Climate action grants

Our Climate Action Grants support projects working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, activities supporting community resilience, and projects supporting an equitable transition to low-carbon living on the Kāpiti Coast.   

Find out more about greenhouse gas emissions and what Council’s doing. 

Recipients announced

Successful recipients of the fund have been announced. See Recipients for details.

Timeline

Date	Applying for $30,000 or more	Applying for less than $30,000
Monday 22 May	Opening of all Climate Grant applications
11.59pm, Sunday 11 June	Closing date for applications for $30,000 or more Applications will be acknowledged as they’re received
Monday 19 June	Applicants advised whether to proceed with business case
11.59pm, Sunday 9 July	Closing date for all business cases Business cases will be acknowledged as they’re received	Closing date for applications for less than $30,000 Applications will be acknowledged as they’re received
8 August	Funding recommendations considered by the Climate and Environment Subcommittee
24 August	Funding allocation decisions made by the Strategy, Operations and Finance Committee
by Tuesday 29 August	Applicants advised of decisions Funding distribution discussions begin
from Tuesday 29 August	Successful applicants announced

Funds available

Funding for the Climate Action Grants comes from central government’s Better Off Funding programme, which supports local government investment in the wellbeing of communities. There is no rates funding involved. 

There is $100,000 available in the 2023 funding round (applications close 9 July 2023). Another $100,000 will be available in the 2024 funding round (applications will close around April 2024).

Fund objectives

The fund was set up with the following objectives, and initiatives must benefit the Kāpiti Coast District in one or more of:

enabling GHG emissions reduction
helping create a culture of climate change action
improving resilience in local communities
supporting an equitable transition to low-carbon living
supporting mana whenua vision and priorities in relation to these objectives.

Mana whenua vision and priorities, as outlined in our Long-term Plan 2021–41, are:

kaitiakitanga – sustaining the environment and people
ūkaipōtānga – identity
whanaungatanga – connectedness
pūkengatanga – preserving, creating, teaching and knowledge
manaakitanga – supporting each other.

Project criteria

Projects must: 

align with one or more of the grant’s objectives
continue to offer benefits to the Kāpiti Coast District once grant funding has ended
demonstrate equity, with project benefits being accessible and relevant across multiple community demographics
show how success will be measured in relation to project aims and goals; success must be quantifiable and able to be reported back to Council.

Applications that include or refer to te ao Māori concepts are encouraged.

The Climate Action Grants are available for:

new projects or programmes based on the Kāpiti Coast
existing local projects or programmes wanting to expand within the Kāpiti Coast
existing national or international projects or programmes wanting to establish in the Kāpiti Coast.

Projects might be in education, transport, business, technology, agriculture/horticulture, nature conservation or restoration. These are examples, and Council is also open to applications from projects in other areas.  

Project timeframes

Unless otherwise agreed, projects are expected to start within three months of approval of funding. Short-term projects must be completed within 12 months of receiving funding. Longer term projects must achieve agreed targets within 12 months of receiving funding.

Who can apply

Funding is open to neighbourhood groups of at least five households, iwi and hapū of the Kāpiti Coast District, community groups, organisations, businesses of up to 30 employees, and education institutions.

Use of funds

Grant funds can be used for, but not limited to:

new programmes, projects or events
improvements or expansions to existing programmes, projects or events
equipment needed to achieve the outcomes of the project (these will be evaluated on their individual merit to the project; you will need to provide two quotes for items over $500 in value)
publicity or educational material directly related to the aims of the project
training needs of workers
administration costs (up to $500)
wages directly related to the project.

Funds may not be used for:

subscriptions and memberships
debt servicing
projects or programmes and related costs that have already occurred
any costs involved in preparing the application

Grants will not be awarded for direct political, legal, or business advocacy projects.

How to apply

Applications must be completed using the official application form. Contact Council staff if you have any questions or need help with this.

Application forms will be available when the fund opens.

What you’ll need

To complete your application form in full, you’ll need:

your project overview, including how your project aligns with the grant objectives and criteria
clear project aims and goals
an outline of how your project will be developed, delivered, managed, and promoted (if applicable)
your project timeline
estimated project costs, including:
- estimated costs of the project, and any quotes (where relevant)
- the proportion of project funding you’re seeking from this fund
- if you’re not applying for the full project cost, how you’ll fund remaining project costs
  Note: if you're registered for GST, do not include GST in your costs
project monitoring and review details, including:
- how success will be measured against your project aims and goals
- a timeline for project review
your capability to deliver on the project proposal; for example, relevant skills, experience, the time project members have available to invest in the project, and motivation of the project team
proof of your organisation or project bank account, requiring multiple signatories, OR
if you’re applying as a group of households, written evidence of your agreement to collaborate, including the names, addresses and contact details of participating households.

