Philanthropy New Zealand Is Releasing A Weekly Update To Share Philanthropic And Grantmaking Activity And Insight As The Sector Seeks To Support Communities In The Wake Of COVID-19. This Update Is A General Public Document, Provided To Ministers, Government, Funders, Community Groups And Media.

Key Point For Government

Social Service Providers Aotearoa, The New Zealand Council Of Christian Social Services And Philanthropy New Zealand Sent A Letter To Government Requesting That The Identified Underfunding Of Social Services Provided By NGOs And Iwi/Māori Organisations Be Addresse in The Government Budget. 

It Also Asked That Social Services, Which Government Contracts To Deliver Essential Services, Have A Formal Role In The Government’s Recovery Strategy And Implementation. The Funding Gap Was Estimated By Research Last Year To Be About $630m Annually, And Government Was Reviewing Its Social Service Funding And Contracting Model In Response. 

However, The Added Service Demand Pressure And Costs Many Social Services Now Face And Increased Difficulty In Accessing Alternative Sources Of Funding Make The Issue Urgent.

Points For Philanthropic Funders And Grantmakers

• We Are Hearing About A Lag In Community Groups Applying For Some Philanthropic Response Funds Due To Their Current Delivery Pressure Or Being Too Uncertain About The Future To Consider  Forward Activities. Community Organisations Have Highlighted The Need For Support In Reorienting To Deliver Their Purpose And Operations In Light Of COVID-19 And Its Economic Impacts.

• Ethnic Community Representatives Have Encouraged Funders To Support Community Awareness Of Available Help And Funding For Ethnic Groups. The Office Of Ethnic Affairs At The Department Of Internal Affairs Has Also Encouraged People To Contact Them To Find Out What Help Is Available.

• A National Psychosocial Support Plan For COVID-19 Is Being Developed. It Provides High-level Guidance To Agencies, Service Providers And Community Groups Involved In Preventing Psychosocial Distress, Co-ordinating Or Providing Psychosocial Support, And Delivering Mental Health And Addiction Services.

For The Community Sector

A Survey Of The Community Sector To Collect A Comprehensive Picture Of The Impact Of COVID-19 Is In Design Phase And Expected To Be In The Field In Late May.

Hui E! Community Aotearoa, Volunteering New Zealand, The Centre For Social Impact And Philanthropy New Zealand Are Producing The Survey To:

• Understand The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Community Sector;
• Inform Community, Philanthropic, Government And Business Sector Decision Making, Advocacy And Support For Charities And Community Organisations; And
• Provide A Baseline For Future Surveys To Assess Longer-term Impacts.

The Organisations Are Talking With Other Groups Involved In Community Sector Data Collection And Will Be Incorporating Data From More Specific Surveys (e.g. Those Of Particular Geographical Areas Or Particular Causes) And These Will Be Fed Into The Results.

We Will Be Encouraging People To Share The Survey To Get The Best Possible Snapshot And Will Put Effort Into Distributing The Data Widely.

If You’ve Got Questions Or Would Like To Know More, Please Contact: Rochelle Stewart-Allen (Hui E! Community Aotearoa), Michelle Kitney (Volunteering NZ), Monica Briggs (Centre For Social Impact), Sue McCabe (Philanthropy NZ).

The Philanthropic Landscape

Community Needs

Rural And Farming Communities

Emergency Management Groups Have Reported Growing Concern For Mental Health In Rural And Farming Communities Due To Drought Conditions In Some Regions, Shortage Of Stock Feed And A Reduced Opportunity To Destock. Some Farmers Are Struggling To Attract Workers Given Their Remote Location. ANZ Has Also Cut Its Milk Price Forecast For Next Season By 70 Cents A Kilogram As Global Dairy Prices Continue To Weaken In The Global Economic Climate. The Rural Support Trust Network Have Counselling Services Available At 0800 787 254.

The Ministry For Primary Industries Has Reported An Increase In The Number Of Companion Animals Being Given Away Or Euthanised Due To Difficulties Meeting Vet Bills. Winter Feed Remains An Issue, With Higher Stock Numbers And Lower Feed Availability Due To The February Floods.

One Bright Spot Is That COVID-19 Is Accelerating Moves To Hold Livestock Sales Online. Nearly 2000 Farmers Have Signed Up To Buy And Sell Animals Through Virtual Saleyard, Bidr, A Subsidiary Of PGG Wrightson. Reported Benefits Are That Animals Don't Leave The Farm Until After They Are Sold, Which Reduces Stress On The Stock And Saves On Cartage.

