This innovative grant round has a two stage application process.
Expressions of Interest will open annually beginning September, closing at 5pm on the 15 October.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their Expressions of Interest by the end of November.
Successful expressions of interest will then be invited to complete a full application.
The next Innovative Grant Round will open September 2025.
Full applications will open annually beginning April, closing at 5.00pm on 30 April.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their full application by the end of May.
The successful expression of interest applicants will be sent a direct link to apply online.
A three year innovative project for funding up to $30,000 per annum.
(Year 1: $30,000, Year 2: $30,000, Year 3: $30,000. Total over three years: $90,000).
At the end of the three year period it is expected that the organisation(s) will have found other funding sources, a government contract or will be able to stand alone.
The Innovative Project grant may provide the bridge to enable programmes to be established or continue to be run including organisations working together.
As a new initiative the Trust would like to invite registered charitable organisations based in Christchurch or supporting services in Christchurch who are looking to introduce a new programme or project and/or looking to collaborate with other charitable organisations to support in any of the following areas:
Disadvantaged children
Youth
The elderly
At risk families.
The organisation needs to be a registered charity.
Be introducing a new programme(s) / project(s).
Be based in or supporting services in Christchurch.
Organisations must outline in the expressions of interest how they have determined:
As to how they will meet this need
That there is a need for their service
On what basis they have determined this need.
The purpose of the Innovative Project Grant is to give organisations an opportunity to develop a project that is new and innovative. Projects are expected to support individuals, groups and or communities to make a positive difference in line with the Trust’s Mission Statement. Projects that have a preventive approach are of particular interest to the Trust (the opportunity to consider what they can do before a problem emerges).
The David Ellison Innovation fund seeks to enable charitable trusts to develop new social support services which are focused on the health, wellbeing and development of the most vulnerable whānau in the Christchurch community.
The following are reflections which have come from our experience in the development of the Longitudinal Whānau Support project which gained support from the David Ellison Trust over the years from June 2022 to June 2025. To learn more about our direct project follow this link - https://tewhareawhero.org/publications
1. Having a Plan:
Innovation requires stepping into the unknown, doing something new with the intention of gaining a different result from that which has gone before. It involves an element of building the plane while also flying it, and there is no way around this. This creates its own challenges and the potential for getting lost on the way. Having a plan or blueprint to follow – built from knowledge, experience and observation, which all take time – is an important part of avoiding the risk of ending up walking in circles.
A good plan is clear about defining the issue or problem you are seeking to resolve. It includes your ‘theory of change’: If we do this, we expect to see this outcome. It includes an understanding of the resources you will require – people, stuff, money and the steps you will take to move from where you are currently, to where you want or need to be. Finally, what are the values that will guide your work into the future.
For us this meant two years of talking with our community, and drawing input from our wider team of counsellors, social workers, youth workers, etc, to develop and test a concept. This was an important investment in turning an initial idea into a sustainable and meaningful course of action, which others were then able to understand and then partner with us in making it happen.
2. Reflection:
Once you have your plan, no matter how good it is, allow for the fact that you will learn so much more once you get started. To be able to gain the value from these learnings it is a good idea to intentionally build in times of reflection and to have the ability and courage to make changes to the plan as you go. Invest in building a plan but don’t allow it to limit you. The plan is a tool for you to use – not to enslave you to a course of action.
3.Expect challenges:
if you are working with the poorest in our community then you are choosing to step into messy, difficult situations and so should expect challenges to occur (daily!!). Welcome them as a sign that you are actually pushing into the unknown. The bigger question is how do we support our staff to remain healthy and maintain their own wellbeing – while doing something new with some of the most challenging client groups in the community. We found having a structure and a course of action that we could communicate to staff has been important in addressing this issue. This enabled us to be clear on what we were asking them to do and why. This also got reviewed and changed throughout the first year.
4. Ongoing Evaluation:
Build into the plan an ability to be able to evaluate not only the impacts you are seeking to have, but all the other unintended impacts also (good and bad). Your evaluation process will need to link back to your original theory of change. Evaluation feedback provides two functions: Internally it helps to guild you as you move forward on what is working, what is not, and importantly ‘why’, while externally this is an important part of helping to secure more resources required to advance the plan by giving external partners (volunteers, funders, other service providers) the confidence that this project is worth investing in.
