Applications for this year’s Regional Environment and Natural Heritage (RENH) grants programme are now open.
The programme aims to fund work protecting, restoring or enhancing Auckland’s environment, especially projects with a focus on strategic regional initiatives for natural heritage and environmentally sustainable living.
Applications are open from 15 July 2019 and close 30 August 2019, with grants of $5000 to $40,000 available.
Funding will be decided in December 2019 for projects to start on January 2020. Individuals, mana whenua, iwi, organisations and community groups are all welcome to apply.
What the grants programme is looking for:
- Sustainable living projects that contribute towards behaviour change, education or adoption of sustainable practices
- Conservation projects working towards the effective management of a regional priority indigenous ecosystem or species
- Projects managing plant and animal pests identified in the Regional Pest Management Strategy
- Healthy Waters projects that contribute towards protecting, improving and/or restoring waterways
- Kaitiakitanga: Projects or activities that empower mana whenua and/or mataawaka kaitiakitanga of Auckland's Natural environment.
For more information and to apply head here.
If you need a hand with your application, email communityfunding@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
The grants team are running five community workshops to help hopeful applicants prepare their submissions and answer any questions. Check out details about the workshops here and flick them an email if you’re keen to come along.
Councillor Penny Hulse, Chairperson of the Environment and Community Committee is excited to see the submissions come through.
“The awards are such a valuable way of supporting the work our communities are doing and enabling people to use their ideas, resourcefulness and initiative to grow our city,” she says.
“We know Aucklanders care about their environment and I encourage community groups to take advantage of this opportunity of funding to tackle local projects and contribute to protecting our environment.”
Check out a successful applicant from last year
In the 2018/2019 round, Sustainable Coastlines received a grant of $15,000 towards the 2018 Love Your Coast event – a 12-week education, capacity development training and clean-up roadshow.
The group aimed to get as many schools, marae, community groups and businesses as possible involved to address the issue of plastic pollution across the Auckland region - and boy did they succeed!
Over 12 weeks, Sustainable Coastlines ran 44 clean-ups and mobilised 3,492 people across schools, community groups, corporates and individuals. They removed over 38,014 litres of litter from coastal environments – equivalent to 158 wheelie bins.
“The grant made a big difference,” says Ryley Webster, from Sustainable Coastline.
“It meant we could provide transportation for schools to get to clean-ups; cover the running costs, and reward event participants with food and refreshments after public clean-ups.
"Without this funding, there is no way that we would have achieved the huge positive outcome of the project.”