Applications are now open for Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s Community Matching Fund – with $160,000 ready to support projects that strengthen, connect and uplift our rohe (district).

The fund is made up of a General Fund for social, recreational and cultural initiatives ($100,000) and an Environmental Fund for projects associated with the natural environment ($60,000), the council said in a statement released this week.

Grants are matched on a 50/50 basis with the council’s half being a cash grant, while the community contribution can be made up of any combination of volunteer labour, donated professional services, funds raised through other means and/or donations.

The amount contributed by the council is most commonly between $1000 to $10,000, said a council spokesperson.

Last year, 28 general and 10 environmental projects across the rohe benefited from the Community Matching Fund.

“The General Fund supported a diverse range of projects, including youth development, outdoor education, sports, sustainability, health and wellness, community gardens and community safety initiatives – among them the Chrome Collective Charitable Trust in Katikati, which mentors and supports people with disabilities, and building a scooter and multi-purpose track at Pyes Pa School,” the council said.

“Pest control, biodiversity enhancement, sustainable land management, native plant restoration and community education initiatives were supposed through the Environmental Fund, including predator control projects by the Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust and Rotoehu Ecological Trust.”

To assist those with a project in mind, the council is holding a series of drop-in information sessions at local library and service centres, where people can ask questions and receive guidance on their applications.

The information sessions will be run between 11.30am and 1pm, at the following locations:

Monday, July 14: Te Puke Library and Service Centre

Tuesday, July 15: Ōmokoroa Library and Service Centre

Wednesday, July 16: The Centre – Pātuki Manawa

Thursday, July 17: Te Ara Mātauranga – Waihī Beach Library and Service Centre

Applications are open until Thursday, July 31, and successful candidates are selected by a sub-committee made up of councillors John Scrimgeour, Tracey Coxhead and Allan Sole, from each of the rohe’s three wards.

To find out more, visit westernbay.govt.nz/community/grants-and-funding/community-matching-fund-faqs, email communitymatchingfund@westernbay.govt.nz, or phone 0800 926 732.