The method
We read each funder's own website and save the exact sentences we rely on: dates, who can apply, what they fund and what they will not. Every fact on a funder page links to its source and shows the day we read it.
Each record is then checked against the saved text by a reviewer who did not write it. The last full check passed on 15 October 2026. Errors are fixed in the record itself and the pages rebuilt, so the same mistake does not come back.
Where a funder gives a rule rather than a date, such as “the 25th of each month”, we work the date out and mark it est. We also mark a date estimated if we have not yet confirmed it against the funder's own page. Where a funder does not say something, we say it is not published rather than guess.
What we cover
233 funds from 176 funders: national gaming trusts, Creative New Zealand, the Lottery Grants Board, government funds and private trusts; the main community trust in each region; and council grants across the country. Our last full check was on 15 October 2026. If it has been more than three weeks, every page says so.
Below the calendar we also list grant-making charities from the Charities Register that we haven't checked yet. They have no dates, so read their own pages. We do not cover funds only for individuals.
The fit check
When you enter a charity number, we look up your public record on the Charities Register and use your legal form, sectors and area of operation. We do not read or store officer names or contact details, and we do not keep anything you enter in the check.
The fit check is a first sort to save you reading every funder's criteria. It is not advice, and it cannot know everything about your group. Always read the funder's own criteria before you apply.
Mistakes
Every funder page has a “Report a mistake” form. We check each report against the funder's own page and fix the record at the source.
Who runs this
The funding calendar is part of Second Look, an independent project based in Wellington. It is not run, funded or endorsed by any funder, and it does not apply for funding on anyone's behalf.
The online forms funders use
Most funders take applications through an online system, and the name on a funder page tells you which one.
- SmartyGrants: a common online form. Make a free account with your email; you can save a draft and come back.
- Fluxx or Funding Hub: register your organisation first (approval can take a few days), then apply.
- COMS: used by some gaming trusts. Register once and use the same login each time.
- Department of Internal Affairs grants system: for the Lottery and COGS. The person applying needs a RealMe login.
- Expression of interest (EOI): a short first form. The funder then invites some groups to send a full application.
What the calendar covers
233 funds from 176 funders: every regional community trust, the main gaming trusts, the Lottery, Creative New Zealand, councils across the country, company funds and a range of national trusts for health, social services, environment, sport, Māori and Pasifika groups. It is not every funder in New Zealand: there are hundreds of small private trusts, and the ones we know of but haven't checked are listed at the bottom of the calendar. Dates marked est. are worked out from a funder’s stated pattern or past rounds, so check them on the funder’s page.
Picture credits
Funder details are summarised from each funder's own website, with links to the source. Charity details come from the Charities Register (Department of Internal Affairs), licensed under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
Pictures, all via Wikimedia Commons: Matariki kite day on Mount Roskill, Auckland, 2015, by Ле Лой (CC0). Kiaora Peace Garden, Dunedin, by Andykatib (CC0). Brass band in Willis Street, Wellington, 1951, Evening Post (public domain). Frances Hodgkins, Painting class on the beach (public domain). Group at a hall in Piha, Albert Percy Godber, Alexander Turnbull Library (public domain). Charles Heaphy, Wellington Harbour (public domain). Lake Rotoiti Community Hall, Paora (CC0). Pukekawa Hall, Gadfium (CC0).
