Welcoming communities fund | Hamilton City Council

Fund snapshot

Why do we have this grant?

This is Hamilton City Council’s commitment to partner with mana whenua and community organisations to develop a Welcoming Plan ensures that Hamilton Kirikiriroa feels like home for anyone who chooses to live here. The development of this plan follows the international Welcoming Communities Standard that has been adapted for New Zealand, to continue building on the initiatives and actions delivered from 2022-2025.

Welcoming Communities - Te Waharoa ki ngaa Hapori Programme is an initiative of Immigration New Zealand (INZ) in collaboration with the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, Department of Internal Affairs, and the Human Rights Commission. It’s a settlement programme that supports councils and their communities to create welcoming and inclusive environments for newcomers – recent migrants, former refugees, international students and anyone new to the city. It involves community groups in developing, delivering and participating in welcoming activities, which generates economic, social, civic, and cultural benefits for the community.

In 2021, we began our Welcoming Communities journey, working our way from being a committed welcoming community to an established welcoming community. Although Council led the initiative, it was thanks to the partnership of mana whenua and the initiatives of the community and other organisations that we were able to submit stories of impact that led to our Level 2 – Established accreditation.

Hamilton Kirikiriroa is now part of an international network of Welcoming cities which includes 30 councils and five local boards across New Zealand.

This plan has been co-created with our community partners who will support the delivery of these outcomes. The plan will also keep us and our partners accountable as key players in creating a more welcoming Hamilton. By working collaboratively on this plan, we are confident in our ability to deliver successful and innovative welcoming activities that will help us reach the ‘Advanced’ level of accreditation by 2028. We’re always on the lookout for more organisations to collaborate with.

What does this grant look like?

The purpose of Council's Welcoming Communities Fund is to support and enable new Welcoming Communities projects and activities that offer support in welcoming people into their local community. These activities must align to the outcomes of the Welcoming Plan as stated below:

Inclusive leadership: Local government, tangata whenua and other community leaders work together to create, advocate for, and continue to foster a welcoming and inclusive community. They lead a shared plan to increase connections between newcomers and existing residents.
Welcoming communications: People of all cultures and backgrounds feel included, listened to and well informed through a range of ways that consider their different communication needs.
Equitable access: Opportunities to access services and activities and to participate in the community are available to all, including newcomers.
Connected and inclusive communities: People feel safe in their identity, that they are connected with and belong in the community. There are high levels of trust and understanding between members of the receiving community and newcomers.
Economic development, business and employment: Communities maximise and harness the economic development opportunities that newcomers can offer. Councils work with business associations to promote the contribution that newcomer business owners and skilled migrants make to the region’s economy.
Civic engagement and participation: Newcomers feel welcome to fully participate in the community. Newcomers are active in all forms of civic participation.
Welcoming public spaces: Newcomers and receiving communities feel welcome in and comfortable using public spaces.
Culture and identity: There is a shared sense of pride in being part of a culturally rich and vibrant community. People feel their culture is respected and valued by other members of the community. There are opportunities to learn about each other’s cultures.

For further details and a full explanation on each outcome please check our Welcoming Plan Hamilton - Te Waharoa Ki Ngaa Hapori Kirikiriroa

Application criteria

Who can apply?

Generally Council funds community organisations which meet the following criteria:

They are legally constituted as not-for-profit community organisations (charitable trusts or incorporated societies) and have been operating for a minimum of 12 months.
They have the capacity to deliver the project as outlined in their application.
They have records such as a bank account, annual accounts, minutes of meetings.
They agree to the terms and conditions of any potential grant as outlined in their grant agreement.
They agree to provide further information on request, and to provide accountability for any funds received.

Note: If you wish to apply, but do not meet the above criteria, please contact funding@hcc.govt.nz. (Groups may be considered if they apply under the umbrella of another organisation).

What gets funded?

Priority will be given to applications from community organisations that are:

Eligible to apply, and are
Applying for new projects/activities which align to at least one of the outcomes of the Welcoming Plan, and
Do not request more than the grant limit of $5,000.
Collaborative projects are encouraged.

Note: Applications requesting a new development or extension of an existing programme where newcomers benefit, may be considered. Talk to our team before you apply.

What will not be funded?

Existing business as usual projects, activities or programmes which continue to be the same as they have previously been conducted.
Projects or operational costs already substantially funded by Hamilton City Council.
Retrospective funding, i.e. Projects that have already started or have been completed.
Political organisations or social clubs.
Repayment of debt, Loan, mortgage repayments or investments of any kind.
Project costs that will be directly paid back to Hamilton City Council e.g. venue hire

The application

1. Application processes, guidelines and help.

You’ll need to register on Smartygrants first, then follow the guidelines to complete your application. This will set out what you need to get together before you apply.

There are many help options available through online guides and video tutorials when you are logged into the Smartygrants platform.

Also, here’s how we can help you with the online application process:

You can ask for assistance from one of our funding administrators, if you need it.
You can attend an information session (held in February each year).
You can attend one of our regular funding workshops held throughout the year.

You can also contact a funding administrator from our Community Development Team for more information. Either call our Customer Services Team on 07 838 6699 during office hours, email us at info@hcc.govt.nz.

2. When and how you can expect to hear back from us.

The funding round will remain open until all the funds have been allocated. When this happens the funding round will close until 30 June 2024. Once submitted, applications will be assessed at regular intervals.

It could be up to 4-8 weeks before the outcome of your request is known. Please plan your project dates accordingly as Council does not fund retrospective requests.

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