Papakura Local Board has made grants of more than $22,000 in its Small Grants round.
The board had more than $18,000 returned to it after earlier grants were unable to be taken up because they were made to support projects that could not go ahead during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Board chair Brent Catchpole says community groups could struggle to access funding given the constraints of the pandemic, but the board will continue to support groups active in the community.
“All spending is under review but there are many great people out there doing good things for the community and we don’t want to turn the tap off for them, because some would almost certainly go out of existence.”
Several of the grants made were to support groups active with youth and schools in the Papakura area.
“They do great work in a lot of our schools, and there’s also $550 for Sustainable Papakura, who have achieved so much in the town, and support to make sure the event in Central Park after the Christmas Parade can go ahead. I think we all need something to look forward to.”
Successful applicants:
- Papakura Business Association, $1300, Santa parade event in the park costs
- YMCA North, $2000, intermediate school camp costs
- Tai Brown, $1000, children’s fun day costs at the pools
- Blue Light Ventures, $1967, Rainbows End for school leaders and volunteers
- Youth Spaces Trust, $1500, replace club gazebo
- Counties Manukau Gymnastics, $1449, computer software
- Well Women Franklin, $1960, Papakura group venue hire
- Southern District Chinese Assoc, $1550, band and events costs
- Gateway Trust, $2000, school speech contest
- Tread Lightly Trust, $1025, for a programme in schools
- Plunket, $2000, community co-ordinator support
- Sustainable Papakura, $550, volunteer support costs
- Drury Kiwanis, $600, Terrific Kids booklets for Papakura schools
- Physically Disabled Auckland, $1240, online digital project
- Papakura Football Club, $2000, operational costs.
The board was also able to top up grants made earlier this year to organisations that did not receive the full funding they had sought.
That saw Auckland Southern Districts Chinese Association awarded another $1000 towards venue hire and costumes, the declined $1915 now awarded to the Great Potentials Foundation for laptops, the South Auckland Performing Arts Competition getting $1000 for venue hire, and $2776 granted to the Bruce Pulman Park Trust for ground hire, funding that was originally declined.
With just $2750 left in its entire grants budget, the board also granted Kids Can $1500, Rainbow Youth and Parenting Place $500 each for their work, and LifeKidz $250 for play equipment.
“We are left with a zero balance in our grants budget and we should be very pleased with that because we have managed the available funds to the last dollar.”
