2025/26 Funding Wrap Up
Image credit: MTM Charitable Trust
In 2008, Nīkau Foundation gave out its first-ever endowment fund grant. The $2,000 grant, given to the New Zealand School of Dance, was distributed from the Willscott Fund, which had been established in that same year.
Although we had gained experience as a grant-maker in our formative years, working alongside Guardian Trust to connect generous locals with the causes they loved, this grant represented a special moment in our story. It was the first time that the benefits of the community foundations model had been realised for our region, that we had delivered on our vision of building a perpetual funding stream for our communities and that we had stepped into our role as an intergenerational kaitiaki of generosity.
Since then, we have given out thousands of grants to organisations making a difference across Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Māui, the Greater Wellington region. This support now totals over $11 million. At a time when our communities are facing so many challenges, the role our model plays in delivering a growing, reliable source of support is crucial.
A change in calendar
While the change in financial year also meant moving our contestable grants round from February to midyear, we were pleased to maintain our community support through targeted grant-making. Over these 6 months, we gave out over $600,000, bringing our total grants distributed from October 2024 to March 2026 to over $2,000,000.
During this period, we were proud to pilot Te Kōrerorero (Talking Together) in Porirua. Bringing together local organisations working across a range of areas, this forum was designed to encourage open dialogue in a safe, non-judgemental space. This insightful conversation covered topics such as the evolving funding landscape, emerging community challenges and the role that organisations like Nīkau can play – not only as funders but as true partners in their vision.
Despite the range of areas the organisations represented, there were some common pieces of feedback. These included a changing volunteer workforce, time and resource constraints and having to do more with less as funding sources continue to generally diminish. At times like this, we continue to foster our role as a community connector so that local generosity keeps making a meaningful difference.
Data-focused insights
Data continues to be an important part of the funding conversation. While we continue to expand our own data capabilities to track key trends – how many organisations are applying, what they are applying for and how we are responding – it is encouraging to see new initiatives focused on painting a wider picture.
Designed as a tool to connect organisations to funding opportunities, Fundsorter has also begun harnessing data to shine the light on key gaps, what is funded by contestable grant-makers and what isn’t. While we are guided by our donors’ giving aspirations and community needs, these insights provide another important reference point in our decision-making process.
Streamlining operations
As a relationship-focused funder, it is important that we consider the scalability of our grant-making as demand for support continues to increase. In the 12-month period from October 2024 to September 2025 alone, we received 488 funding applications – a 7% increase on the year before.
To maintain efficient, effective funding experiences, we undertook a review of our grant-making processes and systems to reduce manual intervention and streamline by harnessing the power of digital solutions. By implementing key changes, we will be able to spend more time engaging across our communities, listening, learning and connecting local generosity with local need.
Meaningful grant-making
Over the last 18 months, our top funding areas were emergencies ($317,953), health and wellbeing ($229,855), youth ($228,190) and food insecurity ($217,841). Although funding to emergency-focused organisations increased due to a significant pass-through grant to Wellington Free Ambulance from the Morris Moller Fund, we were also proud to remain responsive to priority funding areas.
Our funding - October 2024 - March 2026
Acknowledging the complex challenges facing today’s youth, we focused our funding into a few key areas – capability building, mental health and cultural connection. This included supporting Te Paepae Ārahi Trust, a kaupapa Māori organisation in Lower Hutt providing support for individuals and their whānau experiencing mental distress, and the Upper Hutt Community Youth Trust, which is engaging vulnerable young people at their youth hub.
Dr Margaret Neave
An intergenerational guardian
With a perpetual giving model, we often reflect on what it means to be an intergenerational kaitiaki of generosity. How can we make sure that we continue to honour legacies in a meaningful way as time goes on, new challenges arise and society evolves? How can we look back at the charitable wishes of the past and translate them into the present and future?
Take the example of Dr Margaret Neave. During her lifetime, she contributed widely to women’s and children’s healthcare both domestically and internationally, working closely with communities on the frontlines of famine, political unrest and epidemic. Following her death in 2007, the Margaret Neave Trust was established to provide support for health and wellbeing and children in need. The trust was transferred to Nīkau in 2020, creating the Margaret Neave Endowment Fund. Since then, we are honoured to have distributed over $500,000 in her memory.
While some of the grants have been distributed to organisations Dr Margaret Neave would have held dear – Red Cross, Volunteer Service Abroad | Te Tūao Tāwāhi and Save the Children – there are also many she wouldn’t have encountered during her lifetime. As the guardian of her legacy, we like to think that she would appreciate the way the Little Miracles Trust cares for premature and sick babies and be supportive of Wellington Women’s Health Collective’s focus on mental health. That’s what it means to be an intergenerational kaitiaki of generosity.
I am very proud of the support Nīkau has delivered to our communities over the last 18 months in collaboration with our donors, supporters, fellow funders and local volunteers.
Ngā manaakitanga
Lindy Young
Funding and Relationships Manager
Download our 2025/26 Impact Report
This report, which covers the period from October 2024 - March 2026, features stories of grassroots action across our communities, organisations doing amazing mahi to support the people and places of our region and generous locals, who are leaving transformative legacies for the causes they love. To download, please click below.