Community Transport

Buses Currently Have Limited Capacity (due To Social Distancing Requirements) Resulting In People Reporting Being Left Behind In Some Areas. Several Regional Transport Services Have Warned That As Timetables Return To Normal But Social Distancing Requirements Likely Remain, There Is No Guarantee Of Getting A Seat. Wellington Regional Council Have Also Pointed Out A Further Issue And That Is That Even If They Were Able To Roll Out More Buses, There Is Not Enough Available Drivers Given 12% Of Bus Drivers In Wellington Are Over The Age Of 70 And Therefore Are Not Working At The Moment. This Is An Issue To Actively Consider Into Level 2 Given The Return Of Larger Numbers Of Passengers Travelling To.

Work And Children To School And The Impact On Vulnerable Populations Who Need To Use Public Transport.

Racism And Discrimination

Since January, There Have Been Many Reports Of Chinese And Asian People In New Zealand Experiencing Racism And Xenophobia Because Of COVID-19. These Reports Continued Through The Level 4 Lockdown. Of The More Than 250 COVID-19 Related Complaints Received By The Human Rights Commission, 34% Of Them Are Race Related.

The Human Rights Commission Has Asked The Government To Address Racism As Part Of The COVID-19 Response Including Explicit Public Messaging, And To Prioritise The Development Of A National Action. Plan Against Racism. It Has Also Made Wider Recommendations On How To Put Human Rights And Te Tiriti At The Forefront Of The Recovery Effort In This New Report: Human Rights And Te Tiriti O Waitangi:COVID-19 And Alert Level 4.

Status Of Community Organisations

Social Sector

The Western Bay Of Plenty Social Sector Survey Findings Released This Week Provide An Insight To Some Of The Dynamics Impacting Social Sector Providers During Level 4 Lockdown. 14% Of Social Sector Provider Agencies In Their Region Who Responded To The Survey Stopped Delivering Services Altogether. These Services Mainly Related To Seniors, Sports And Recreation, Educational Support And The Environment.

The Biggest Changes For Providers Were Stopping Face-to-face Services (82% Of Respondents); Followed By Enabling Remote Working For Staff (63%); And Starting Online Client Services For The First Time (53%).

In Terms Of Service Adaption, Changing Needs Within Communities Over This Time Saw 10% Of Agencies Taking On A Role Of Delivering Groceries/medications Or Medical Supplies To Households During The Lockdown. Over A Third Of Agencies Stopped Providing Group Support During Lockdown. One In Five Organisations Provided More Food Parcels And Meals To Their Communities. While Almost Half Of Respondents Reported Their Organisations Were Providing Similar Or An Increased Amount Of One-one Support.

And When Identifying Areas That Organisations Currently Need Support With, Respondents In The Western Bay Of Plenty Identified The Highest Need Was For Support To Consider The Implications Of COVID-19 (54%), Followed By Access To Additional Funding (45%).

Creative Sector

Te Taumata Toi-a-iwi Has Just Released The Findings From Its Survey On The Impacts Of COVID-19 On Auckland’s Creative Sector. The Survey Of 332 Respondents Found That More Than 80 Percent Of Participants Cancelled An Event Or Service Because Of COVID-19; Around Three-quarters Had Accessed.

The Government's Wage Subsidy; And Only 39% Of Respondents Are Confident That They Will Still Be Working In The Creative Sector In Six Months’ Time. The Full Report Can Be Found Here.

Te Taumata Toi-a-iwi Has Also Commissioned A Review Of Funder Responses In New Zealand And Internationally Which Provide Insights Into How Funders Might Help Sustain The Creative Sector Through The Coming Period. The Review Can Be Found Here.

Sports Sector

Looking Ahead, Sport And Recreation Minister Grant Robertson Has Signalled That Moving To Alert Level 2 Allows For The Opportunity For Competitive Sport To Be Played –locally And Professionally. Public Health Guidelines Such As Contact Tracing And Hygiene Requirements Will Be Needed. This Is Likely To Mean Modifications To Training, Play And Competition And Sport NZ Is Working With The Major Sporting Codes And WorkSafe On How These Are Put Into Practice.

Sport NZ Is Using Its Cash Reserves To Offer A $25 Million Relief Package For Community And Regional Sports Bodies. This Aims To Counter The Impacts Of The Disruption To Membership Fees Being Paid And The Lack Of Class Four Gaming Funds. More Information Is Here.