5. Collaboration:
Seek out others that share your values and mission who have skills, resources or experiences who are interested in your area of focus, as this is a great way of enhancing your ability to meet the needs of your client group. We found that key to a successful collaboration was ensuring that both parties were gaining value from being involved in our shared project. It is easy to identify how another party can bring you value (financial supports, volunteers, bringing new skills, etc) but it is just as important to take the time to ensure you understand how you can bring them value (which could include being associated with a really exciting project) if you want this to be a long term, stable relationship.
Te Whare Awhero (Hope House) is acommunity development trust with limited resources for working with some very challenging client groups. Learn more below:
This funding has been instrumental in enabling Home & Family to develop a programme to address a lack of services for youth involved in domestic violence incidents. Learn more below:
“Te Whare Awhero (Hope House) is a medium-sized community development trust with limited resources for working with some very challenging client groups. Securing the David Ellison Trust Innovative Project grant allowed us to transform an idea we had been nurturing into a small-scale trial. This experience led to further development and ultimately helped us secure additional funding to expand the project into a full-scale operation. The multi-year innovation Project grant was crucial in making this possible, turning an ideal into a new community service.”
“David Ellison Charitable Trust’s Innovation Grant has been pivotal in the development of Home & Family’s CAW Child & Youth Wellbeing services. This funding has been instrumental in enabling Home & Family Charitable Trust to pilot and develop Te Hononga, a programme designed to address the critical lack of services for tamariki and youth involved in domestic violence incidents resulting in police callouts. A recurring issue among these youth is their exposure to family violence during their formative years.
The three consecutive years of funding provided by the Trust allowed us to conduct a thorough analysis of the programme’s data, statistics, strengths and weaknesses. This comprehensive evaluation led to the introduction of Waka 21, a forward-looking initiative aimed at helping youth envision their future at age 21, fostering self-reliance and confidence to achieve meaningful change. Additionally, we have incorporated in-depth wrap-around social work support for the whānau, ensuring that the entire family unit benefits from the programme and achieves successful outcomes. The multi-year funding for Home & Family ensured the necessary resources to assist salaries, programme expenses and external studies that have been crucial in informing and guiding the Te Hononga team. The impact of this support has been profound, and we are immensely grateful for the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of these young individuals and their families.”
Last year the trust received a great many applications for an innovative project grant which were ineligible because the funding criteria had not been read properly. If your project or programme is not innovative and new please consider applying in the contestable grant round.
Salaries
Project costs
Programme costs
Capital expenses – purchase of land, buildings or vehicles
The promotion of religion
Overseas travel
Projects already completed
Individuals
Sporting groups unless this covers health and wellbeing for the community
Schools and early childhood centres
Environmental groups
Well established, uniformed youth groups.
Organisations/groups must show that they have the capacity and capability to undertake such a project/programme.
Actuals against budget
Who is being supported
Number being supported
What is working
What is not working
Any further information called for by the Advisory Board
A one page document uploaded to the Smarty Grants system allowing applicants to apply online. The Expression of Interest will request the following information:
Purpose and activities of the organisation
A brief outline of the project and its intended outcome
How the organisation determined the need for this project
On what basis did the organisation determine this need
Cost of the project
Funds sought from the Trust
Other funding sources
Charities registration will automatically be confirmed in the online granting system
Expressions of Interest will open beginning September and closing at 5pm on the 15 October. The Trustee will notify the unsuccessful/successful Expressions of Interest by 30 November. Successful Expressions of Interest will then be invited to complete a full application.
Organisations will be asked to supply:
Their latest set of financial statements
A budget for the programme
Full details of the project
Any further information called for by the Advisory Board
Where they will source other funding if required
Will the programme commence if the organisation does not have sufficient funding, and or other funding is not forthcoming.
Full Applications will close at 5.00pm on the 29 April
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their full application by 31 May.