Otago Community Trust approved grants of just over $1.6 million in its April funding round. The round was significant, as Otago Community Trust advanced its commitment to providing multi-year funding to a number of the well-established social service providers.

Trust chair Ross McRobie explains that the benefits of multi-year funding for grantees are well documented – greater funding security and a reduction in what we refer to as the ‘funding burden’ on grantees including time spent reapplying for grants.

Our trustees believe that one of the ways we can make a real difference is by moving towards a long-term funding approach for those organisations that are well established service providers and are consistently able to demonstrate that they have: consistent and best practice delivery, robust governance and leadership, alongside sound financial management.

“It has been a significant shift for us to look at granting this way, multi-year funding can have significant cost implications for grantmakers.”

“We went through a very careful exercise in terms of the long-term implications and the financial commitment of the trust.” said McRobie

For this reason, Otago Community Trust has taken a cautious approach in launching its new multi-year funding offering, with only four social service agencies awarded multi-year funding.

This year’s recipients, Anglican Family Care, Methodist Mission Southern, Otago Youth Wellness Trust and Presbyterian Support Otago will receive a total of $995,000 over three years for the services and programmes that they implement across Otago.

Trust chief executive Barbara Bridger says taking a long-term funding approach gives certainty for providers and offers significant benefit in terms of being able to focus on service delivery to those that need it most rather than diverting resources each year to apply for funding.

Other organisations benefiting from grants in April included the Waitaki Safer Community Trust who were awarded a $49,536 grant to advance their Waitaki Family Harm Reduction Programme. This programme facilitates healthy family/whanau relationships through early intervention at a critical point in a violent relationship.

Otago Youth Adventure Trust Inc received a $35,000 grant to upgrade its facilities at the Tautuku Outdoor Education Centre based close to Papatowai in the Catlins.

Regular annual grants to Outward Bound New Zealand and the Otago Medical Research Foundation were also approved.

The Otago Community Trust gave a total of $1,676,727 to 26 community organisations in April.

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