Auckland Council is taking a fresh look at how it distributes grants to make sure funding continues to make a difference to Auckland’s communities while delivering value for money.
At May’s Policy, Planning and Development Committee, Auckland’s mayor and councillors voted to review the community grants policy, which has been in place since 2014.
Chair of the committee, Councillor Richard Hills, says the council regularly reviews programmes like this to see that they achieve good results and respond to changing community needs.
"I’m hugely proud of the variety of activities Auckland Council has supported through its community grants programme. Grants have helped provide community gardens, books for children, support for new migrant communities, environmental restoration projects, community events, arts and cultural programmes, sports hubs and club house buildings. They’ve empowered communities to take a lead on climate action, and provided many different opportunities for wellbeing, connection and social resilience.
“We’ve had this policy for over ten years, so a review is timely. The amount of funding the council gives out through the grants programme is substantial, so we want to make sure our policy is fair for everyone, future focused and meets the diverse needs of our communities,” says Cr Hills.
The council currently runs 11 community grants programmes that are distributed regionally, and 21 administered by local boards at a local level. From 2023-2024, the grants distributed through these programmes totaled $25 million.
Chair of Auckland Council’s Community Committee, Councillor Julie Fairey, says "Auckland Council has long been committed to a grants process that is fair, open, transparent and easy to access.
“This review will help build on this and identify opportunities for how we can do things better. It's crucial that our communities give feedback on this important process including grant recipients and those who have missed out in the past.”
How can you get involved?
If you have applied for a grant in the past or have an interest in applying in the future, you can share feedback to help shape Auckland Council’s grants programme.
There are two ways to provide feedback: through a survey which will be sent out to community groups in September 2026, and at workshops across the Auckland region in October 2026.
To receive the survey link or details of the workshops, please email: communitygrantspolicyreview@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
What happens next?
The review will include feedback from local boards, iwi, and the community. Options for a new policy will be shaped by the feedback the council recieves. The options will be presented to a future meeting of Auckland Council’s Policy, Planning and Development Committee alongside the findings of the review.