Proactive Engagement

Our dedicated Engagement Team based from Kaeo, Dargaville, Whangārei, Ponsonby, Manukau and Pukekohe, intentionally seek out community stakeholders and change agents, community-led initiatives and opportunities that address priority areas of interest. Meeting together online or kanohi ki te kanohi, community aspirations, needs and potential are explored together, advice on potential funding, co-funding or partnership pathways is provided and access to technical advice on submitting a funding request is facilitated when groups are ready to make an application.

The team continues alongside with post-application support and ensures expert context is provided to inform the Foundation’s decision processes. The Engagement Team also play a key role in ensuring insights and learning gained from working alongside community inform the Foundation’s activities.

As well as individual hui, regular in community information hui, or AWHI sessions were held across the rohe, with many held in areas not traditionally well-served by agencies and funders. These sessions provide an opportunity for Foundation North to awhi groups wherever they are in their funding journey. For example, co-hosted with Te Uri o Hau, a marae development information session was held at Ōtūrei Marae, in Dargaville, as well as online.

We have also participated with others in funding information opportunities, such as a Funders Booth at Big Gay Out and joining ANCAD for their funders fair on Auckland’s North Shore.

Strengthened community connections, together with the learnings from our flexible and interactive funding response to COVID-19, enabled a rapid funding response following the devastating impact of the January floods and February cyclone. Urgent relief was provided where it was most needed, with the Engagement Team proactively reaching out to key connections to see how the Foundation could best support community-led responses. $833,620 was distributed within nine weeks through 34 grants to groups with whom the Foundation had an established relationship. Existing partnerships were also leveraged to ensure a rapid response, such as co-funding with Aktive and Sport New Zealand to stand up an Emergency Relief Fund for sport and recreation organisations.