(L - R) Hon Grant Robertson, David Reeves - Rule Foundation Trustee, RT HON Jacinda Ardern at the Big Gay Out after
announcing the open of the Rainbow Wellbeing Legacy Fund in Feb 2020.
The Rainbow Wellbeing Legacy Fund, created through a $1 million endowment from the New Zealand Government, is set to
open its inaugural round on 2nd June 2020 with the aim of distributing $100,000 to projects working to enhance the
mental wellbeing of Rainbow New Zealanders.
The Fund was announced in 2019 in recognition of the men who were convicted for consensual homosexual activities
pre-1986. The original idea for the Fund was put forward by these men whose convictions have or are being expunged
through a scheme established in 2018. At The Big Gay Out in Auckland earlier this year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
and Minister of Finance Grant Robertson announced that the Rule Foundation would administer the Rainbow Wellbeing Legacy
Fund on behalf of the government.
“We know that Rainbow communities have often had to create their own ways to look after their health and wellbeing in
the face of discrimination, often doing so unpaid and without adequate resources,” says Joy Liddicoat, Chairperson of
the Rule Foundation.
“We hope that this new Fund will provide many opportunities to support this work and new initiatives on community
wellbeing particularly for future generations of Rainbow people in Aotearoa”Key information:
The inaugural round of the Rainbow Wellbeing Legacy Fund opens on 2nd June 2020
The round closes on 15th July 2020
Further information, including more detailed criteria and the application process can be found here: https://rulefoundation.nz/our-funds/the-rainbow-wellbeing-legacy-fund/