Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew has announced changes to the Community Development Scheme, which starts a new funding round this week.  

The Community Development Scheme helps to fund community run projects addressing local issues. To be eligible in previous years applicants had to be from particular regions which were selected on rotation across New Zealand. While the level of funding is unchanged, this year applications will be accepted New Zealand wide.

“This year twelve communities will receive $80,000 for each of the next three years to fund their projects,” Mrs Goodhew says. “As well as maintaining a geographical spread we want to ensure the best projects receive funding regardless of their location.”

Over recent months the Department of Internal Affairs has been working with communities through an Expression of Interest process. The objective has been to support communities with promising projects that require assistance pulling together a project plan for the application process. 

“These grants have potential to have a big impact this years priority areas which are rural or isolated parts of New Zealand, and our Pacific communities,” Mrs Goodhew says. “We want to ensure the right projects have a chance to get through to the application stage,  and we want these projects to really make a difference to local issues.”

Successful grant recipients receive funding to employ a community development project worker for a three year period to run their community project. The funding round opens on 15 April and closes on 27 May 2015. Information on how to apply for a grant is available on www.communitymatters.govt.nz .