Frozen Funds Charitable Trust
About the trust
The purpose of the Frozen Funds Charitable Trust is to provide grants for projects run by, and for, people who use mental health or intellectual disability services. Public Trust is responsible for administering the Frozen Funds Charitable Trust.
Proposed projects must be:
applied for by charitable organisations or by charitable organisations on behalf of individuals or groups without charitable status
directed by people who use, or have used, mental health or intellectual disability services
completed within a finite period.
The below purposes in the Mental Health category are unlikely to be funded by the Frozen Funds Charitable Trust:
Groups primarily serving those with: brain injuires, Alzheimer's, dementia, stuttering, degenerative neuro-diseases such as Huntington’s disease, those suffering from grief or loss, physical disabilities, or broad-reaching groups.
Professional-run services or projects: counselling; clinicians psychologists without strong leadership-level input from those with mental health service user lived experience.
Funding for books, school facilities, laptops, computers, animal-care, refurbishment costs for physical spaces, short-term interventions, or developing apps or podcasts.
Preference will be given to project proposals that would not be normally funded through government.
2025 funding round
The Board is seeking applications for the Frozen Funds Trust 2025 funding round.
This year we are looking to fund projects or programmes that clearly align with one of the following objectives:
Support for the development of organisations run by service users for the benefit of other service users.
Support for service user run and focussed research into mental health and intellectual disability issues.
Support for workforce development of service users who work for the benefit of other service users.
Support for arts and cultural initiatives by service users.
Payments for the advancement in life of qualifying individuals.
Support of advocacy, development and education initiatives run by mental health and intellectual disability service users.
Support for or undertaking any other activities which are incidental to or conducive to the achievement of the above objects and purposes.
* ‘Service users’ refers to mental health and intellectual disability service users.
* ‘Individuals’ refers to individuals of the mental health and intellectual disability communities.
The proposals must be:
For the ultimate benefit of people who use, or have used, mental health or intellectual disability services.
Applied for by charitable organisations - individuals or groups without charitable status may apply but must have a fundholder or fiscal sponsor organisation with charitable status to administer the funds on their behalf.
Run, or administered by charitable organisations on behalf of individuals or groups without charitable status.
Up to $10,000 per grant is offered to successful organisations. Successful organisations will be required to provide their accountability reports. Late applications will not be considered.
New annual grant - Sir Robert Martin leadership grant
This grant honours the contribution of Sir Robert Martin, a disability rights activist who promoted the self-advocacy movement internationally and was a member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities from 2017 until his death in 2024.
Sir Robert Martin was also a member of the Frozen Funds board from 2007 until 2021.
This grant is to be awarded to a charitable organisation to support an individual or individuals with learning disability in self-advocacy work. Charitable organisations are encouraged to apply on behalf of the person/persons with learning disability they wish to support. The grant purpose could include (but is not limited to):
Professional/ personal development
Leadership development
Funding for accommodations to enable the person/persons with learning disability to participate in advocacy / representing people with learning disability in advocacy efforts
Travel to a conference/forum with a benefit of advocating for people with learning disability
Funding for an assistant/ assistants to support the person with the learning disability to participate in advocacy efforts (e.g. could include travelling with the person to a conference)
Funding for an individual/individuals with learning disability to develop a business idea
One grant in the amount of $10,000 will be awarded to the successful organisation.
As this is a new annual grant offering, we welcome any applications/ideas that would advance the rights of people with learning disability, in the spirit of the work that Sir Robert Martin was known for.
Read more about Sir Robert Martin's life and work here.
How to apply
Applications open mid 13 May 2024 and close 12 July 2024. The outcome of the applications will be advised by the end of August 2024.
Apply by clicking the apply button above while applications are open.
Click here to view the Frozen Funds 2024 Flyer
Click here to view the 2024 Frozen Funds Flyer in Te Reo Maori
History
'Frozen Funds' was the name given to the interest on patients' welfare benefits paid into psychiatric and psychopaedic hospital trust accounts in the 1970s and 80s. The interest money was kept by the institutions to fund such things as recreational projects.
In 1987, this practice ceased and the interest money was taken from the hospitals for payment to the people who owned it.
Over half of the interest money was returned to its owners in the early 1990's.
The government then decided that the unclaimed balance of the funds should benefit people who used mental health and intellectual disability services. A charitable trust was established.
You can view lists of grant payments made by the Trust below.
To view resources on the intellectual disabilities sector that have been partially or fully funded by the Trust, please visit The Donald Beasley Institute, Publications, Frozen Funds
To view resources on the mental health sector that have been partially or fully funded by the Trust, please visit the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, Media, Information Hub. Please type Frozen into the search field. This will bring up the Frozen Funds library resources.
Inquiries about unclaimed interest money
Substantial efforts were made to trace patients entitled to the interest money through a widespread publicity campaign. The funds have been frozen since 1987 to ensure claimants came forward and decisions were made about the balance of the fund.
For more information regarding the unclaimed interest money contact:
Ministry of Health
P O Box 5013
Wellington 6011.
Ph (04) 496 2000
Board
The Trust Board is made up of seven people. Funding applications are received by the Trustee and considered by the Board at the annual board meeting. Public Trust provides administration and investment services to the Board.
Current members of the Trust Board are:
Natasha Brown - Intellectual Disability Sector - Hamilton
Jan Walter - Intellectual Disability Sector – Dunedin
Gina Giordani - Mental Health Sector - Auckland
Joanne Deely – Mental Health Sector – Christchurch
Matt Frost – Intellectual Disability Sector – Wellington
Gloria Yahia – Mental Health Sector – Auckland
Ian Lothian - Intellectual Disability Sector – Christchurch
Donating to the Frozen Funds Charitable Trust
The Trust has Charitable Status and individuals making a donation to the Trust are able to claim a refundable tax credit for 33 1/3% of the total donations made.
Companies or Maori Authorities may claim a tax deduction for any donations made to the Trust.
Please note that:
You can't claim for payroll giving donations made through your salary and wages, as you receive the tax credits at the time of your donation; and
No refundable tax credit or tax deduction is available to the extent it exceeds your taxable income for the year.
The Trusts IRD Number is 093 605 187
Donations can be made:
Online by crediting the Public Trust Account held with the BNZ, North End, Wellington
Account number 020-536-0305865-22
Include reference no: CLI00361639 organisation name or individual name.
Story behind the logo
Each element of the logo plays a significant part in the story behind the Frozen Funds Charitable Trust. Each of the twelve water drops shown in the logo represents one of the twelve psychiatric and psychopaedic hospitals in the country which are now closed.
The water drops also symbolise the human suffering brought about by institutionalising people and the 'thawing' of the frozen funds through the funding activities of the board. The four larger water drops are laid out to represent a map of New Zealand.