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What is the Community and Volunteering Capability Fund?

The Community and Volunteering Capability Fund (CVC) replaces:

  • the Community Leadership Fund
  • the Support for Volunteering Fund
  • the Organisational Capability Programme
  • the Youth Worker Training Scheme

The CVC has similar priorities to those funds.

Requests must align with 1 of the following 4 priorities to be considered for funding:

  • sector leadership
  • volunteering
  • organisational capability
  • youth worker training.

Ngā kaupapa matua / Priorities

Sector leadership

Organisations with a national focus, whose primary role is to provide leadership and build capability across the sector or within a specific interest area of the sector.

For details about sector leadership funding follow the link below:

Sector leadership funding

Organisational capability

Community organisations with a development need that requires them to use a skilled professional for a period of time to develop and improve that organisation’s work.

This funding cannot be used to fund a new or an existing permanent position. 

For details about organisation capability funding follow the link below:

Organisational capability funding

Volunteering

  • Māori, Pacific and ethnic, youth or community organisations for original one-off projects that will promote and support mahi aroha or volunteering (the total funding available for volunteering projects is $111,000 across all projects)
  • Regional volunteer centres for promoting good practice in managing volunteers, recruiting and training volunteers, and providing training and networking for organisations that use volunteers
  • Volunteering New Zealand for working with community and voluntary sector organisations and regional volunteer centres to promote and support volunteering in New Zealand

For details about volunteering funding follow the link below:

Volunteering funding

Youth worker training

  • Training or akoako that directly supports the capability of youth workers in their work with rangatahi
  • Requests from community groups, hapū or iwi who have limited access to training opportunities. Training must directly relate to supporting the capability of youth workers in their work with rangatahi
  • Collaborative training events that meet the needs of youth workers and are open to all youth workers in the area

For details about youth worker training funding follow the link below:

Youth worker training funding

Important dates

The important dates for the CVC can be found by following the link below:

Hāpai Hapori important funding dates

The different funding priorities have different opening and closing dates.

The following priorities are open for requests all the time:

  • organisational capability
  • youth worker training.

How to apply

Requests to the fund are made through the online grants management system. Follow the link below to the grants management system. The linked page also has a guide to help organisations use the online grants management system:

Log in to the online grants management system

For advice on a request, contact a Community Advisor by phone on 0800 824 824 or by email at CVCFund@dia.govt.nz.

Supporting information

The following supporting information is required for all requests to the CVC:

  • a budget (not required for organisational capability requests)
  • financial statements that are no more than 18 months old.

If you are applying under the organisational capability and the youth worker training priorities, you need to provide additional supporting information.

Organisational capability

You need supporting information that shows:

  • that the skilled professional’s employer agrees to what’s proposed (where applicable)
  • that the skilled professional agrees to what’s proposed
  • the skilled professional’s current salary or income.

Youth worker training

You need supporting information about the training. This includes:

  • pānui or programme showing the intended training
  • quote(s).

Multi-year funding

You can apply for multi-year funding of up to 3 years if you are applying under these priorities:

  • sector leadership
  • volunteering (only Volunteering New Zealand or regional volunteer centres can apply for multi-year funding).

To be eligible for multi-year funding you must:

  • have been established for at least 2 years
  • demonstrate a good grant management history (with the Department of Internal Affairs and other funders)
  • have evidence of good governance and management systems
  • have experience in, or can demonstrate experience in, running a similar service, activity or project for which funding is requested
  • be a legal entity if the application is for $10,000 or more, for any 1 year.

Ngā kaupapa ka tautokona ā-pūtea / What we fund

Projects or activities that will directly support one of the fund’s 4 priorities.

Ngā kaupapa kāore e tautokona ā-pūtea / What we don’t fund

We don't fund:

  • projects or activities that will not directly support one of the fund’s 4 priorities
  • individual people
  • projects or activities that have ended or started before a grant is made
  • requests from fundraisers, including commercial or professional fundraisers whose purpose is to distribute money to others
  • projects that involve buying land, buildings, furniture or fittings
  • projects intended to generate a profit
  • repaying or servicing debt
  • projects or activities to promote commercial, political or religious activities, including political advocacy employment or business initiatives, commercial enterprises or initiatives which look to change legislation
  • requests where there is evidence of a conflict of interest which, in the opinion of the decision-makers, has not been disclosed by those requesting the grant or has not been satisfactorily managed or the risk reduced when the request was made.