Response And Forward Funding

Perpetual Guardian’s COVID-19 Response Fund Has Offered $1 Million In Untagged Grants To Enable Charitable Organisations To Respond As Needed To The Crisis. Grants For Building Capacity, Operational Expenses And Salaries Were Encouraged (the Type Of Funding That Can Be Difficult To Find). The Application Process Was Short Form, And The Fund Was Contributed To By 14 Separate Charitable Trusts And Legacies That Perpetual Guardian Manages. Virtual Boards Around The Country Made The Funding Decisions. Tax Management New Zealand Also Provided $250,000 Of Grant Funding, Using Perpetual Guardian’s Online Grant Portal And Due Diligence To Make Their Own Decisions. This Collaboration Amplified The Funds Available To The Community Organisations Through One Application And Perpetual Guardian Welcomes Collaborating In A Similar Way With Other Funders In The Future. On May 5, The Grants Were Disbursed To 40 Organisations.

Rotorua Trust Has Made The Decision To Pay Out Its Operating Grants Earlier Than Scheduled. More Than $500,000 Was Paid Out To 99 Organisations Across Rotorua As Part Of The Operational Grants Scheme Approved Last Year. The Trust Has Also Supported The Development Of Te Arawa’s COVID-19 Hub With $40,000 To Help It To Connect Its People Through The Website, Facebook, And Other Channels. The Hub Brings Together 40 Hapū, Community Groups And Government Agencies, Has The Ability To Collect Information About Whānau Needs And Respond To Them. For Other Great Examples Of How Iwi And Māori Organisations Have Been Responding On The Ground, See Here.

Otago Community Trust Has Had A Steady Flow Of Applications To Its Dedicated COVID-19 Response Fund With Nearly $400,000 Of Grants Awarded To Date. The Fund Is Focused On Supporting Community Organisations Meet The Additional Costs Of Delivering Services, Projects Or Activities To Members Of The Community ‘most In Need’ As A Result Of COVID-19 And Those Who Are Incurring Or Have Incurred Additional Costs Related To Expansion Of Services As A Result Of COVID-19.

Whanganui Community Foundation Has Set Up A COVID-19 Response Fund To Support Community Organisations Cope Through The Crisis And Are Showing How Small Grants Of Up To $1000 Or Up To $5000 Can Make A Difference. An Example Of A Grant Recipient Is Thrive Whanganui Who Were About To Launch Their Third Year Of Mentoring For Community And Social Enterprise Leaders Prior To Lockdown. Rather Than Having To Push Pause, A $5000 Grant From Whanganui Community Foundation Has Meant They Have Been Able To Adapt Their Service And Hire An Engagement Coordinator To Help With Online Systems And Client Engagements.

One Local Government Council Has Observed That Its Funding Rounds Are Poorly Subscribed To As Organisations Aren’t Sure If They Will Be Going Ahead With Events Or Projects. One Strategy Being Used To Deal With This Is To Extend Application Deadlines.

Over In Australia JB Were Has Produced An Outlook For Philanthropy Over The Next Two Years.

Https://www.jbwere.com.au/content/dam/jbwere/documents/where-to-from-here-the-outlook-

Government Packages This Week

A Caring For Our Communities Workstream Is Starting To Have A Higher Profile Amongst Philanthropic Organisations, Grantmakers And The Wider Community Sector. This Is Part Of The All Of Government Response To COVID-19. Government Describes The Caring For Our Communities Workstream As Being Established To Ensure The Welfare Needs Of Individuals, Whānau, Iwi And Communities Are Met During The COVID-19 Pandemic.

A $20 Million Fund Has Been Announced To Help Tertiary Learners Access Digital Devices And Internet Connections To Continue Their Study Which Has Been Disrupted By COVID-19. A Recent Survey By The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) And New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) Shows At Least 11,150 Learners Do Not Have The Right Devices To Engage In Distance Learning And At Least 11,350 Learners Do Not Have Access To Broadband Internet At Home.

The Government Has Also Announced That It Will Provide Interest Free Loan For A Year To Small Businesses Impacted By The COVID-19 Economic Shock. The Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme Will Provide Assistance Of Up To $100,000 To Firms Employing 50 Or Fewer Full-time Equivalent Employees. Loans Will Be Interest-free If They Are Paid Back Within A Year. The Interest Rate Will Be 3% For A Maximum Term Of Five Years. Repayments Are Not Required For The First Two Years. Applications Are Expected To Be Open From May 12 And Businesses Will Apply For The Loan Payment Through MyIR.

The Government Is Investing $25 Million To Speed Up The Trial And Deployment Of Innovations To Help New Zealand’s Response To COVID-19. The COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund Is Aimed At The Fast Development Of New Products And Services That Could Help To Detect, Diagnose, Treat Or Prevent COVID-19, By Supporting Research & Development, Prototyping And Pre-production Activities.

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