Te Awa Community Foundation: Empowering local giving for sustainable impact

Community foundations are one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy in the world. Te Awa Community Foundation (Te Awa CF) is the newest of 17 community foundations in Aotearoa New Zealand and covers the rohe of the Horizons Regional Council: Horowhenua, Manawatū, Palmerston North, Rangitikei, Ruapehu, Tararua and Whanganui.

The community foundation model encourages people to give back to their own community and to support local causes and projects. All donations and bequests are invested and held as permanent endowments. An endowment is a fund with money in it set up to provide long-term support for community causes and/or organisations. Each year, the income earned by endowments is available for grants to charities and organisations in the local community.

To support the establishment and sustainability of Te Awa CF, Kate Aplin and Cat Rikihana have recently been appointed as co-general managers and are engaging with the community to seek volunteer committee members and local district coordinators for each of the seven regions to be part of this long-term, sustainable funding model.

The objectives of the district committees are to provide the Te Awa CF trustees with local advice and knowledge, promote Te Awa CF to their networks and provide referral opportunities for giving and granting opportunities to a district coordinator.

Some local organisations that have already started growing their funds through Te Awa CF include Environment Network Manawatū, Tararua District Council and Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre.

Te Awa Community Foundation invites you to express your interest in this exciting opportunity by emailing support@teawafoundation.org.nz or calling 022 632 0132 to speak to one of the local co-general managers.