Making an Application

Firstly take some and have a read through our Grants Policy. The policy explains amongst other things:

• who the Trust will receive applications from
• the purposes for which the Trust will consider an application
• the information required to support the application
• the closing dates for applications

If you haven’t applied to us before or are unsure whether your application will meet our criteria, have a chat with our Community Relations Manager to ensure that your organisation and project are eligible. Please note that national groups applying for funding for local delivery are advised to provide local financials, statistics and narratives to support their application.

Applications are made online through the “SmartyGrant” program.  If you haven’t applied before you will first need to register by providing your name, organisation and email address as well as creating a password – it  only takes a moment.

Please make sure you are applying in the correct round. Applications which do not meet the criteria for the relevant round will not be considered in that round. Applications cannot be transferred from one round to the next.

Complete the appropriate round application form. Be prepared with digital copies of the attachments required, eg evidence of community support for your proposal, supporting documentation for key staff (if relevant), project budget (including both income and expenses), financial and banking documentation (including annual accounts, bank statements, deposit slip), evidence to support expenses described (quotes, contracts), verified minutes or resolution to apply for funding.

Submit the completed application prior to midnight on the closing date for the round.  Online Applications Only – No emailed or hard copy applications can be accepted by the Community Trust.

Note:

• Applications are considered within an approximate two-month window following submission.
• Applications will only be considered out of round where Trustees, , accept that exceptional circumstances outside of the applicant’s control require an urgent response.
• Generally organisations should apply only once within the Community Trust’s financial year.
• A Community Trust grant is not subject to GST.

Applicants will be notified of the result within a week of a decision being made.

Documents need to be saved as a PDF of no larger than 5Mb.

• Charity number where applicable
• Evidence of community support e.g., letters of support, statistics to show benefits
• Project or operating budget
• Quotes (minimum of 2) where applicable (these must be addressed to the applicant organisation – if you have only 1 quote an explanation is required as to why)
• Annual reports and/or annual financial statements (most recent)
• Recent bank statement for each of your working/general accounts.
• Verified minutes (signed by the secretary) that include a resolution to apply for funding.

To help make the application process clearer, Ahu Community Trust does not generally provide funding for the following:

• Projects or activities that have already taken place (retrospective funding)
• Central or local government organisations
• Commercial ventures or for-profit businesses
• Endowments, capital funds or other trust funds
• Individuals, including scholarships or organisations that provide individual scholarships
• Travel and associated costs to attend conferences, education, tournaments, competitions or tours outside the region
• Centennial or jubilee celebrations, unless they are region-wide initiatives
• Defibrillators or defibrillator lockboxes

If you’re unsure whether your project or organisation is eligible, we encourage you to contact our Grants Manager before applying.