Community event fund | Hamilton City Council

Fund snapshot

Why is Council behind this?

Our Council recognises the value of our diverse communities and that connecting all Hamiltonians through community and city events not only contributes to our city’s economic development, it also has wider benefits for everyone.

This links in with He Pou Manawa Ora – Pillars of Wellbeing, which focuses on wellbeing for all Hamiltonians, and our Welcoming Plan to ensure all people coming to live or stay in Hamilton feel welcomed and engaged. That’s also why Council supports activating public spaces and places – to bring our communities together.

What does this fund look like?

Hamilton City Council's Community Event Fund is an annually allocated fund that supports organisations hosting inclusive, free, or low-cost events with a high profile in our community.
This fund is for projects and activities taking place from 30 September of the current year to 30 June of the following year.

Application criteria

Who can apply?

Applicants must be a legally constituted not for profit community group or organisation (i.e. charitable trust or incorporated society) or other legal entity such as limited liability companies, sole traders (proprietorship), or partnerships.
Events must take place within Hamilton’s city boundaries.
Organisations must have the capacity to deliver outcomes.
There is no dollar limit (within the fund’s total pool of $100,000) to the amount requested per application.
Funding is only available for events-related activities taking place from mid-October to the end of July in that year.

What gets funded?

We give priority to small community-led events or cultural celebrations open to wide community participation, and with a target audience of 1000 people or more.

The application

1. Application process, 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 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.