Multi-year community grant fund | Hamilton City Council

Fund snapshot

Why do we have this grant?

Our Council recognises the value of our diverse communities and that connecting all Hamiltonians through community activities, and art and cultural projects, helps to build an intercultural society, and a deep understanding and respect for all.
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 Multi-Year Community Grant supports the operational management of community infrastructure. These include community gathering spaces that deliver services, programmes and activities that benefit the social, cultural, arts and environmental wellbeing of communities in Hamilton.

The Multi-Year Grant is a contestable fund allocated every three years to projects and activities that will be undertaken during the three-year timeframe. The three-yearly application period runs from July to June within the year applications are called for.

Application criteria

Who can apply

Generally Council funds community groups and organisations that meet the following criteria:

They are a legally-constituted community group or organisation registered with charities services (i.e. not for profit, charitable trust, incorporated society).
They are located in Hamilton.
They are sustainable and have the capacity to deliver agreed outcomes.
They strengthen participation across diverse communities.
They build the capability of communities to become sustainable.
They work collaboratively across community sectors.

Priority is given to those that meet the criteria outlined above and also to those that:

provide or manage community spaces/facilities used by the community and/or other organisations
also provide a range of services to the community.

Note: You can apply for a Multi-Year Community Grant and a Single-Year Community Grant in the same year. However, if you are granted a Hamilton City Council Multi-Year Community Grant (first applications for this three-yearly grant open in 2023, for the period July 2024 – June 2027), your application for a Single-Year Grant will not be granted. You also will not be able to apply for a Single-Year Community Grant again until the period of your Multi-Year Community Grant has ended.

What gets funded?

The Multi-Year Community Grant funds operating costs:

related to multi-purpose spaces that the community can use
related to providing opportunities for the wider community to
increase their social connection
for programmes and activities delivered in a community facility that address the needs of its local community
for capacity-building organisations supporting specific communities of place, identity or interest within Hamilton.

Elements that are not covered by the grant include:

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 debts, loans, mortgage repayments or investments of any kind
project costs that will be directly paid back to Hamilton City Council.

For more information, please see Council’s Community Assistance Policy.

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.

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

Once we’ve received your application via the Smartygrants platform, our staff will take it through the application process and assess it against the grant’s criteria and guidelines.

You’ll be notified of the decision within 8 - 12 weeks after the Smartygrants online system has closed applications.

Successful applicants are required to use the Hamilton City Council logo on promotional material.

Find our logos here.

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