Social investment funding

Every year Council dedicates funding to support not-for-profit organisations, iwi and hapū to deliver important community outcomes and emerging issues.

In 2022 we had three funds:

Social Impact Grants – a one-off grant open to all Kāpiti-based not-for-profit organisations (including Ōtaki)
Ōtaki Social Impact Grants – a one-off grant open to Ōtaki-based not-for-profit organisations
Social Investment Fund – annual funding over three years.

You can see more about each fund, and the recipients, below.

Social Investment Fund | Social Impact Grants | Media releases | Related links

Social Investment Fund

The Social Investment Fund is an is an outcome-focused contestable fund that develops service contracts with not-for-profit organisations to deliver social services.

A total of $395,000 per year is available:

$345,000 for activities across the district
$50,000 for Ōtaki initiatives, to address inequity.

Ōtaki initiatives can apply to both funds. Funding is allocated to organisations that contribute to our social investment priorities and reflect our social investment principles.

The second round of contestable Social Investment Funding for activities across the district was decided by Council on 25 August 2022.

Recipients 2022–25

The following organisations and initiatives have been allocated funding.

Birthright Levin Inc – Connected Communities Priority 2022–25

Funding to strengthen and maintain their presence in Ōtaki to ensure sustainable support of ‘whānau led by one person’.

Year 1 – $15,273.33
Year 2 – $15,273.33
Year 3 – $15,273.34
Total – $45,820

Energise Ōtaki Charitable Trust – Connected Communities Priority 2022–25

Funding for the Bright Futures 2022-2025 programme which ties to both social outcomes and climate action focused on three strategic areas – Owning our Carbon Footprint, Warm up Ōtaki and Beyond and Growing our Carbon Capture Forest.

Year 1 – $50,000
Year 2 – $50,000
Year 3 – $50,000
Total – $150,000

He Tāngata Village Trust – Connected Communities Priority 2022–25

Funding to support a coordinator to assist in the establishment of live-in onsite support to vulnerable families.

Year 1 – $15,273.33
Year 2 – $15,273.33
Year 3 – $15,273.34
Total – $45,820

Kāpiti Youth Support – Connected Communities Priority 2022–25

Funding for Project Youth, a mentoring programme for LGBTQIA+ rangatahi between the ages of 10-24.

Year 1 – $50,000
Year 2 – $50,000
Year 3 – $50,000
Total – $150,000

Manaaki Kapiti – Connected Communities Priority 2022–25

Funding to establish a kai hub that supports whanau through mana and dignity access to nutritious kai as well as be a point of contact for a range of other services to enable whānau wellbeing.

Year 1 – $49,920
Year 2 – $49,920
Year 3 – $49,920
Total – $149,760

Paekākāriki Pride Inc – Connected Communities Priority 2022–25

Funding towards specialist services and training of volunteers to implement the Paekākāriki Pride Festival.

Year 1 – $7,000
Year 2 – $7,000
Year 3 – $7,000
Total – $21,000

Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki – Connected Communities Priority 2022–25

Funding to provide safe, warm and accessible spaces for the community to meet.

Year 1 – $25,000
Year 2 – $25,000
Year 3 – $25,000
Total – $75,000

Greater Wellington Neighbourhood Support – Safer Communities Priority 2022–25

Funding to re-establish Neighbourhood Support along the Kāpiti Coast and support those groups that already exist to reconnect with their community.

Year 1 – $51,300
Year 2 – $52,800
Year 3 – $53,500
Total – $157,600

Volunteer Kāpiti and Kāpiti Impact Trust – Capable Sector Priority 2022–25

Funding to move into Phase Two of the Capable Sector project.

Year 1 – $80,000
Year 2 – $80,000
Year 3 – $80,000
Total – $240,000

Total funding allocation all projects 2022–25

Year 1 – $343,766.66
Year 2 – $345,266.66
Year 3 – $345,966.68
Total – $1,035,000

Social investment priorities

The social investment fund is allocated to organisations that support the following social investment priorities:

connected communities
safe communities
a capable sector.

Connected communities

We want our people to be connected, empowered and feel part of a community.

Under this priority, we support activities that build our communities’ ability to maximise their strengths, address local needs and enhance wellbeing through:

strong and resilient Māori communities
leveraging community resources and assets to support important services that meet the needs of our communities
meeting the unmet needs of our most vulnerable people (clusters, whānau and individuals) so everyone can benefit from participating and feeling
increasing community health and wellbeing with people feeling valued, connected worthwhile and cared for
resilient communities that can adapt and respond to change by working together and focussing on solutions.

Safe communities

Our vision is that our communities are safe places, and community and neighbourhood safety is strategic and joined up.

