How much you can apply for

Grants to organisations without legal entity status are limited to a total of $10,000 per financial year.

However, more than $10,000 may be granted if the organisation is:

• a branch of a national organisation with legal entity status that is part of the grant agreement, or
• collaborating with an organisation that has legal status and takes responsibility for the financial expenditure and project benefits.

The partner or parent organisation must countersign the grant agreement in both cases.

Group requirements

A group requesting funding must have the following:

• two people with the right to sign the organisation’s bank accounts
• a cashbook (hard-copy or electronic) that is updated regularly
• a person responsible for the organisation’s financial information
• an up-to-date organisation profile in the online Community Grants Management System (CGMS)
• a document from the bank showing the organisation's bank details (e.g., a bank statement, printed deposit slip, or letter from the bank confirming the account name and number)
• a RealMe account.
• Second-factor authentication.

A group may also need:

• confirmation of the organisation’s Profile Secretary – a document, letter, or email from your organisation's governing body stating the name of the individual(s) authorised to apply for funding on its behalf. It must be signed and updated by someone other than the nominated individual(s)
• a record of grants awarded from other funders
• reports on any completed Ethnic Communities Development Fund grants
• up-to-date tax records.

Grant obligations

Grant applicants must read, understand, and agree to the terms and conditions of the grant included in the application form. Find out what to do if your grant does not meet the terms and conditions, your organisation ends, or you don’t use the full grant amount below.

Submitting a results report

All successful applicants must submit a results report to the Community Grants Management System (CGMS). Reports should be submitted within three months of receiving the grant for one-off events and within 12 months for longer-term projects.

The report must explain how the grant was spent and how it contributed to the community outcome(s) described in the application. This includes what happened, how many people participated, and who benefited from your project or event.

Reports will be reviewed to make sure funding was spent according to the terms and conditions agreed upon, and that it achieved the outcome(s) described in the application.

Successful applicants should include supporting documentation when submitting their results report. The Fund’s team may request additional information or evidence to confirm the event or project took place. Occasionally, we may arrange to visit your premises or attend your event or project. Please be prepared to provide additional information when requested.

When you must return the grant

Any portion of the grant that has been paid to the applicant and has not been spent must be returned to the Ministry if the:

• organisation ends or stops operating
• organisation does not require the full amount of the approved grant
• funds will not be used for the approved purpose(s)
• time for spending the grant has expired.

You can request extending the time for the results report or variations to the terms and conditions.

Please email ecdf@ethniccommunities.govt.nz  if you need to return the unspent fund or request an extension.  Include the reason why you were not able to deliver the event or project within the duration of this grant. Our team will contact you.

If you fail to follow the grant agreement, including the terms and conditions, you may not be able to receive Ministry funding in the future.