To ensure you submit the best possible application, we recommend you contact a Grants Team member.  Note: We do not assess your application on how well you present information, so please don’t spend too much time formatting your answers it’s the content we care most about.

Question 5

What is the minimum and maximum grant my organisation could receive?

Accepted Answer

The minimum grant is $1,000 and there is no maximum set.  The main considerations are the size of the organisation, the organisation’s history, the project being undertaken, community benefit, and the project’s alignment to the Trust’s Strategic Pou and our Strategic Priorities.

Question 6

Is my organisation eligible to apply?

Accepted Answer

In general, Trust Waikato funds not-for-profit organisations that: operate in the Waikato region have a bank account, annual financial statements are an incorporated society or registered charitable trust  There is some flexibility around these requirements. We can, for example, fund organisations that have no legal status.

Question 7

Do you fund individuals?

Accepted Answer

No.

Question 8

Will Trust Waikato fund past expenses?

Accepted Answer

No. Trust Waikato does not fund retrospective expenses, completed projects or events. Retrospective projects include events that take place within 8-12 weeks post-closing round. For example, if the closing date for a round is 11 Feb 2022, anything that occurs before mid-April 2022 will be considered retrospective and declined.

Question 9

When can I apply?

Accepted Answer

For Community Response Grants there are three rounds per annum. These rounds close in February, June, and September, with payments made to successful organisations around 8-12 weeks later.  Usually only one application will be accepted from each organisation in a round. Organisations can only receive one Community Response Grant per annum. An organisation which has had an application declined, may make a different application to a later round in the same year. An organisation can apply anytime throughout the year. Ideally organisations should have spent their previous grant before applying again. For Trust Waikato’s other funds, organisations must contact Trust Waikato staff to discuss projects that might be considered.  This year's closing round dates can be found here.   Note: ensure your group factors in when the funds will be needed, should you be successful as this will have an impact on what time you will need to apply.

Question 10

What is your geographic funding area?

Accepted Answer

The Trust Waikato funding area incorporates the Thames-Coromandel, Hauraki, Matamata-Piako, Waipa, Waikato, South Waikato, Waitomo, Otorohanga and Ruapehu districts, and Hamilton city based on the boundaries set through legislation in 1964.  Click here to view a detailed version the area we cover.

Question 11

Can I apply to other funders?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  Trust Waikato is a partial funder, meaning that there is still a significant requirement for the organisation to raise the rest of the funding themselves.

Question 12

What documents does Trust Waikato require for an application?

Accepted Answer

When applying for a grant you must upload: Annual financial statements - upload a copy of your most recent financial statements. Depending on your organisational structure and income level, these statements may be audited, reviewed, or prepared internally. If your organisation has been operating for less than a year, please provide a profit and loss statement, together with a budget forecast for 12 months. Bank account statement - upload a copy of your most recent bank statement for your operating account showing your transition history or upload a bank summary showing the balances of all your accounts. Chair’s report - this is to provide us with a summary of your activity over the past year. Meeting minutes are accepted if your group has been operating for less than a year. Schools and ECE’s can provide their ERO report. Verified bank deposit slip – attach a pre-printed bank deposit slip or signed confirmation from your bank of your account name and number. If you don’t have a bank deposit slip you can visit a branch of your bank and request a verification showing the full name and bank account number, which is stamped and initialled by the bank. You will need to either scan or take a photo of this document to attach to your application as verification of your bank account.

Question 13

How do I submit an application?

Accepted Answer

Once you have your login and password you can apply for funding.  First time applicants: First time applicants need to complete the eligibility quiz here, then apply for a login and password on the Grantee Portal here.   Returning applicants: Use your existing login and password to apply for funding in the Grantee Portal here.  Once you are ready to submit your application hit the submit button to send it in.  All applications must be submitted online by 4.30pm on the closing date of the grants round.  Some useful videos to guide you through this process are here.  Note: To add another layer of protection, we introduced multi-factor authentication (MFA) on 6 December 2021. This means the first time you log into the Trust Waikato Grantee Portal from 6 December onwards, you will need to set up MFA through either SMS (text message) or a mobile application. Click here for more information on MFA.