This priority supports strategic collaborations and partnerships that grow community belonging and safety through:

people feeling safe in their community
community-led collaborations to increase connections and public safety
strong social capital that builds a feeling of safety and connectedness in communities
communities and public space are safe, welcoming and promote social interaction.

Capable sector

This priority focusses on supporting our community and social sector to be capable, effective and resilient, with priority outcomes that:

Kāpiti has resilient and financially sustainable organisations delivering community and social services
the not-for-profit sector is adaptive and responsive to the changing needs of our district
more people, with a wide range of skills, are involved in volunteering
local not-for-profits share knowledge with others and come together to collaborate
more social enterprises are developed to increase local social impact.

Social investment guiding principles

Our guiding principles for investing in positive social impacts are:

Sustainability – organisations and initiatives encourage innovation and work towards becoming sustainable in all respects, including environmentally.
Equity – organisations and initiatives create pathways for all members of our diverse communities, with a particular focus on those who need a hand up.
Te Tiriti – organisations and initiatives put Te Tiriti into action.
Iwi prosperity – initiatives and organisations put tino rangatiratanga into action through iwi-led initiatives and projects that achieve mana whenua aspirations.
Valuing community and volunteer contributions – initiatives and organisations put volunteering at the heart of activities, recognising this valuable community resource.
Partnership and collaboration – initiatives and organisations look to partner for strong local communities through social innovation for collective impact.

Read more in Guiding principles and supporting information [PDF 232 KB].

Previous social investment funding recipients

Kapiti Youth Support – 2018–21

Funding for the He Kākano mentoring programme which aims to empower young people to increase their knowledge, develop skills and build confidence so that they are better able to problem solve, build social competence and resources to manage their relationship with peers, family and community.

2018/19 – $50,000
2019/20 – $47,000
2020/21 – $47,000
Total – $144,000

Energise Ōtaki – 2018–21

Funding for capacity development of Energise Ōtaki for initiatives that address energy poverty, food to waste energy project and other community-led initiatives that deliver social outcomes for the Ōtaki community.

2018/19 – $40,000
2019/20 – $47,000
2020/21 – $47,000
Total – $134,000

Māoriland Charitable Trust – 2018–21

Funding for tikanga Māori-based, community-led activities that enhance community connectedness and social entrepreneurship opportunities to enable people to positively change their lives.

2018/19 – $50,000
2019/20 – $47,000
2020/21 – $47,000
Total –$144,000

Age Concern Kāpiti – 2018–21

Funding for the development and delivery of an action plan and programme to address social isolation.

2018/19 – $45,000
2019/20 – $42,000
2020/21 – $42,000
Total – $129,000

Ngā Hapu o Ōtaki (umbrella organisation: Raukawa Marae Management Committee) – 2018–21

Funding for capacity development of Ngā Hapu o Ōtaki to re-establish Te Ringa Manaaki ō Taaringaroa as a community hub that will enrich, support and deliver a host of community-led activities by and for whānau/families, hapū and iwi with wider benefits to the community of Ōtaki.

2018/19 – $30,000
2019/20 – $27,000
2020/21 – $27,000
Total –$84,000

Kāpiti Women’s Centre and Kāpiti Living Without Violence – 2018–21

Funding to provide a joint service to reduce family violence and crime through crisis counselling and working holistically together to reach outcomes.

2018/19 – $30,000
2019/20 – $30,000
2020/21 – $30,000
Total – $90,000

Volunteer Kāpiti and Kāpiti Impact Trust (KIT) – 2018–21

Joint funding for the development and implementation of a specific programme to build the capacity of the sector.

2018/19 – $65,000
2019/20 – $70,000
2020/21 – $70,000
Total – $205,000

Challenge 4 Change (umbrella organisation: KIT) – 2018–21

Funding for an early intervention, strengths-based mentoring programme for 9–13 year olds.

2018/19 – $15,000
2019/20 – $20,000
2020/21 – $20,000
Total –$50,000

Total funding allocation all projects 2018–21

2018/19 – $325,000
2019/20 – $330,000
2020/21 – $330,000
Total – $985,000

Social Impact Grants

The Social Impact Grants were offered as a one-off fund in 2022. These grants provided immediate, one-off funding to organisations to support their community work during the COVID-19 response. The districtwide Social Impact Grant was open to organisations across Kāpiti, including Ōtaki; the Ōtaki Social Impact Grant was open to Ōtaki-based organisations.

This fund was separate from the Social Investment Fund, which provides annual funding over three years.

