The Thomas George Macarthy Trust will be open for applications from 1 May to 13 June 2025. The Trustee invites organisations from across the Trust’s region to apply for a grant. The Trust’s region is the old Wellington provincial district, defined as the area of the North Island which is south of Turangi and excluding Taranaki and Hawke's Bay. View a map of the Trust's region here.
Applications are to be completed online via ‘Smarty Grants’. Applications are received by the Trustee and considered by the Board of Governors at their October annual meeting.
The Trust will consider funding charitable organisations, providing services that fall within the “four areas of focus” identified in the Trust’s Mission, to:
Meet operational funding needs including administrative costs and part funding salaries for limited periods;
Deliver social programmes and services to the community;
Support organisational development to improve their capabilities and capacity to serve their communities;
Purchase capital equipment or improvements needed to provide the activity, programme or service.
To help build strong, inclusive and supportive communities by funding community based, not for profit organisations within the Trust’s region, that:
Improve the quality of life for disadvantaged and marginalised
Help children and young people develop and realise their potential
Look after and provide dignity for older people
Provide essential medical and emergency services
Eligibility of Organisations
Your organisation must be:
Registered with Charities Services or;
A registered incorporated society or;
A school registered with the Ministry of Education and;
Operating or providing a service within the Trust funding region.
Application groups
Grants will be grouped in categories from 1 to 3: (you must select one group only)
Group 1 grants for:
small equipment purchase / replacement, capital purchases under $10,000.
operating expenses and / or core business services (e.g. social, mentoring, counselling services) including a contribution towards existing salaries or wages.
$5,000 to $10,000 per grant
Group 2 grants for community impact funding for:
Specific projects or programmes – requests can include salaries, operating expenses and equipment associated with the project or programme.
Medium to large capital grants.
$10,000 to $100,000 per grant.
Group 3 Grants for:
Investment funding which would support capital projects that will facilitate and enable the delivery of:
new community assets
expansion or preservation of an existing, community asset
Larger non-capital projects or programmes such as investments in social service delivery, social enterprise start-up, etc.
Grants between $100,000 and $300,000.
Applications in Groups 2 and 3 must demonstrate the identified need, how the plan will be implemented being specific (what, why, how, who - working in collaboration may be advantageous) and measurable outcomes. The Trust wants to see how the applicant will improve outcomes for the communities it serves.
The median grant size in each group for 2024 was:
Group 1 - $5,000
Group 2 - $10,000
Group 3 - $50,000 – with 2 grants of $100,000.
In 2024, we faced significant challenges in our funding round. We had a 51% increase in applications compared to the previous year. This surge in demand highlighted a critical issue: the total amount of funds requested was nearly ten times our available granting budget.
These numbers underscore the growing need for support and the importance of our work. We are very aware that many organisations are struggling with increased demand for their services, increased costs and a challenging fundraising environment.
The median grant sizes above are to give charities a realistic expectation of the funding levels they might expect from T G Macarthy in 2025.
Any applications with the following circumstances will not be considered:
Incomplete or late applications
Requests for retrospective funding
Accountability requirements from the previous year’s grant have not been met
Applications from individuals and service clubs.
Applications requesting funding for overseas projects.
Applications not based in or supporting people within funding region.
Applications submitted under $5,000 or over $300,000.
Applicants who are not:
o Registered with Charities Services or;
o A registered incorporated society or;
o A school registered with the Ministry of Education
Application Guidelines
All funding is GST exclusive.
Only one application from an organisation will be considered.
Applications from controlling bodies are preferred, however, in certain circumstances applications from both a controlling body and branch may be considered.
Applicants are expected to have made endeavours to raise funds independently.
The significance of government funding will be taken into consideration when assessing applications.
Grants for purposes not yet commenced will only be considered if the Board is satisfied that the applicant can achieve the purpose(s) of the grant.
All Early Childhood Education, Care Centres and OSCAR programmes must apply under the Early Childhood – Special Grant Round.
Applications for religious purposes will only be considered if the organisation provides a full general secular education.
Applications for assistance or promotion of drama, music, arts and crafts will only be considered if they are primarily for educational purposes or public benefit.
Applications from sports organisations will only be considered if they can clearly demonstrate advancement of education or promotion of health, for a significant section of the public.
Accountability
Organisations receiving a grant will be required to:
Upload an official receipt for their Smarty Grants application;
The name of the Trust and the amount of the grant is recorded in their annual accounts (or as a note to the accounts) and/or annual report;
The support of the Trust is included in publicity material whenever appropriate.
The Trustee may request that organisations supply additional information confirming that funds have been utilised as per the application.
