Tahua Whaihua Hapori
Community Outcomes Fund

Fund details

Applications:
Funding $500–$5,000: open Friday 11 July 2025
Funding over $5,000: open Wednesday 16 July, close 5pm, Tuesday 5 August 2025
Decision date:
Funding $500–$5,000: 13 August 2025
Funding over $5,000: September (to be confirmed)
Funding range: $500 – $150,000+

About the fund

Tahua Whaihua Hapori – Community Outcomes Fund targets initiatives that contribute to a safer, healthier, and more inclusive Wellington and meet one or more of these two Council priorities:

• Safety and Wellbeing
• Community Resilience and Connection

The total funding pool allocated across these two key priority areas is:

• 55% is dedicated to Safety and Wellbeing initiatives
• 45% to Community Resilience and Connection.

These priorities are reviewed every three years.

Priorities and outcomes

For Wellington to be an inclusive, liveable and resilient city where people and communities are connected, well housed and safe and healthy, your application must demonstrate how your project will deliver on one of the two key priorities and its corresponding activity area:

Safety and wellbeing priority

Outcome: Supports an enduring and integrated approach to safety and wellbeing to ensure a vibrant, welcoming environment where everyone feels safe.

Activity areas:

• Enhancing city safety and wellbeing
  Example - community led safety initiatives that enhance city / people safety such as an Outreach/Street Patrol service
• Strengthening our community’s approach to homelessness
  Example - projects supporting temporary housing, homeownership, quality housing and health initiatives, or housing initiatives prioritising quality, safe, warm, and affordable housing for whānau Māori.
• Sexual violence prevention and harm reduction
  Example - projects supporting targeted interventions in the Sexual Violence Prevention Action Plan (60KB PDF).

Community resilience and connection priority

Outcome: Delivering equitable (fair and unbiased) outcomes for communities needing āwhina (support), social connections, and shared spaces.

Activity areas:

• A sustainable, fair, and resilient food system
  Example - projects ensuring dignified community access to nutritious and affordable kai/food, or mobilise mana whenua and Māori kai and soil sovereignty
• Community-led initiatives building social connectedness and community resilience
  Example - Mental Health support service projects, particularly for rangatahi Māori, youth engagement programmes, health and wellbeing/positive choice or welfare support services and/or facilities
• A thriving network of Community Centres, delivering to Te Awe Māpara
• Operational support for Residents Associations (maximum of $1000 per FY for operational costs).

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• be a legal entity or under one (for example: Incorporated Society, Charitable Trust, Māori entity)
• be based in or delivering within Wellington City Council boundaries
• apply for at least $500
• deliver the activity within 12 months of funding approval
• provide financial information (for example: reviewed/audited accounts)
• align with one or more fund priorities and related activity areas.

What we don't fund

We do not fund:

• Retrospective costs for projects or events completed before the decision date/approval.
• Activities primarily focused on religious ministry or political promotion.
• Social functions.
• Commercial or for-profit ventures.
• Prizes or fundraising activities.
• Individual costs (e.g. travel, accommodation, professional development, conferences, scholarships), or organisations offering individual scholarships.
• Core health services (primary/secondary) unless aligned with a fund priority.
• Medical treatments, procedures, research, equipment, screening, diagnosis, vaccination, or professional respite care.
• Major capital works better suited for Annual Plan submissions.
• International travel.

Assessment criteria

We assess applications on:

• Need
• Impact
• Engagement with mana whenua/hapori Māori
• Financial viability
• Financial information (budget).

Alignment with the Council’s five strategic approaches is important:

• Te ao Māori integration
• Making our city accessible and inclusive for all
• Embedding climate action
• Value for money and effective delivery
• Engaging our community. 

Funding amounts and timeframes

$500–$5,000
Reviewed every 2 months by Council Officers. Decisions are communicated within 6 weeks of applying unless indicated otherwise.

Over $5,000
Reviewed by Pītau Pūmanawa/ Grants subcommittee. Decisions are communicated within 4–6 weeks after closing date.

Apply for the fund

Check you have all the required documents before starting your application.

If you have applied for funding from the Council before, you can create a new funding request by logging into the funding portal. If you receive an error message when trying to access the funding portal on a mobile device please use these instructions or contact the Funding Team.

Go to Funding Portal

If you need guidance or you're not sure if this is the right fund to apply for please contact us.