About the Social Impact Grants

The Social Impact Grants and Ōtaki Social Impact Grants opened on 10 December. Details are:

Fund	$ available	Individual grant range	Applications open	Applications close	Duration
Social Impact Grant	$320,000	$10,000–30,000	10 December 2021	23 February 2022	One off
Ōtaki Social Impact Grant	$50,000	$5,000–10,000	10 December 2021	23 February 2022	One off

Funds available:	$320,000 was available to fund not-for-profit organisations for initiatives that: support our diverse Kāpiti communities address community priorities address emerging issues respond to COVID-19 impacts. The fund range was $10,000–30,000. $50,000 was available to fund Ōtaki-based not-for-profit organisations, for initiatives that address: community priorities emerging issues COVID-19 community responsiveness. The fund range was $5,000–10,000. Organisations applying for the Ōtaki fund were also eligible for the districtwide fund.
To fund:	We looked to fund initiatives that: were not current business-as-usual services were innovative and respond to an immediate community need were collaborative (in design and delivery) reflected our social investment principles. This included initiatives that were: implementing community COVID-19 responsiveness plans iwi, hapū, community hubs and collaborative impact initiatives supporting and strengthening social cohesion, and generating positive impacts for our communities supporting and promoting communities to support emerging issues seeding and pilot initiatives addressing community priorities.
Fund open to:	Not-for-profit organisations, iwi and hapū can apply for this round of Social Impact Grants.
Projects to take place	March–December 2022
Exclusions	The following were not eligible for this funding: funding of retrospective projects commercial ventures or activities that intend to generate profit endowments, capital funds and other trust funds core healthcare services, including primary and secondary health services individuals, including scholarships and organisations that provide individual scholarships promotion of a religious or political message.
Requirements:	Organisations awarded Social Impact Grants by Council were required to meet the following core requirements: be an incorporated and registered charitable trust be up to date with information and reporting requirements for Charities Services demonstrate effective governance including having a governance board in place which lessens liabilities and maximises assets demonstrate proven ability in providing services of the type proposed demonstrate good stewardship of other funds provided to the organisation provide two referees.
Application should include	The following were required to be included in applications: completed application form – addressing the criteria stated your budget for the initiative and any plans for sourcing other funding a statement of your organisation’s current financial position governance arrangements for your organisation including names of your trustees names and contact details for two referees (these referees should have knowledge of your organisation’s activities in the community and can comment on your organisation’s track record of delivery and strengths within the area you are seeking funding; they could be other funders, a community organisation you work with or alongside, a stakeholder or community leader).

How to apply

Applications for Social Impact Grants are currently closed. If you would like to know more about our social investment funding programme email [email protected]

Social Impact Grant recipients

In 2022, Council awarded grants to a wide range of projects and initiatives from this one-off fund.

Districtwide Social Impact Grants recipients

Age Concern Kāpiti Coast Incorporated – Companion Walking Service: $15,000
Dementia Wellington Charitable Trust – Living Well with Dementia: $15,000
Energise Ōtaki – Bright Futures: $14,810
English Language Partners – Provision of online English classes: $11,000
Greater Wellington Neighbourhood Support – Reinvigoration of neighbourhood support in Kāpiti: $25,000
He Tangata Village – He Tangata Village Fruit Forest: $2,310.34
Kāpiti Impact Trust – LIFELink Project: $15,000
Kāpiti Vaulting Club Incorporated – Resilience and inclusiveness: $20,000
Kidz Need Dadz – Kidz Need Dadz Kāpiti Social Impact Initiative 2022: $10,354
KYS One Stop Shop Trust / Kāpiti Youth Support – Transitional Housing Scoping Project: $20,000
Manaaki Kāpiti – Atiawa ki Whakarongotai – Manaaki Kāpiti Response: $20,000
Māoriland Charitable Trust – Te Kai Kollective: $15,000
Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki – Connecting to whānau: $25,000
Ōtaki Waka Hoe Charitable Trust – Waka Ora: $30,000
Paekākāriki Station Precinct Trust – Paekākāriki’s Future: $20,000
Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki – He kai he rongoā, he rongoā he kai: $15,000
The Shed Project – The Shed Project Programmes Initiatives: $21,525.66
Volunteer Kāpiti – Supported volunteering in Kāpiti: $5,000
Work Ready Kāpiti – Work Ready Kāpiti Community Hub: $20,000

Ōtaki Social Impact Grants recipients

Age Concern Kāpiti Coast Incorporated – Steady As You Go – Ōtaki: $2,700
Energise Ōtaki – Warm Up Ōtaki Housing – Stage 2: $9,640
Māoriland Charitable Trust – Te Kai Kollective: $10,000
Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki – Connecting to whānau: $10,000
Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki – Hunga Rangatahi mahi ora: $10,000
Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki – Support immediate response to COVID-19 pandemic: $7,660

Media releases