Call for expressions of interest for Community Investment Funding

In 2015, the Policy was reviewed and key changes were made to the allocation of funding to community organisations.

In particular, the objective of the fund now has a focus on supporting social development outcomes and will no longer include funding for arts, recreation and events.
Another key change was the name of the fund - now known as the Community Investment Fund to better reflect its purpose.

The allocation process was improved by establishing a Community Investment Funding Panel, comprising of four community members and one council officer, to decide on the allocation of funds.
Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the Community Investment Fund ‘agreements’ (for amounts over $2,500) will be open from 1 March to 1 April 2016.

Applicants are invited to submit a one page application via Council’s website. Successful EOI applicants will then be asked to submit a full application in May.
The intention of starting the process early is to ensure that funding can be distributed early in the new financial year.

Chris Ward, Group Manager Community Services, says the funding represents an opportunity for community groups to tell Council their ideas for social development projects and services.

" It will encourage them to start thinking about how Council funding might be used to build partnerships that deliver positive outcomes for the Nelson community."

Community Investment ‘grant’ applications (for amounts under $2,500) will open in August.

The full funding timeline can be found on the 2016/17 Community Investment Fund Guidelines, available at nelson.govt.nz.

For the 2016/17 year, $50,000 is available for ‘grants’ and $156,310 for ‘agreements’, with $93,690 already allocated to existing agreements. The total allocated for the Community Investment Fund is $300,000.

If you wish to submit an EOI you can find further information on the process and criteria at nelson.govt.nz search = community investment fund.