Financial details

If your application is successful, you will need to provide your organisation’s:

bank account payee’s name
bank account number.

Note: further proof of bank account details may be required.

Additional information for applications for $30,000 or more

There is a two-step process for applicants seeking $30,000 or more in funding. Make sure you’re familiar with the Timeframes for these applications.

You’ll need to submit your initial application within three weeks of the opening date. If your application is approved at this stage, you’ll need to submit a business case, outlining extra information around how your project will be managed and delivered.

Your business case must include:

a summary of relevant research informing your project proposal
a project plan, including health and safety considerations
a financial and operational risk assessment for your project
information on the organisation seeking funding, its primary business purpose, experience, areas of expertise, and project management experience
current and projected operating costs
a copy of your organisation’s financial accounts.

Please note that depending on the other applications received, it is unlikely that more than 2 applications seeking $30,000 or more will be approved to submit a business case.

Assessment of applications

All applications will be initially assessed by a panel of Council staff from the Sustainability and Resilience team, consulting with other Council teams with expertise relevant to your application, for example:

Iwi Partnerships
Connected Communities
Economic Development
Parks and Open Spaces.

Applications will then be presented to the Climate and Environment Subcommittee (CES), who’ll consider the applications and make recommendations to the Strategy, Operations and Finance Committee (SOF). See Timelines for more about this process and related dates.

Recipients 2023

We’re pleased to announce the 11 successful Kāpiti community and business group applicants for funding from the first round of our Climate Action Grants.

Recipient	Project	Year
Kakariki Earth Limited	Biochar project. Biochar is a material produced be heating biomass with a limited supply of oxygen (pyrolysis). Biochar can then be used to help store carbon, enrich soil, improve soil water retention, and more. This project will look at the availability of suitable feedstock across the Kāpiti Coast District to produce biochar, and how this biochar could be distributed to farmers, orchardists and gardeners. The project will also continue research into the potential to use biochar in various building products, to both sequester carbon and improve the performance of the building materials.	2023
Kāpiti Coast Biodiversity project	Continuing Kāpiti nature restoration work with a focus on planting podocarps.	2023
Kāpiti Cycle Action	Supporting the Raumati Bike Bus, supporting children to travel to school safely by bike.	2023
Menzshed Kāpiti	Replacing air compressor to enable further repair work on a wide range of furniture, household items and community projects.	2023
Morepork Reserve Care Group	Restoration work and establishing predator control for Waikanae bush reserves.	2023
Natural Build Ōtaki	Natural building workshops to help educate and empower local communities in sustainable, low-carbon building methods.	2023
Organic Wealth	Expanding food scrap collection services in Kāpiti.	2023
Paekākāriki Orchard and Gardens	Portable biochar project. Biochar is a material produced by heating biomass with a limited supply of oxygen (pyrolysis). Biochar can be used to help store carbon, enrich soil, improve soil water retention, and more. This project will help to establish a portable biochar project for community use.	2023
Raumati Technology Centre	Education project focussed around a food forest, plant nursery, stream, forest and dune restoration.	2023
The Shed Project Kāpiti	Establishing food scrap collection service in Paraparaumu.	2023
Waikanae Estuary Care Group	Replacing shadehouse tables to support nature restoration work in the Waikanae Estuary.	2023

Distributing funds

Depending on the project and the amount of funding allocated, Council may distribute funds in stages. We’ll discuss the most appropriate distribution of funds with successful applicants once funding allocation decisions are made.

Reporting

Interim progress reporting

Depending on the project and amount of funding allocated, you may need to provide interim project reports to Council staff, or Council staff may visit your site for progress updates. We’ll give you details of any interim project reporting you’ll be required to do when we confirm whether your funding application has been successful.

Final reporting

You’ll need to advise Council staff when you complete your project. Depending on the project, Council staff may visit your site, and you'll need to provide a final report.

We’ll give you details of any final project reporting you’ll be required to do when we confirm whether your funding application has been successful.

Financial records

You’ll need to keep a record of how funds are spent, and include this information with your interim and final project reporting.

Future funding

Funding recipients who do not provide satisfactory interim and final project updates or reports will not be eligible for future funding.

Other conditions

Council reserves the right to:

revisit the Climate Action Grant application criteria and process before each annual funding round opens
to check on progress and celebrate success, visit project sites throughout project development and delivery, including taking photos, and brief interviews during these visits; applicants will be notified in advance of any proposed visits
communicate concerns and work with fund recipients to find solutions if projects don't seem to be on track
if the project changes significantly from the original plan, or finishes early, then Council may suspend or refuse further grant payments, or may require any equipment purchased with grant money to be transferred to Council for reallocation to another project.

Contact

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your project or application further, please email us.