External funding sources

Community groups and businesses in the Buller District can now easily find grants with Buller’s new Funding Finder. 

Council has joined forces with New Zealand and Australia’s most powerful grant search engine, GrantGuru, to deliver a free one-stop-shop grants portal. 

The Funding Finder hand-picks grants and funding opportunities specific to local businesses and community groups, encompassing all government and private sector grants available.  

The portal, which can be found here also features council’s grants and initiatives.

Organisations and individuals can use the search engine to find available grants and filter them by specifying industry and type of project. 

The Funding Finder also assists with advice and top tips for finding and applying for grants to maximise the chances of receiving funding.

Buller's Funding Finder has been locked in to be available to the community for free for the next three years.

Users can also register to receive alerts about funding programs relevant to them as they become available, giving businesses and community groups the opportunity to plan well-prepared funding applications.   

You can read more in our media release Free Funding Finder launched for Buller's community.

Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa provides funding for programmes or projects delivering play, active recreation and sport experiences for tamariki and rangatahi. These may be new or already operating.

The Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa Funding is open to an array of organisations such as hapu, iwi, Maori organisations, sports clubs, churches, education providers, not for profit organisations, community groups, councils, and social enterprise that run programms to provide youth physical activity in Kaikoura, Buller/Kawatiri, Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough.

Sport Tasman is managing Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa on behalf of Sport NZ in Te Tau Ihu – Top of the South.

Application forms and further information are available on the Sport Tasman website.

The West Coast Community Trust operates under the Community Trusts Act 1999. Its purpose is to manage its investments and apply the income from these investments by way of grants for charitable, cultural, philanthropic, recreational and other purposes in Buller, Grey and Westland.

The trust donates under six broad categories: Education, Welfare / Social, Health, Art & Culture, Sport & Recreation, Youth.

Groups and organisations are eligible to apply if they perform a community service by:

• Contribution to community well-being.
• Promoting education and learning.
• Offering activities and services for the benefit of the community; or
• Giving time and resources to alleviate social problems.

These groups and organisations should be:

• An incorporated society.
• A registered charitable trust; or
• A body (or club) controlled by an association of persons under an adopted constitution and rules with audited accounts and an annual report.

Application forms and further information are available on the West Coast Communities Trust website.

The trust has two annual grant rounds with applications closing on 30 April and 31 October each year.

The Buller Resilience Trust is a registered independent Charitable Trust that grew from the desire of BT Mining Limited - a major industry and employer in the Buller district - to become more active in their community support and to see such support focussed at community development, strengthening, and transitioning to a more sustainable future.

Groups and organisations are eligible to apply: 

• If the applicant is an individual, they must be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
• If the application is from a group or organisation, they must be based in New Zealand.
• If the applicant has already received funding from the Buller Resilience Trust for another project, they must have completed a satisfactory Project Completion Report for the other project before they can make another application, unless the other project is still in progress.

The Buller Resilience Trust funds projects or initiatives that: 

• have a focus that contributes to the purpose(s) of the Buller Resilience Trust.
• take place in, or deliver benefits to, the Buller District.
• have begun before any Buller Resilience Trust funding is approved.

Projects that can’t be funded

• Types of projects that can’t be funded under the Buller Resilience Trust include.
• Projects/initiatives without a focus on meeting the purpose and objectives of the Trust.
• Projects/initiatives that do not focus on delivering benefits within the Buller district.

The types of costs that can't be funded include:

• On-going administration and service costs (such as wages/salaries) that aren’t related to a specific project/initiative.
• The paying off of accumulated debt or debt servicing.
• Where any of the above costs are included in a Buller Resilience Trust application, the applicant will need to be able to cover these costs from income other than Buller Resilience Trust funding.

Application forms and further information are available on the Buller Resilience Trust website.

The next round of funding opens on the 1 July 2023 and closes on the 1 September 2023.

Creative New Zealand encourages, promotes and supports the arts in New Zealand for the benefit of all New Zealanders through funding, capability building, our international programme and advocacy.

Creative New Zealand is a Crown entity governed by the Arts Council. It upholds the right to artistic freedom and promotes a New Zealand identity in the arts.

Browse the range of Creative New Zealand funds and opportunities on offer to emerging and established artists, arts practitioners, groups and organisations.

Development West Coast is the regional economic development agency for the West Coast region. Development West Coast’s objectives are to promote employment opportunities and generate sustainable economic benefits for the West Coast. To achieve this, Development West Coast provides business support, grants and loans, upskill funding, and regional events.

To find out more go to Development West Coast’s website.

• Outward Bound Scholarships
• Lottery Grants Board
• Next Foundation
• Len Reynolds Trust
• Wayne Francis Charitable Trust
• DV Bryant Trust Board
• Public Trust
• Todd Foundation
• Public Trust
• Lions Foundation
• Tindell Foundation
• Rata Foundation
• Blackadder Trust
• NZ Community Trust Support Inc
• Department of Internal Affairs
• JR McKenzie Trust
• Hugh Green Foundation
• Working Together More Fund
• Sport New Zealand
• Te Tahua Aki Auahatanga Innovation Fund