Social and recreation fund review and framework
We are working on a review of our funding and grants criteria for the Social and Recreation Fund.
The Social and Recreation Fund does not fully align with the Council’s current strategic priorities, to the timing of the long-term plan (LTP) three-yearly process, or to the current social needs of our communities in Wellington. These, combined with key strategies introduced in recent years, have identified gaps in funding and potential areas of under-investment. The fund is being reviewed for the first time since 2006 to meet these objectives.
In the current LTP our priorities on Social Outcomes are; A city of healthy and thriving whānau and communities. Specific strategies include:
From July 2025 applications for the fund will be open for one off grants, with a new name and criteria that will align to current Council strategies.
Alongside these changes we will also be working with multi-year funded organisations through a period of transition. Current funding criteria and priorities will be used for the final round of the 2024/25 financial year, with applications closing in March 2025.
We’ll continue to update this page as we work through the review process, and the outcomes and decisions of that.
Multi-year funding
Organisations whose activities directly contribute to Council’s strategic or policy goals can be funded through multi-year funding.
This multi-year funding support provides stability for community organisations that work to strengthen capacity in Wellington’s social wellbeing, environmental and cultural sectors. Organisations are critical to Wellington, contributing to Wellington’s sense of place and the long-term sustainability of the city’s infrastructure.
Organisations supported through this funding meet the specific priorities of the funding programme (e.g. Arts and Culture, Social and Recreation Fund, Natural Environment Fund) and will also be:
- well-established and, with some council funding, be sustainable in the long term
- generally regarded as a feature of Wellington’s infrastructure or have a strategic relationship with Council
- one in which (without wishing to influence its day-to-day activities) the Council has a strong interest in the outcomes of the organisation
Being able to show that your organisation has a partner relationship is beneficial.
These contracts are generally in three-year funding cycles, with agreed milestones and performance measures which are reviewed annually. Organisations will have a designated relationship manager who monitors progress. This is reviewed at the end of each funding cycle (generally three years).
These funding contracts will be for activities that represent the core business of the Council or directly contribute to the Council’s strategic or policy goals. Organisations will typically have had a pattern of funding and can deliver on strategic priorities.
Monitoring and reporting
In 2021 we updated our processes and systems for managing and monitoring our funding. This included updating our grants management system, in September 2021 we started using Fluxx. We reviewed our funding agreements to strengthen health and safety provisions and introduced a relationship management framework. Our funding agreements include requirements that funded organisations provide us with reporting on relevant health and safety matters or notifiable events.
The relationship management framework has three main parts: a set of criteria to define the level of engagement required between Council and the funded organisations; consistent levels of engagement and reporting; and a clear escalation process when needed. Organisations and projects within our higher level of monitoring; provide social services case work or work with children and young people and/or have funding of more than $250,000 a year and/or have been identified as requiring additional support, provide a key service or are identified as being a strategic partner.
Contract Health assessments
As part of the monitoring of our multi-year funding contracts, we assess reports and assign either a Red, Amber or Green (RAG) status.
- Red status identifies a contract facing significant issues or challenges.
- Amber status signifies a contract with some concerns but, overall still within control.
- Green status signifies a contract with either no concerns or minimal/minor concerns.
These RAG assessments are determined by a number of ‘events’ that may happen during the term of the contract which could negatively impact of the ability of the funded organisation to provide key services to our communities.
These 'events' are linked to:
- Reduction or cancellation of services
- Reduction of participation or user level
- Significant health and safety and/or property issues
- Performance against the agreed outcomes
- Financial accountability of Council funds
- Maintenance of existing funding streams and funders
- Governance & staffing
Assessing and assigning a RAG status enables us to be aware of how funded organisations are performing and allows us to offer targeted support where a need is identified.
If you want to know more about RAG assessments get in touch with your Relationship Manager or send an email to funding@wcc.govt.nz
Current Contracts (158KB PDF)