Office for Seniors – Community Connects grants open

The 2020 funding round is now open. Applications are now open for the Community Connects grants which help fund projects that promote the inclusion and contribution of older people in community life.

Office for Seniors Director, Diane Turner, said the grants are available to help communities prepare for an ageing population.

“We know that New Zealand’s population is ageing, and we want to see older people being valued and given opportunities to contribute to and participate in their communities as they age,” she says.

The fund makes one-off grants of up to $15,000. The grants are open to any New Zealand council, community organisation, or registered non-profit organisation.

All applications must be supported by their local council.

Last October, nine groups were awarded funding from the Community Connects Grant. They were: Age Concern Wellington, Age Concern Auckland, Alexandra Community House, Alzheimer’s Otago, Connect the Dots, Coromandel Independent Living Trust, Dementia Wellington, Hutt Timebank and Waitaki District Council. The projects funded include creating Local Area Networks to reduce loneliness and social isolation, undertaking a community assessment, and developing an age-friendly community plan.

Applications for the current funding round close on 9 October 2020.

For more information on Community Connects, including the eligibility criteria and how to apply, go to this link