Question 14

How do I fill out the ‘Project Cost’ table?

Accepted Answer

You will need to fill in the ‘Total Project Costs’ and ‘Amount Requested from Trust Waikato’ along with adding in costs to the project cost table to reflect components that make up the ‘Total Project Cost’.  To edit the table, click the plus (+) button to the right of the project cost table then add in a heading and amount for each component of your project. You do not need to break your project down. For example, it is fine to say “operating costs” rather than listing each item individually.  Below is an example of what a completed project cost area could look like.  It is important to note that: ‘Total Project Costs’ must equal the sum of ‘Project Cost’ in the table - see red boxes below, Amount Requested from Trust Waikato must equal the sum of ‘Amount Requested’ in the table - see yellow boxes below.     To view a video of how to complete a project costs table please click here.

Question 15

Which strategic outcome should I choose?

Accepted Answer

You may feel like your project aligns to more than one of our strategic outcomes, however, please choose the outcome you feel best reflects your project.

Question 16

What if I’m applying for funding for two different organisations?

Accepted Answer

You will need to complete the eligibility quiz and register for each organisation you want to make applications for. When a new registration is approved it will be added to your existing login and we will send you details of how to change between the organisations.  Please register for any organisations you want to make applications for in the Grantee Portal. Please click to access the Grantee Portal here. Start by selecting the ‘Eligibility Quiz’ option at the bottom right of the page. We will then approve your registration and add it to your existing login.

Question 17

After I apply, when will I be notified of the outcome?

Accepted Answer

Generally, for grants under $20,000 you will be notified within 8 weeks and grants larger than $20,000 will be notified within 12 weeks, from closing date.

Question 18

Does my organisation need to acknowledge the grant?

Accepted Answer

We do not require organisations to acknowledge the grant. However, if you would like to acknowledge Trust Waikato’s support, examples on how to do so and our logo files are available for download here. We would prefer that your time and resources go towards your project. Please avoid giving us gifts, awards or framed pictures.

Question 19

Where do I find my grant outcome letter?

Accepted Answer

To find your letter, please go to the ‘Closed Grants’ section in the left menu of the Grantee Portal. Click on the grant and then choose ‘Documents’ from the menu at the top of your application. You will see your letter attached as one of the documents. Please click to access the Grantee Portal here. To watch a 3-minute video on navigating the Grantee Portal click here.

Question 20

How do I add another person to my organisation account?

Accepted Answer

Each new person that needs to make new applications, be the secondary contact, make the declaration, complete reports, or see previous grant information, needs to register themselves in the Grantee Portal by following the steps below: Click to access the Grantee Portal here. Start by selecting the ‘Eligibility Quiz’ option at the bottom right of the page and then complete the quiz and registration form. Once submitted, we will approve your registration.  You can watch a video on how to register here.  Please do not attempt to register for other people, they need to complete their own registration. The person registering will have a chance to update the organisational information as part of the registration process.

Question 21

When will I need to complete my accountability report?

Accepted Answer

An online accountability report will be required either when your organisation makes a subsequent application or within 12 months of receiving the grant, whichever comes first. The level of accountability detail varies with the size and type of grant, as shown in Section 13 of the Grants Policy.

Question 22

What if my project has been affected by COVID-19?

Accepted Answer

If your organisation needs to make changes to planned activities, and you have had a Trust Waikato grant approved, please contact a member of the Grants Team to discuss your specific situation.

Question 23

What can I do if I want to change the use of my grant?

Accepted Answer

If your organisation would like to use your grant for an activity that is different to what was approved in your application, you will need to contact a member of the Grants Team to seek approval.

Frequently Asked Questions